the best part was

The Beach family, Charles, Doretta, Lela and Claude, set out from Cornwall, Ontario on October 18, 1921. This is Doretta's diary.

Tues. Jan. 17th. Weather fine. Claude, Lela and Mrs. Clark went to see Fatty Arbuckle and the court did not open until two o'clock, so then they came back for me and we went down town and Chas. went to the dentists. When we came back and about half past three they went down to the trial and stayed an hour and I had dinner ready when they got home. In the evening Lela went up to see Ada.

Mrs. Clark, mother, Mrs. Higgins, Mrs. Taylor in Berkeley

Wed. Jan. 18th. Fine and bright but cool. Left about half past nine for ferry to go over to Oakland and then on to Berkeley to the Cottonwood Hotel to see a Mrs. Taylor a friend of Mrs. Clarks, and we stayed. Chas. and Claude went back to Oakland to the auto show and Mrs. Taylor took her electric car and took us for an hours ride around the city and to the Greek Theatre and back to hotel for lunch. Then after lunch she took us to see her sister and we had a very pleasant time. Then took the street car back to Oakland and met Chas. and Claude, and left for San Francisco getting home about five. Had dinner and stayed in to write, getting four or five letters on our return. It is cold to-night.

Thurs. Jan. 19th. Beautiful and bright but cold. All went to Golden Gate Park and through the museum which is wonderful and to the Japanese Gardens and had afternoon tea served in real Japanese style. Saw a live stock and a dozen kangaroos and other animals. Got home about five o'clock, had dinner and then went out to Neil Henderson's for the evening and bid them good-bye.

Friday Jan. 20th. Weather bright but still cool and we got ready to leave all packed and cleaned up and Easton and Flora came in the evening and stayed until twelve o'clock. Lela went over to the hospital about 3.30 to see Ada and her new baby girl (Elizabeth Gardiner). Her baby was only fourteen hours old, but they were getting along nicely, and she had gotten special permission for me to see her. Baby born 1.20 A.M. (Jan. 20th).

Photo: Family beside car on stadium track

Mother, Mrs. Clark, father & Claude (inside stadium)

Hotel Montgomery, San Jose, Calif., Jan. 21st. Weather bright but cool. Went down to the city, had breakfast and left San Francisco about half past ten, passing from one town of about six or seven thousand into another San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, where the Sanford University is, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Leland Sanford and son. The buildings are beautiful and especially the Chapel, also a stadium that seats sixty-five thousand, and then south through a wonderful fruit belt: prunes, cherries and apricots. Santa Clara another town of seven thousand and on to San Jose a city of forty thousand, and forty-eight miles south of San Francisco. Had lunch and left about three o'clock for Mt. Hamilton 4200 ft. high, a twenty-five mile trip and the last seven miles there are sixty-five turns in the road and up grade is steady and (Caution) at every turn as they were extremely sharp to see. Lick Observatory on the summit the second largest repeating observatory telescope in the world. Had our lunch with us as there are no eating places up there and it was cold, and we had to wait until seven o'clock to look through the instrument getting back to hotel about ten o'clock. The sunset above the mountains was pass describing. The one telescope was thirty-six inches in diameter and the other twelve. We lost our new flash light.
Photo: Valley

View from Mt. Hamilton (4000 ft.)

Appleton Hotel, Jan. 22nd. Weather bright and warmer. Went to the Baptist Church and heard a wonderful sermon. Then left San Jose and came on to Los Gatos a little town of about three thousand with immaculate homes and streets. The gateway to the Santa Cruz Mt., with quicksilver mines and Alma Soda Springs and Santa Cruz big trees six miles north of the city. General Fremont lived one winter inside of one of the trees. Then we went on to Watsonville and stopped for the night. Saw very large grape vineyards.

Commercial Hotel, San Luis Obispo, St. Louis the Bishop, Calif. Jan. 23rd. Left Watsonville about nine A.M. The weather was beautiful and bright but cool. Coming through a farming district and on through great almond groves. Saw the farmers plowing, three different men with seven horses each and some sowing their grain. Stopped to see The Mission of San Miguel Archangle, the third mission established July 25th, 1797, and still in use. Then on to Bradley just a country place with a store and a man who had been a trapper had monkeys, deer, ostrich, parrots, guinea pigs, racoons, fox and several other animals, and on through mountains and winding roads, driving a hundred and fifty miles, getting there about five o'clock, had dinner and ready to write home.

Rev 2003-12-06