202 



Motoring in the High Sierras 



Yosemite Valley. The route that crosses Sonora Pass is approached from San 



the mountains at this point is known as Francisco, on the west, over wide, 



the Mono State Highway and attains an smoothly oiled boulevards to Stockton, 



altitude of 9,625 feet above sea-level (U. the metropolis of the San Joaquin delta. 



S. G. S.). In point of grandeur and superb From here the road leads to the sleepy 



Route over Sonora Pass. 



scenery, this region is equal to that of the 

 Stelvio or any other of the more travelled 

 Alpine routes of Europe, and in addition 

 possesses a variety of features which are 

 to be found in no other part of the world. 

 A writer, in describing various localities of 

 the world, most suited for motion-picture 

 production, recently said: "California is, 

 indeed, an adaptable place, scenically 

 speaking. On a moment's notice it can be 

 made to resemble any one of the known 

 countries of the civilized globe and some 

 that aren't known or civilized." 



The Sierras combine at once, on the 

 western slope, a vegetation of the mightiest 

 trees of the earth; on the east, a massive 

 wall of granite that rises from a shimmer- 

 ing desert below the level of the sea; 

 and between the two, a magnificent line of 

 snow-capped peaks thrusting their jagged 

 summits far into the eternal blue of the 

 sky. These mountains are distinctively 

 hospitable. In the summer there are no 

 storms to drive the traveller from the sum- 

 mits, no avalanches to be feared, and, ex- 

 cept for an occasional afternoon thunder- 

 shower, the sun shines every day through 

 a crystal atmosphere. 



town of Sonora through the region once 

 inhabited by Bret Harte's picturesque 

 characters. Many of the relics of the gold 

 days are still in evidence, but the booted 

 miner and the sallow-faced gambler have 

 disappeared, and the old-timers who can 

 recall the author of "The Luck of Roaring 

 Camp," " Tennessee's Partner," and other 

 stories of '49 are hard to find. After leav- 

 ing Sonora the road passes up through the 

 brown foot-hills scantily clothed with oaks, 

 maples, California laurel, and with occa- 

 sional digger and pinon pines to remind 

 one of the cool forests of magnificent con- 

 ifers beyond. A short distance to the 

 north of this route lies the Calaveras 

 Grove of Big Trees, one of the noblest of 

 all the groups of Sequoia gigantea. Forty 

 miles to the southeast as the crow flies is 

 the wonderful Yosemite Valley; which, to 

 the good fortune of the motorist, is open 

 to automobile travel during the summer 

 months. 



Perhaps the most inspiring feature cf 

 the beauty of these mountains is to be 

 found in the granite gorges and canyons 

 that cleave the western slopes to depths of 

 three and four thousand feet. These can- 



