The Arizona champion., 1884-01-05
From Canon Diabio to Cheno Valley.
 CoNCLUDED.

tram Of the A. x r. railway affords the traveller fine view of the plain lying east, rent and gashed by Diablo and Padra and other gorges of local fame. If in the mellow autumn weather he IS delighted by the effect of the mirage on objects below him in the shimmering and uncertain light of which the distant butts assume fan tastic shapes. Or if it be in winter their outline stand black and bare above the snow, like group of islands among the foam and breakers of a tossed sea, For a few miles further the train glides smoothly along through dense forests of juniper and pinon with parched cone-shaped hills on the right and a struggling spur of the Mogollons on the left. We pass Cossino, near which is the ruins of the Cliff and Cave dwellers and enter the great pineries of this section. For the next fifty miles the forests of pine and spruce with inter vening parks and prairie glades must form a refreshing picture to the tour ist and traveller, rendered more i'm pressive in its contrast to the miles oi somewhat arid country proceeding it.. But it is not within the province oi your correspondent to lounge in ease within the luxurious coaches of the A. x P. railway, nor would we recon. mend such course to the reader. With our continent cut by numerous railways; with the advancement oi civilization from both Atlantic and the Pacific shores the startled antelope and black tail deer have no far west to retreat to and opportunities such as this section now offers will have will have soon passed away. To him who would see strange freaks of na- ture or who has the love of adventure in his soul, short journey through this country glyes brief experience in real frontier life in a country abounding in ruins and relics of pre- historic man filled with counties, numbers and species of game and un, surpassed perhaps in nolnt ot scenic beauty anywhere in the world. Let him chase the antelope or black tai
 in the higher mesa country and in the evening descend into one of the broad and beautiful parks and build his camp fire. The immediate demand, of hls physical wants supercede for the moment all other cares of life. Wal
 led on one side by an abrupt and in
 accessible cliff of volcanic rock, or the other is gentle, sloping, pine-clac hills. The broad park stretches fal away between these and the gloom o early twilight may be already gather ing around him, the majestic Peak O the distant San Franciscos stand
 bathed in flood of sunlight like z beacon to the surrounding world
 We venture that if he becomes no wholly enchanted of solitude that hl
 isolated position and the novelty O his surroundings will lend charm tC this portion of his wanderings tha will be of lasting pleasure to recall South of Flagstaff fourteen miles, with in the depths ot Oak Creek Canon we found a bold mountain strean filled with trout. The canon itsel is surpassed only by the Grand Canol of the Colorado in its granduer ant beauty. Within this beautiful val
 the writer spent three most enjoyabl days catching trout. Even the bo
 days among the brooks of the Ale ghenies never equaled them in unal loved pleasure-nor in number o size of trout. Six miles north of Flag staff we reach the base of the Sa
 Francisco Peak, but it is fourtee
 miles to the base of the highest par of the group. The point from whic
 the ascent can be made with greates ease Is from the ranch of MT. Fran
 Hart, the principal wool grower o the country. Should this ever mee the eye of MT. and Mrs. Rhodes, wh
 preside over the interests of the grea sheep man, they will perhaps wonde who it is among the many they hay entertained that remembers with grat itude their cordial hospitality.
 We have now carried the reader t
 the base of the highest mountain il
 Arizona, but recommend the ascer to those only of strong limbs an
 sound lungs. The ascent was mad early in autumn while yet an occs sional ram made fresh and bright tn luxurious grassy parks on its slope Great ominous clouds hung like tn pail of night about the summit, an
 while awairing favorable day t make the ascent let us visit and spea
 of local features and other matter pertaining to our interests in this lc cality. Vague legions from Spanis
 history concerning the mineral wealt of this mountain are still extant, is pretty and plausible tale accredite
 to an early Spanish explorer who en
 bodied 1t in a message to his King It tells us of lake beautifully pictul esoue as Como itself, and upon ii