Entire neighborhoods couldn't be reached by motorized vehicles, and the newspapers showed pictures of rickshaws being pulled through water that was up to the pullers' waists.
The cattle boom reached its height by 1885, then the range became too heavily pastured to support the long drive, and was beginning to be criss-crossed by railroads.
When I arrive, the sun has just begun to dip below the horizon, so I drop my bags at my cabin and race toward an apparent mirage of red and orange peaks, aglow in the late afternoon light.
Demonstrators linked arms to protect their tents, but police officers broke through and took down more than a dozen tents, arresting about 40 protesters.
Then, safe in the knowledge that you have everything you need, leave your house at a leisurely pace and arrive at the exam hall completely stress-free and ready to show the examiner what you know.
If you think you can get there in 10 minutes, perhaps give yourself 2-3 times that amount so you can go at a leisurely pace and maybe even get there early.
On a tiring afternoon I'll habitually monitor my odometer and do the math - 23 miles to go, two hours if the wind doesn't turn; I'll be in my motel by 5:15.