# II: First Impressions of Silverado explained — Travel Essays

> Chapter companion for Travel Essays by Robert Louis Stevenson.

## What happens

The narrator describes the journey from Calistoga to Silverado with Kelmar, Mrs. Kelmar, Abramina, and her daughter. They travel by carriage through the Napa Valley, ascending Mount Saint Helena, facing strong winds and dust. After stopping at the Toll House Hotel, they proceed on foot to the abandoned Silverado mining town, finding only Rufe Hanson's house and the remnants of the mining operation. They eventually discover a deserted house at the tunnel, which they decide to inspect.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and the Sublime

The ascent up Mount Saint Helena is depicted with vivid descriptions of the wind, pines, and mountain air, evoking a sense of awe and exhilaration.

### Freedom vs. Confinement

The journey from the lowlands to the heights symbolizes a liberation from indifference, while the abandoned mining town suggests a past confinement to labor and industry.

### Human Connection and Community

The camaraderie among the travelers, the interactions at the Toll House, and the encounter with Mrs. Hanson highlight the social bonds formed during the journey.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Kelmar

Drives the carriage with a steady, clergyman-like demeanor; later leads the group on a meandering walk through the woods, showing a childlike enthusiasm.

### Mrs. Hanson

At home alone in Silverado; flustered and pale when Kelmar proposes they stay with the Hansons.

### Rufe Hanson

Mentioned as having been out after a bear; not present during the visit.

### Mr. Corwin

Landlord of the Toll House Hotel; resists Kelmar's attempts to give him a ship's kettle.

### Mr. Jennings

Engineer living at the Toll House for his health; briefly introduced.

### Fanny

The narrator's wife; accompanies him to inspect the deserted house at the tunnel.

## Key lines

> I to the hills lift mine eyes! There are days in a life when thus to climb out of the lowlands, seems like scaling heaven.

The narrator feels that ascending the mountain is a transcendent experience, akin to reaching a heavenly state.

_Expresses the spiritual uplift of the journey._

> The whole canyon was so entirely blocked, as if by some rude guerilla fortification, that we could only mount by lengths of wooden ladder, fixed in the hillside.

The canyon was so obstructed by debris that the only way up was via wooden ladders embedded in the slope.

_Describes the rugged and makeshift nature of the mining site._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se/chapters/ii-first-impressions-of-silverado
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se/chapters