The Yosemite

Description

When I set out on the long excursion that finally led to California I wandered afoot and
alone, from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, with a plant-press on my back, holding a
generally southward course, like the birds when they are going from summer to winter.
From the west coast of Florida I crossed the gulf to Cuba, enjoyed the rich tropical flora
there for a few months, intending to go thence to the north end of South America, make
my way through the woods to the headwaters of the Amazon, and float down that grand
river to the ocean. But I was unable to find a ship bound for South America—fortunately
perhaps, for I had incredibly little money for so long a trip and had not yet fully
recovered from a fever caught in the Florida swamps. Therefore I decided to visit
California for a year or two to see its wonderful flora and the famous Yosemite Valley.
All the world was before me and every day was a holiday, so it did not seem important to
which one of the world’s wildernesses I first should wander.