The Beach family, Charles, Doretta, Lela and Claude, set out from Cornwall, Ontario on October 18, 1921. This is Doretta's diary. Hotel Virginia, Santa Barbara, Calif. Jan. 24th. Left San Luis Obispo. Beautiful and bright and driving a hundred and fourteen miles, coming through a lovely farming and oil country, stopping along the way and going down to the ocean to see the tide and walking around. The breakers were lovely, then on and stopped to see the Hot Spring. Had lunch at Santa Maria, then on through lemon and walnut groves, arriving here about four o'clock after a very pleasant day's drive. Occidental Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif. Jan. 25th. Left Santa Barbara about nine. Weather beautiful and the scenery beautiful along the ocean part of the way and winding roads around mountain through farming country. The farmers were very busy working. One place saw four different men in one field each driving eight horses. Saw very large walnut and lemon groves and pretty homes and lovely flowers. About a hundred miles drive getting here about four and just before we got to the city had a puncture and found a big screw nail in tire. Before leaving Santa Barbara went out to the Veronica Springs. Jan. 26th. Weather warm and bright. Father, Lela and Mrs. Clark went to Post Office but no mail. Then Lela and Mrs. Clark went in some of the stores and father and Claude went to get tire fixed. Then all came back to hotel went to lunch and after took car and went out to Exposition Park and went through one building showing all of California products which were very interesting and there are roque courts and bowling grounds and father went over to the roque court and met a man he used to meet in St. Petersburg. Then went back and had dinner and we girls went for a walk and Claude was waiting down in lobby for Geo. Beach, leaving in A.M., for San Diego. Hotel Knickerbocker, San Diego, Calif. Jan. 27th. Weather rather hazy and cool. Left Los Angeles about ten A.M., and went to Post Office on our way out and got two letters and the Standard. Came through wonderful orange, lemon and walnut groves and very good farming country for sixty miles. Stopped for lunch and then came along the ocean on one side and mountains on the other for miles and hundreds of oil wells in operation and flowers, beautiful rose hedges and beautiful bungalows. Getting here about four o'clock and located, father went over to see Mr. Evans and he came back to hotel with him. Jan. 28th. Weather bright but cool. Got trunks in and settled. Then went out to lunch and after went and hunted up Mr. Geo. Johnston's mother. Then came back and went to see a play called, Bringing Up Father on Wall Street, and it was no good. Came back until time for tea and then spent the evening writing. Jan. 29th. Raining all day. Jan. 30th. Rained all night and all forenoon. After lunch, father, Mrs. Clark, Lela and Claude went out and got Mr. and Mrs. Evans and they all went out and hunted up a friend of Mrs. Clark's and Mr. Geo. Johnston's mother and Alice Earle, formerly (Alice Green) and came home through a beautiful park. I did not go as I was not feeling well. Rev 2005-12-05