Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/169

 of us, the summits are spotted with snow and the slopes facing the north, thickly studded with pine timber. The valley is wide and richly covered with grass and watered by numerous clear mountain streams coursing their way across the valley to the river. The banks of the streams are lined with willow brush, our only dependence for fuel. Seven miles of afternoon travel brought us to a high ridge that here crosses the valley. Here we found a grade about five miles east of the river, where we crossed with tolerable ease. We then turned to the left and found good camping, after a mile and a half drive. This day we traveled 20 miles.

July 13.—This morning, seven miles over tolerably hilly roads brought us to the far-famed Lodge [Lager] Springs on Bear river. Here nature seems to have put forth her best efforts. The high surrounding mountains, the summits of which are studded with snow; the beautiful groves of timber that stud the slopes, the rich swards of grass that carpet the valley, the beautiful streams that course the valley, with the novel looking soda mounds with the bubbling springs, all combined to make this one of the most lovely spots on the earth. It entirely baffles description. Here we lay the balance of this day, contemplating the grandeur. We had a nice refreshing shower of rain this day, the first drop we had felt for eight weeks.

July 14.—At the soda springs the river turns west, through a narrow gap. Here our road follows down five miles to where it opens again into a wide valley, where the river turns south and the road turns north. We have passed a number of soda springs along here, one of which was a natural basin of elliptic form, about 30 by 50 feet and about two feet deep, containing excellent soda water. Here our road turns north along the foothills. We traveled five miles this evening and encamped at a beautiful spring where grass was plentiful. We have traveled only ten miles today. The road has been very good. The rain yesterday has settled the dust.

July 15.—This day our course has been north, up the