Coaching at Santa Catalina 279 



bushes and the sails of vessels are like gulls below us, 

 while facing us are the lofty Sierra Madres, capped with 

 snow, forming the edge of the world. 



The coach is always following the indentations of 

 the canon. This road is but a shelf fifteen feet wide, 

 cut out of its side. Now we are facing the mountains, 

 now seemingly walking into the ocean, or about to drop 

 into space. Ever rising, new peaks come into view, 

 new points ; ranges of purple mountains, silvered with 

 flecks of gray ; and so on, until the horses step out 

 upon the loop a clever turn, where the lady on the 

 box seat looks into space and practically sees the two 

 leaders coming toward her, so sudden is the curve. 



Higher the horses climb, finally stepping out upon 

 the hilltop at the summit, fifteen hundred feet up, where 

 they face the sea, commanding a view perhaps without 

 peer in America. The entire island is seen, a maze and 

 jumble of peaks and ranges so high above the ocean 

 that the ships below appear like chips floating on 

 its surface. The walk up of the six horses has taken 

 possibly an hour and a half. You can if you wish go 

 down in eighteen or twenty minutes, if it happens that 

 you are in the stage that does not go through. I have 

 taken it many times, and am prepared to award the 

 palm to this splendid ride as the most exciting in my 

 experience. It is the acme of coaching possibilities, 

 exhilarating and perfectly safe. The regular drivers are 

 only allowed to make the descent at a certain speed, 

 but I have taken it a number of times with Captain 



