| 155 On the 30th, we returned to Santa Rosa, and Bro. Root turned us over to Bro. John Cooper; Bro. Root had carried us from place to place till the good old man was weary, so we bid him good-bye, leaving him with his faith in God and the work unshaken.
At Petaluma, we found rest with Bro. George W. Oman, another old-time Saint, who had passed through the valley and drifted to the shores of the Pacific. The Saints had obtained a hall and we preached on the "laying on of hands." We met Bro. W. Patten and others here.
Bro. and Sr. Parks had been with us on the trip round, and we sped away to "Frisco," en route for the "Los Angeles."
GOSPEL SWAMP., Los Angeles Co., Cal., September 16, 1876.
From the Mission San Jose, our route lay south to Watsonville, via San Jose, Los Gatos and Soquel, over the Santa Cruz range of mountains, and through a portion of the redwood country. We started on September first, near noon, dined at Bro. Peter Burgess', in the pretty town of San Jose, and entered the mountain range about dusk in the evening, through the gate (Los Gatos).
The next day we reached Watsonville, where, domiciled at Bro. D. J. Phillips', an old-time Saint who had "gone on" and through "perfection" at the valley, we enjoyed a season of rest and refreshing with the people of God. The Saints held a meeting at their chapel on Saturday evening, but we did not attend; on the morrow, however, the rink having been secured, we addressed the people morning and evening, and again on Monday evening, attending a sacramental service on Sunday afternoon in the chapel. The services were well attended throughout.
On Monday we all went to the beach, where we had the pleasure of looking out upon the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The wind was blowing strong, and the surf beat on the sands with a roar. We lunched, and sang till the day waned, and returned to the city in readiness for the evening service.
Bidding the Saints good-bye on Tuesday morning, we left for the San Benito Valley. We dined with Bro. Lyman Hutchins, in the Pajaro Valley, and reached Bro. John Range's, near Hollister, at night, passing through Robber's Glen and the old, old town of San Juan, in full sight of Fremont's Peak, made famous by the sojourn of Fremont and his army during the Mexican War, just prior to the capture of Monterey. The dust was deep, the weather dry, and the wind blowing in the same direction we were traveling; so we were covered with it. We stopped one day at Hollister, visiting, and on the 7th reached Bro. John Root's, on the San Benito. We spoke here in the schoolhouse, to an audience hastily gathered. We arrived at the Jefferson Branch, on the San Benito, at a little past noon, on the 8th, and stopped with Bro. John Carmichael, another old-time Saint, who, obeying the truth before the Martyr's death, had a strong "will to won't," when told to submit to the dictation of counsel. "In plain English, I will not," was the language used by him when counseled to "forget the wife of his youth."
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