62 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15. 



ner, your companion in every thing you enter 

 into, whether it be work or play ; and then 

 what a wonderful and precious promise is the 

 remaining part of that beautiful verse! "and 

 he shall give thee the desires of thy heart." 



NOTES OF TRAVEL 



* BY A. I. ROOT-. 



m 



YELLOWSTONE PARK AWHEEL ; HOW TO MAKE 



THE TRIP WITHOUT PAYING OUT ANY 



MONEY AT ALL, PROVIDING YOU HAVE 



THE "MUSCLE." 

 A. I. Root, Friends. Brothers, and Co cyclists: — I will 

 introduce myself by saying I became acquainted with 

 Mr Root through his journal, taken by Mr. and Mrs. 

 Messenger, whose farm joins mine. I will say. Mr. 

 Root, that further acquaintance with you was induced 

 by the fact that you love the bicycle. And, again, I 

 was further interested when you stated that you were 

 about to tour the park on your wheel, for I already 

 had plans matured for a similar trip. 



I am an ardent lover of cycling, and so a friend and 

 I planned and accomplished a tour on wheels from 

 here (Northwest Nebraska) to the park via Billings, 

 Livingston, and Cinnabar, and on through Idaho and 

 Utah to Salt Lake City, and return home via Chey- 

 enne — a circuit of over 2200 miles, and all on wheel 

 but 500 on the home run. 



I hoped very much to meet with you on the trip. I 

 think likely you passed us at Livingston, as we were 

 there from Aug. 2 to 15. We worked our way, and 

 Livingston was one place where we stopped and 

 worked. We traveled from place to place till money 

 was gone, and then worked and replenished, and in 

 this way made expenses from start to finish We 

 planned our trip, and worked to the outline all 

 through. 



When we left Cinnabar we loaded our effects and 

 four weeks' provisions on our wheels We have the 

 honor of carrying the heaviest loads through the park 

 on bicycles that were ever known. 



We left the park on the west, and went to the Ore- 

 gon Short Line, 100 miles due west from Fountain Ho- 

 tel. When we left Cinnabar we had 75 lbs. of effects 

 and 75 lbs. of provisions. When we reached Mouida, 

 on the Oregon Short Line, we had 75 lbs. of effects 

 and 20 lbs. of provisions. Notwithstanding this heavy- 

 load we could and did make good speed; but as a rule 

 our trip for a day was short, as we went to see the 

 park Our longest day's ride in the park was 30 miles. 

 We reversed the circuit from Norris, and went to the 

 left via Grand Canyon, Lake, and Thumb. Our 

 equipment consisted of tent, 9x9, bedding, cooking- 

 utensils, repair tools and repair supplies, and provi- 

 sions; also gun, field-glass, and various little coriven-- 

 iences. We were 2S days in the park, and I hope and 

 expect to go again soon. I shall ride a wheel in the 

 park, even if I go and return otherwise. I think a 

 wheel beats all other modes of travel in the park, and 

 I also want to be free from all schedule time such as 

 the coach runs by. 



I read all of your articles with much interest, but 

 smiled where you said, "Any one making this trip in 

 the park should not carry a pound of luggage," or 

 words to that effect. I thought " What would Mr. 

 Root think if he had seen us with our 75 lbs. on each 

 wheel, and riding eight miles an hour ?" 



Of course, we walked up the steeper hills; but none 

 troubled us much except the Mammoth Springs hill, 

 and that one we divided, as we camped one mile west 

 of the Post. 



I read your recitals with keener delight, no doubt, 

 because I followed the route on my wheel; and I fol- 

 lowed you in detail ; and at such places as Willow 

 Camp I stopped as yen did, to inspect the camp, etc.; 

 but if you had ridden on through, your descriptions 

 would be more interesting to me. 



We rode scores of miles on our wheels in the geyser 

 fields where otherwise we should have had to walk or 

 forego the trips as you did. Such freedom and ease no 

 one can enjoy as on a wheel, in the geyser fields. I 

 can see by your description that you were very limit- 

 ed in \ our explorations on account of your depen- 



dence on the stage; and yet you enjoyed many privi- 

 leges you could not on the transportation coaches. 



Many places of great interest you fail to describe; 

 and I take it you were not there, and also other places 

 you did not see personally, or you would describe 

 them differently. Some of these, as it appears to me, 

 are such asGr<at Fountain, Biscuit Basin, Specimen 

 Lake, Sunlight Basin, Natural Bridge. Sulphur Moun- 

 tain. Just for a moment think of Prismatic Lake, in 

 Midway Basin, close to Excelsior Geyser. You will 

 recall how the hot water overflows on all sides, and 

 how difficult it is to approach it, and also the danger- 

 ous appearance of the crater, as the edges jut over, 

 like ice in a pond, aroun I an opening. But I wish you 

 could have seen me there. A wheel there is just the 

 Tight thing. The one to two inches of water was no 

 hindrance to a wheel, and I sailed around and around 

 it like a hawk, and so near the edges that it took all 

 the courage I could muster. 



Well do I realize your feelings as you describe the 

 Excelsior. I had similar thoughts as I looked at it 

 and encircled it. 



Your description of Riverside Geyser comes right 

 home, for we eamoed right above it in the timber for 

 four days — camped right by the spring that supplies 

 the Wylie Camp there. Ycur experience with the 

 Geyser water was different from mine If you will 

 absorb a little "Christian Science" the geyser water 

 will not hurt you. I drank it with impunity, with no 

 results different from those from other water. I made 

 coffee with it also. I bathed in it. and washed clothes 

 in it. I visited all the Wylie camps. I rode on steam- 

 er Zilla, and rowed skiffs several trips; went to the isl- 

 and and returned, and also to the Thumb. I was 

 raised on the waters to a grtat extent. I lived in Ohio, 

 on the Ohio River, near Parkersburg. All my folks 

 were Quakers, and I helped on the underground raib 

 road. Our house was a station. You see you are not 

 so very much older than I am. 



I visited the bear at Lake Hotel many times. I suc-> 

 ceeded in approaching to within seven feet of one as 

 he culled the garbage. I was there when the " silver 

 tips" whipped twice their number of black bears. 



Excuse me if I criticise you once. Where you speak 

 of the fish at Wylie Camp, at the lake outlet, you call 

 them speckled trout. The fact is, there is not one 

 speckled tro it in the lake or in its outlet. They are 

 salmon and rainbow. Between Billings and Living- 

 ston (15 miles west of Billings) we s opped over night 

 with a man who has bees, and takes your journal. He 

 is a preacher too. We talked of you, and I told him 

 of your proposed trip, and he said he should much 

 like to ste you. My partner cleaned their organ, and 

 took pay in honey and butter. 



I hope you will excuse me for writing such a long 

 letter to a stranger. It is presuming lots to think it 

 will pay you to read it all. But I am such a lover of 

 the wheel, and of touring, that your trip and descrip- 

 tion enthused me. R. M. Stanton. 



Chadron, Neb., Jan. 1. 



My good friend, why in the world didn't 

 you write me a postal card and tell me what 

 you were going to do, so I could have made 

 one of your party for at least part of the time? 

 I confess I was a good deal disappointed when 

 the time came for me to start, and not a man 

 or boy who reads Gleanings had proposed 

 joining me on that trip. I hardly think I 

 should have taken the coach — at least not to 

 the extent I did — had I just found somebody 

 to talk with and compare notes, etc. When I 

 gave my instructions not to carry a pound of 

 baggage I was talking for the average person; 

 and, dear friend S., if you have never before 

 in your life thanked God for your muscle and 

 for the muscular strength he has seen fit to. 

 give you, just get right at it this minute. 

 Another reason why I advised s' ripping the 

 wheel was because the Wylie people would 

 carrv one's luggage on the stage for only 25 

 cents a day. With my comparatively feeble 

 health and strength it was worth 25 cents sev- 

 eral times over to have all the things needed 

 taken on the coach, and have them waiting 

 for me at each stopping-place. 



