SUNDAY, November 3. On through Logan on the Hocking river; then down the same river to Warren's tavern, near Athens, in Athens County, where we stay all night. The Hocking Valley is a fine, rich country, and I feel to encourage some of our younger people to come here and get good cheap homes. In this way they might establish the church here, and thus prepare the way of the Lord as John did in the wilderness of Judea. What an opening there is here for good, industrious people!
MONDAY, November 4. Down the Hocking river to where the road takes off towards Parkersburg in Virginia, near which place we cross the Ohio river in a horse boat, and stay all night at Henry Dill's entertainment, in Wood County, Virginia.
TUESDAY, November 5. To-day we travel thirty-nine and one-half miles on the Parkersburg turnpike, and stay all night at Isaac Martain's, in Ritchie County, Virginia.
WEDNESDAY, November 6. Keep the turnpike all day. Dine and feed our horses at Neeley's tavern, and stay all night at Clinch's, three miles west of Clarksburg, in Harrison County.
THURSDAY, November 7. Through Clarksburg, Prunty Town, Evansville and on to J. Stone's tavern, in Preston County, where we stay all night.
FRIDAY, November 8. Cross Laurel mountain, Cheat river, and on to top of Cheat mountain, where we dine and feed at Stemple's tavern near West Union; then to North Branch to Hays's where we stay all night. Fine day.
SATURDAY, November 9. Go to Stingley's, dine and feed; stop awhile with old Sister Parks; then on to Enoch Hyre's, on the South Branch, near Petersburg, Hardy County, Virginia, where we stay all night. Fine weather.
SUNDAY, November 10. I do not like to travel far on this day, but there being no meeting in reach of us, and both eager to get as near home as possible, we leave Sister Hyre's, stop a little with Isaac Shobe's on Mill Creek, dine and feed at Isaac Dasher's, on the South Fork, and stay all night at Jacob Whetzel's, in Brock's Gap, Rockingham County, Virginia. Fine weather continues.
MONDAY, November 11. Home to-day. Find all well, but some sickness in the neighborhood around. On the journey from which I have just returned, I traveled 1,271 miles on horse-back, one beast carrying me safely all of that distance. The roads we traveled were in many places just as nature formed them, the hand of man having done but little more than cut the timber out and remove impassable obstructions. We crossed high and rugged mountains, and forded dangerous streams. But in the West the people are waking up to the importance of improving the public roads. The abundant natural wealth of that country, when properly developed by wise industry, will respond in such lavish abundance that there will be no lack of means to build the best of roads, and in every respect to raise the country generally to that state of beauty by high culture, which ministers to the comfort and usefulness of its people.