Touring Southward

All Motor Thoughts and Roads Lead to Florida's Haven of Sunshine

VANITY FAIR'S OBSERVER

IT is written in an historic document, "After many trials and tribulations we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." To those of us whose ears resent the nip of the north wind and whose placid dispositions suffer a stone bruise every time we have to interview the surly janitor about sending up more heat, heaven in wintertime means Florida. The number of us is legion. Never before have so many cars headed south from the frost-touched northern cities and never before have the various touring bureaus, clubs and publications been so drift-bound with inquiries concerning road conditions leading to the land of palms, both itching and waving.

Not in vain did Ponce de Leon waste his youth looking for that fountain. He found it but failed to recognize it. Eut he blazed the trail over which thousands upon thousands of his motorized followers are now annually seeking that same source of perennial adolescence. And where he failed, they are successful. In other words, Palm Beach has become one of the most popular suburbs of New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Millionaires by the gross and others of less plethoric purse who help make the millionaires "what they are to-day," by the ton, have become regular annual motor commuters to the erstwhile Happy Hunting Grounds of the Seminoles. Those short-sighted aborigines are eqtirely out of luck. It serves them right for picking out one of the finest spots in America in which to hunt happily. This season the actual problem is going to be to find room in. Florida and other southern States for the heap of heap big white men from the north regardless of the space requirements of the original order of red men.

For the fountain of Ponce de Leon was nothing else than the warming rays of the semitropical sun which have turned the southland into the great winter playground of America. Last year said sun was not so much in evidence, rain being substituted most of the time, —but that was an abnormal or subnormal condition, and people were inclined to regard it as an aftermath of the war, and are coming back in hordes to try it again this year.

The two great problems in the south this season are the bad road conditions on every route from the north and the question of where to find accommodations for the visiting motorists after they get there.

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It is true that the war is over, for a time, at least, but touring in Europe is still more or less closed to the American public. Europe is not ready yet to take care of the swarms of Americans who will want to visit the various battlefields and other points of interest on the continent, and recognizing this condition the policy of our Government is against issuing passports for any but necessary purposes. During the four and a half years in which the hostilities abroad were in full swing the inhabitants of this land of the brave and comparatively free discovered that right here at home were wide stretches of territory with scenery, climate and points of interest comparable with anything to be found on the other side. This is undoubtedly one reason for the popularity of the south as a wintertime touring objective. There are tremendous plans now under way for a gigantic expansion of our highway system. It will take years before this much-to-be-desired condition becomes a fact, but when it does there will be no need to go to other lands for recreational purposes.

To guide those who have been doubtful about the manner of reaching the south from northern points and more than doubtful about road conditions, we have made inquiries and obtained the most expert advice procurable with the following results:

Based on present road conditions the best route from New York to Florida takes the motorist across Staten Island to Metuchen, New Jersey. New Jersey is doing lots of work to improve its highways and within a year or two will have connected up its main roads to afford a comfortable crossing of the State in every direction. Meanwhile, however, conditions in that State are far from ideal and many pieces of bad going will be encountered. There is none, however, which cannot be safely negotiated by careful driving. From Metuchen the road leads through New Brunswick and Hightstown, to Trenton. Here you will meet the Lincoln Highway, which offers a good smooth road all the way in to Philadelphia.

The next step in the journey takes in Wilmington and Baltimore. You will find the road bad about as far as Elkton, Maryland, but good after that. There is a good road from Baltimore to Washington, but from there to Richmond will be encountered almost the worst part of the trip. The roads are in bad condition,—very bad. Work is now being done on them and early improvements may be anticipated, but not in time to bring much comfort to the tourists who are going south this winter. At Richmond there is a delightful side trip to Old Point Comfort.

Continuing on your way to the land of rest and pleasure, you pass through Petersburg and South Hill, where you have the option of two routes over fairly good roads. One leads through. Henderson and Raleigh and the other route is a little more toward the west and leads down through Durham, after which you will probably have pretty good going through Pinehurst, Camden, Columbia, and Aiken to Augusta, Ga. The roads from Richmond to Augusta you will find consist mostly of sand and clay, and are not pleasant in wet weather.

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The next part of your journey takes you over to Savannah, where you will do well to stop and consider very carefully. The roads from Savannah to Jacksonville, Florida, are impossible. No maps or guides can be followed and it is much better to follow the example of many experienced motorists by shipping your car on a steamer from Savannah to Jacksonville. In fact, many motorists ship all the way from New York to Jacksonville, but by doing this they miss not only sonde bad roads but some very good roads and some delightful scenery.

Florida has done more in the matter of road-building in the past few years than any other southern state, and the roads from Jacksonville down the east coast are as smooth as a pool table. Here and there you will find a sandy stretch, but as a whole the road is one of the finest in the country.

Now, for those who intend making the trip from Pittsburgh, Chicago and other points in the west and middle west, the route is optional from Pittsburgh or Wheeling to Hagerstown. Here the road to Baltimore can be taken and the rest of the route already described followed to the south, or, at Hagerstown, the route down through the Shenandoah Valley to Staunton can be followed, with the assurance of beautiful scenery and fair roads. At Staunton the motorist has the option of going over to Richmond and joining the northern route, or continuing on through Roanoke, Greensboro and Charlotte to Camden, where the tourist will pick up the main route from New York.

One of the main drawbacks to successful southern touring is the belt of abominable roads formed by the states of Virginia and Kentucky. This belt extends from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and there are no roads crossing either state, north and sofith, or east and west, which can be negotiated without difficulty and discomfort in wet weather. And there is lots of wet weather in these states in the late fall. In September and October, the Virginia and Kentucky roads are at their best,—which is not saying very much,— but most of the people who tour south do not start until cold weather and bad roads in the north drive them out. The trouble is that previous to the war Virginia and Kentucky spent only a small amount of money in roads, and these roads were not of a permanent character. The work stopped entirely during the war and the heavy trucking, especially on the New York to Washington route, simply cut them to ribbons. Some work is now being done to put these highways in presentable shape; but it will be another year, at least, before they offer any kind of comfortable touring.

Pennsylvania did not do much in the way of road-building during the war, but there is considerable activity now in putting the highways in the Keystone State in condition. It is already possible to find a fairly good route across the state. The Automobile Club of New York, Hotel Ansonia, New York City, will be glad to give advice and directions concerning routes and equipment to prospective southern tourists.

Lack of good roads is the only thing which is holding the south back from attaining its full popularity among northern motorists. And lack of money is the only thing which is holding back the southern development of good roads. The people are awake to the individual and municipal benefit of good roads and highways, but this part of the country is not as populous as the north and there is not so much money to be devoted to this work.

Americans are awake at last, after years of propaganda, to the vital part which roads and highways can be made to play in our civilization. The Government has allotted many millions of dollars for this work and has turned vast fleets of its war trucks over to various states for the purposes of road construction. States and counties, cities and towns, throughout the length and breadth of the land, are contributing in hard cash to take advantage of the financial assistance offered by the Government. A resume of this situation, recently made by the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company, shows that the road improvements in each State during the next year will average more than seven million dollars. The amount to be spent in each State in the Union follows:

Alabama. $1,000,000

Arizona. 6,250,000

Arkansas . 4,297,398

California. 20,000,000

Colorado . 4,742,000

Connecticut . 8,000,000

Delaware . 8,528,000

Florida . 8,000,000

Georgia. 7,911,000

Idaho . 2,100,000

Illinois .. 2,100,000

Indiana. 12,000,000

Iowa . 20,498,534

Kansas . 8,000,000

Kentucky . 3,500,000

Louisiana . 2,000,000

Maine . 1,630,000

Maryland .. 6,750,000

Massachusetts. 6,000,000

Michigan .... 15,000,000

Minnesota . 11,127,986

Mississippi . 7,000,000

Missouri . 5,413,079

Montana . 6,300,000

Nebraska . 2,005,000

Nevada .. 1,377,499

New Hampshire. 1,630,000

New Jersey. 6,500,000

New Mexico... 4,000,000

New York. 2,000,000

North Carolina..... 5,000,000

North Dakota . 1,083,000

Ohio . 13,321,500

Oklahoma . 3,600,000

Oregon . 8,000,000

Pennsylvania. 8,780,000

Rhode Island. 1,470,000

South Carolina. 7,000,000

South Dakota. 6,767,376

Tennessee . 3,650,996

Texas . 60,480,000

Utah. 10,092,794

Vermont. 1,797,650

Virginia . 3,400,000

Washington . 6,500,000

West Virginia . 2,000,000

Wisconsin. 3,200,000

Wyoming . 6,500,000

Total. $340,394,536

And remember, this is only the beginning. The good roads idea is here to stay and before we realize it we shall be in possession of a network of broad, smooth highways, extending from New York to San Francisco and from Chicago to New Orleans, second to none in the world,—not even those in France, which is claimed to have the best roads in existence today.

Many people made money during the war who never before were in a position to take vacations in the winter time. This year Florida will see them in great quantity. And the people who have been here before will go back from force of habit.

Yes, Ponce de Leon had the right idea. But it remained for the millionaire and the more moderately fixed motor car owner to develop it. It surely seems as if nothing can prevent this from being the greatest season the south has ever seen.