Story from John Vonderlin

Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Hi June,

  This might be my new favorite travelogue to the Coastside. It reminds me of some ill-fated trips into the wilderness I had when I was a young man.  This is only one of the numerous interesting vacation stories on the “Junior Call” page (#2) of the October 17, 1908 issue of the San Francisco Call. Six watches were awarded for the best stories. This one is about a young man and his brother’s walking trip from San Mateo to Santa Cruz.

 

THE WALK TO SANTA CRUZ

 

ALFRED   MATSON,
502   Clayton   Street,   San   Francisco.
Crocker   School,   B   Eighth   Grade.
-.Age   14   Years-      
It   was   early   Saturday   morning,   June
28,   that   my   brother   and   I   started   on
the   long   walk   to   Santa   Cruz.   We   took
the   car   to   San-Mateo,   from   where we
started   on   our real walking   trip.  We
reached;   Redwood:   by   noon.   Here  we
had   our lunch   and   after   resting   we
started   toward   the   mountains.   We
walked   about   two   hours,   when   he   sud - 
denly   came   to   the   conclusion   that  we
were   lost,   for   there   were   hills   on   all
sides   of   us.   But,   as   I   had   noticed   a
cowpath   running      north  and   south,  I
suggested following   it,   which  sugges - 
tion   was   readily   accepted   by   my
brother.    After   following   this   path   for
about   half   an   hour   we   came   to   a   tiny
creek,   which   we   both   thought   a   favor - 
able   camping   ground.   Here   we   made
our coffee   and   ate   our   supper.   I rolled
Into   my   blanket,   but   my   brother   wrote
in   his   diary.   I   soon   went  to   sleep   –   and
awoke  at   dawn.  I awoke  my   brother and   then  

made coffee   while   my   brother   explored  the
surrounding   country.  He   came back
and   told   that   there  was  a  road   to   the
south   of   us.   After   breakfast   we   struck
out   along   the    road     and   it   was   hard
walking,   for   it   was   all   up  hill.   We
ate   our.   lunch; at  a  place called   Upenuf.
After   resting   a   while   we   started   again,
but   it   was   easier   now,  as   it   was   down
hill.   And   now we came   into the  red - 
wood   district, where   our  enormous    big
trees   rear    their   black,    green   heads   to
blue   California   skies.    After  walking 
until   dusk,   we   came   to   .the   little   town
of   La   Honda,   where   we   decided   to
camp   for   the   night.  
  We  found   a   good   camping   ground   un - 
der   two   tall   redwoods.   My   brother  and
I   went   to;   bed   early  for   we  wanted  to
reach   Pescadero  the   next  night.

   At  1   o’clock   the   next   day;   we   were   at
San   Gregorio.   Here   we   ate   our   lunch, but
soon   were   on   our   way,   for   Pescadero
was   a   good   ways   off.   After   a   dry   and
hot  walk   we   reached  Pescadero   at
nightfall.   By   good  luck,   we   found,   a
favorable   camping ground   on   a  bank   of
a   creek.   We   ate a  dry   supper;   for   I,
for   one,   was     very  tired.    Next    morrn - 
ing   I   found,   to   my  dismay,   that   my
brother’s   face   was   so  swollen  from
poison   oak   that   he was   blind.   So  I led
him   to   the   doctor,   who   asked   us   how
he   got   it,   but   we   didn’t   know,   but  he
must   have   slept   in  it,  for   it   was  all
over   his   body.   ~   He.   gave   us   a   prescription
that   he   said   would   cure him  by   that
night.   But   by   night  he  was  as   bad   as  ever,  

so   I   packed    up  and   we  went   to
the   hotel,   where.   we   got   a   room.  Next
morning   we   took  the   stage   to   Redwood
City, where   we   took  the   train   to   San
Francisco.   –   So   ends   the   eventful   tale   of
the   hike   to   Santa   Cruz;  

 

   This   contest   is   open   to   San   Fran - 
cisco   and   California   juniors   between
the   ages   of   10   and   16   years,   and   for
the   six   best   stories   published   each
week   The   Junior   Call   awards   as   prizes
six   handsome   school   watches.
For   the   younger   Juniors,   under   10
years   of   age,   another   contest   is   open,
particulars   of   which   are   given   on   the
fourth   page   today.
The   watches   awarded   in   this   week’s
contest   will   be   mailed   in   a   few   days.
If   you   are   a   winner   and   have   not   re - 
ceived   yours   by   next   Saturday,   let   The
Junior   Call   know   at   once.
 .

Hi June,

   This little description of one of the Pescadero region’s

least known oddities of the mystical variety, “The Holy Well,”

 is excerpted from  a very futuristic article that appeared in

the April 12th, 1896 issue of “The San Francisco Call,” The

article was entitled “From The Bowels of The Earth,” and was

about well-boring, for geothermal power, for oil, for the “Center of

the Earth,” (280 years at standard rate). Mr. Hoagland, a

Red Adair kind of figure in the of well-boring industry, is quoted

extensively about his career. Amongst his stories was this one:

   

   Visiting Tar Creek has been on my list for a while,

but as friends say you usually can’t see the seepages

it derives its name from, it hasn’t risen close enough

to the top for me to make the hike. I’m thinking a picture of

the capped  “Holy Well,” just might make it worth it.

Enjoy. John

Caption for the image below reads: Leakage from the Seas Is Converted into Steam at the Root of the Volcano

Hi June,

   Though  Neptune’s Vomitorium at Invisible Beach is starting to clear of sand slowly, (Only the top of the head of the “fish rock” that guards its mouth had been above the sand until now) its production of non-buoyant debris is still minimal. There have been a few interesting things I’ve envountered over the sparse months though that I’d like to share.

   The vomitorium that’s located at the point your car might land if you get airborne while drunk and speeding west on Pescadero Rd. on a foggy night  and don’t see the STOP sign on Highway 1, was active last month. It gifted me with a record number of eight Aerobie Rings in one visit and a few goggles, swim fins, tire parts, and fishing line balls, but has been quiet lately.

   Speaking of fishing line balls here is a picture of the seven trash cans of them I eventually have to tie onto the “World’s Largest Fishing Line Ball.” Can’t imagine why I don’t get to it.

   The thing  I’m holding  in the attached picture that looks like a hairy valentine heart

is probably from the gills of something, but maybe it is a part of some filter feeder’s straining system. I don’t know,  as I’ve never seen one before and I’m not sure who might know what it is. I’ll work on it eventually. Parts seem to be a lot harder to identify then species. Kind of like Fast Food. Enjoy. John

Hi June,

    This is from the July 21st, 1892 issue of “The Morning Call.” This story about the types and maintenance of shipping buoys along the West Coast is just one of a number of stories the Madrono appears in through the years. Our rugged coast and not so pacific ocean saw to that. Enjoy. John

 

OFF   WITH   THE   BUOYS.

The   Tender   Madrono   Starts   on
Her   Southward   Trip
To   Visit   All   the   Stations   and   Replace   Buoys
Between   San   Francisco   and   San   Diego.

 

An   Outline   of   the   Steamer’s   Work

The   steam   lighthouse-tender   Madrono
left   Broadway   wharf   yesterday   morning
for   the   southern   station   of   the   local   buoy
and   lighthouse   district,   to   be   absent   three
weeks.   During   this   time   the   tender   will
take   up,   examine   and   replace   all   the   buoys
between   San  Francisco   and   San   Diego.
The   operations   will   be   directed   by   Com - 
mander   Thomas   Perry,   U.   S.   N.,   and   the
steamer   will   also   take   down   enough   sup - 
plies   to   certain   lighthouse   stations   to   last
for   one   year.
The   work   of   changing   and   repairing   the
buoys   is   quite   important,   for   these   aids   to
navigation   are   often   struck   by   passing
steamers,   broken,   penetrated   or   drifted   out
of   position   by   passing   steamer   in   the   night
time.   In   such   cases   either   the   line   of   flota - 
tion   of   the   buoy   is   altered   and   is   seen   with
difficulty,   or.   being   removed   from   its   true
position,   it   becomes   a   source   of   danger   and
a   false   guide   instead   of   an   element   of
safety.
The   Madrono’s   deck   when   she   left   looked
as   if   an   assortment   of   gigantic   pumpkins
had   been   dumped   on   it.   She   carries   all   the
different   classes   of   buoys,   namely,
“whistlers,”   bell,   nun,   can   and   spar   buoys,
each   of   which   has   a   utility   of   its   own.
Where   a   buoy   is   found   to   be   simply   foul
and   rusty   it   is   taken   up,   scraped,   repainted
and   put   down   at   some   other   point   on   the
trip,   being   replaced   by   one   of   the   new
buoys,   If   the   buoy   is   damaged,   it   is   brought
back   to   Goat   Island   station   for   repairs   and
a   new   one   put   down.
The   first   stopping   place   of   the   Madrono
on   this   trip   will   be   Point   Montara,   in   Half - 
moon   Bay.   Next   she   will   stop   successively
at   Pigeon  Point,   Ano   Nuevo,   Santa   Cruz,
Point   Pinos   and   Point   Sur   in   Monterey
Bay;   Piedras   Blancas.   San   Luis   Obispo.
Point   Harford,   Point   Conception.   Santa
Barbara,   Point   Hueneme.   Point   Fermin
and   all   the   stations   in   San   Diego   Bay.
The   Madrono   is   a   sister   ship   to   the   Man - 
zanita,   which   is   the   buoy   and   lighthouse
tender   for   the   Oregon   and   Washington   dis - 
trict.   A   quarterly   round   trip   is   supposed   to
be   made   in   each   district.   The   Madrono
will   be   remembered   as   the   craft   which
took   out   the   body   of   King   Kalakaua   to   the
Charleston   when   the   latter   went   to   Hono - 
lulu.
The   different   kinds   of   buoys   which   the
Madrono   carries   are   all   represented   in   San

Francisco   harbor.   The   whistling   buoy   is
on   the   bar,   six   miles   out.   It   consists   of   an
iron   pear-shaped   bulb,   12   feet   across   at   the
widest   part.   floating   12   feet   out   of   the
water.   Inside   the   bulb   is   a   tube   33   inches
across,   extending   from   the   top   through   the
bottom   to   a   depth   of   32   feet   into   water,   free
from   wave   motion.   The   great   bulb   which
buoys   up   the   whole   mass   rises   and   falls
with   the   motion   of   the   wave,   so   that   as   the
buoy   falls   with   the   wave   the   air   in   the
tube   is   compressed   and   forced   with   great
violence   through   a   whistle   at   the   top.   The
sound   produced   can   be   heard   miles   away
and   is   of   an   inexpressibly   mournful   charac - 
ter.
The   bell   buoy   is   usually   put   down   within
harbors   or   in   shallow   water   or   in   rivers
where   the   sound   range   is   shorter   and
smoother   water   prevails.   It   has   the   ad - 
vantage,   like   the   whistling   buoy,   of   acting
in   fogs,   which   render   all   other   buoys   use - 
less,   since   they   cannot   be   seen,
The   spar   buoy   is   simply   a   long   conical
log,   painted   with   colored   horizontal   stripes,
so   as   to   make   them   conspicuous.   They   have
the   disadvantage   of   being   exposed   to   injury
from   the   propellers   of   passing   steamers,
but   are   otherwise   cheap   and   serviceable.
The   nun   buoy   is   almost   conical   in   form;
the   can   buoy   is  ”" in shape   the   frustum** of   a
cone   nearly   approaching   the   cylinder.”"(sic)   It is   laid  

down   according   to   a   fixed   rule,   well
known   to   navigators,   and   channels   opening
from   the   sea   have   red   buoys   with   even
numbers   on   the   right   and   black   with   odd
numbers,   on   the   left   side.

 

**Frustum, frusta, or frustrum is a portion of a solid–usually a cone or pyramid–which lies between two parallel planes cutting the solid. Try Wikipedia if you need a diagram of one, I did. Enjoy. John