Page 312 - THE CHRONICLE OF AN AUTO-CAMP TRIP BOOK I

We planned to arrise early next mornin1 to see the sun rise
over the canyon “or some reason which I cannot recall, I could
not get up, hot did and wet alone, She walked a miles over
the trail to 7%: t Angel r'oint. She was most enthusiastic about
the spectacle.
During the day we visited the Win again. It was nest fascin~
ating and we did not seem to tire or loo».ng across and down into
the depths. A hotter enjoyment of the dark co..ld he had hy jom-
in - a mile or horse haoh camp party to the bottom or the canyon
and explore.
nate'in the afternoon we took down and packed the tent wt:—
aritory to moving next morning "riotine to l'esa Verde :iational
Park in south western Colorado, ere there are the most nafible
cliff dwellings in the United states. ”he distance straloht
across country was 215 miles, but it was necessary to drive 54.5
miles on account of the natural o‘ostocles 0f canyon, mountain and
desert. \e directions taken and the distances traveled were;
IMO, euro, 3 ‘40, 11.60, 2(.E.55, V 155 and 3.10.
Sundav. "
' ,.e ad do e s ' u in the dark so-our fuel aupjxly ,
low. I measured carefully and estimated that there ua'moixgh -
take tag-to Jacoh' lake, 40 miles to the north wher V was
cheaner. A: t e Earth p. a (gallon, which- is due o i
the very long eul. It wos a beautiful enrly morning, drive thru'. .
zaioah national vorest where we saw a large ‘rerd of deer. At Jac—
oh-s Lake, the eleven gallon tank too ten gallons of gas at my :
a gallon. n margin of one gallon was as good as any other margin,
the main point is to have one. 3;?
At Jacc‘b's Lake we turned edst onto the main 1: —Arizona
highway. 'r'he hrodd . whway descended in easy {grades and soon we
were at the edge of :aihoh National a‘orest, where we got good
views of the desert in the large voliey helow and or the general
outline or L'arhle Canyon w ioh joins the Grand many-on at its
north end. The road narrowed here to a very dusty "ingle lane
desert road not unlike those we drove in and around Death "alley.
There were no cuts nor fills for it sinnly followed flue rrnce
irregularities. it pitoled down into small canyons or dr rashes
and then up the other sides. At. one nlnce ‘ y '.\ re ‘mildi 3 a
new hrood } ‘gl-aay =ut since i». s was not fini led we drove on
rough. dartinotely we ere sheltered from we ..un hy a hescy cloud
formation that reached to the 'orizn . rthe ise it would have
heen terrihly hot. ":1 o clouds were 26" enouziv so that they did
not interfere wit the excentional Visi‘I-ility for which t is den»
ert region is not.d.
TEVen the road crossed arhle Canyon on Lee's v‘erry "irirlge
(now called :Icvag'o Triage), a structural steel deck arch ‘lridge
of the three hinged tyne, huilt in 732a, “he (1.1 n is 51:;
feet long. "'31: de ' is level with the desert road roaches,
oh le the distance from the deck to the Colorado River is ahont
500 feet. "his is one of ‘lhe rishnst hi )‘way rridges in the world,
"We \ is of the gorge were nenrly vertical and the river wos
nearly as wide as the hrid;e \ths 10mg.

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