In the year 1902 my son's health became seriously impaired, and early that fall with his wife and child he visited California, and in December of that year my wife and myself joined them. My son suffered from severe nervous condition that made it impossible for him to sleep only a few hours out of each twenty-four. He was reduced in flesh to about 117 pounds weight and I became seriously concerned for his future. Finding outdoor travel to agree with him better than treatment of the doctors, we finally in the month of April, 1903, determined upon a camping expedition and a visit to the Yosemite valley. We fitted out two teams with camp wagons and tent, and started from Long Beach about the 26th of April, traveling about twenty miles a day, going first via the coast to Santa Barbara and thence via Merced over to the Yosemite valley. At Santa Barbara my wife concluded she would not go any further with us on the trip. Our roads over mountains were very narrow, the outer wheel of the wagon only three or four feet from the precipice, and she suffered nervous apprehension that deprived her of any real enjoyment of the trip. I secured the services of a young man to accompany us on the further trip and to aid in the work incident to camp life. My son's wife had suffered from a spell of nervous indigestion and was scarcely able to do the cooking for her husband and child. I became the cook for myself and my assistant and acquired considerable skill in making coffee and flapjacks and frying breakfast bacon. The scenery upon this trip and in the valley of the Yosemite has been described by many writers more skilled than myself in putting their impressions upon paper. I can only say that we all enjoyed the trip exceedingly and were strongly impressed with these wonderful mountains and valleys and great trees that have acquired a world-wide reputation. My wife and myself returned to Iowa and to our home early in July, 1903.