The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-07


doughtily for its life.
These boiling springs are each wonder
of color the purest and brightest. Pris-
matte lake. a very shallow body of hot
water, shows in perfection the primary col
ors. and everywhere is this riotous use OF
natures pigments The Paint Pots are an
other evidence of this; these are pools of a
soft substance of the consistency of paint.
They simmer. and gurgle and boil over in
conventional shapes. Sometimes they bub-
bic up and form pink roses and white lilies;
sometimes one looks like a chatting dish
full Of boiling fudge, others look like white
taffy, like molasses candy, like cake icing,
white and red. 1t is really appetizing to see
these paint pots-they are so suggestive of
a confectioner's window and of good things
TO eat.
BACKBONE OF CONTINENT.
Shoshone point is the view compared by
many tourists to mountain passes in Switz-
erland. The road here reaches it's greatest
altitude, over eight thousand feet, and
crosses that great backbone known as the
Continental Divide. A signboard confronts
one at the summit with hands pointing In
either direction, marked ITO Atlantic"
ITO Pacific" The mountain streams sepa-
rate here. flowing from this lofty water
shed on one side to the east, on the other
to the west. After the long, steep climb UP
the mountain, we were glad to finger for a
time and enjoy this fair and far scene. OF
all the views grand. gloomy and peculiar"
which meet the eye, this one combines in
greatest degree the elements an artist
would choose. 1t is a placid scene, the
awesome1ess Of the great cliffs being tenn
pered by distance. Away-very far Off
shimmering in the afternoon sunlight, lies
| the miniature Lake Shoshone, embosomed
| by mountains, and on beyond and above
| those hills-so far, far away, yet how far
| this clarified air makes 1t difficult to guess
| are the three snow-capped sentinels of
| the Teton mountains. fully 1900 feet in
| air. These mountains form a portion of the
| boundary between Wyoming and Idaho.
and are seen at intervals during the jour
ney, their bare, severe lines showing in
pearly softness against the distant horizon.
| The climax of Yellowstone grandeur
comes in the Grand canyon. BY the time
one enters 1.-THE fourth day out-exclama-
tons and adjsctives are exhausted, and
| fortunately, for this is a place of silence
| One thinks of Hugo; there are moments
4
body, the soul is on it's knees. And fifty
may the soul be PROSTATE before this won
| derful handiwork of the Almighty. The
canyon widens and deepens and the coach
| rattles along the edge of the cliff hundreds
| of feet above the green, foaming Yellow
stohe river, which looks to us but a thread,
but which the ever-ready guide tells Us is
eighty feet wide. Here and there an un-
usually magnificent view invites us to de-
scend and we go climbing along the rocks
| to hang for a few minutes in awe over
| tremendous foaming cataract where the
| cold mountain water. piled between mar
1 rowing cliffs, roars and booms and throws
| itself madly down, hoping for escape, only
| to find itself pent in as before; so this
| mountain-born river filings itself from one
| height to another, disappearing, emerging,
| Enthusiastically beautiful in its every aspect.
| The nomeL clature of the park is remark
| ably happy. Inspiration Point is the one
place which nobody misses; 1t is the ex-
| IRENE edge of cliff, hanging away out
| into space, 2,100 feet above the bottom of
the canyon where flows the Yellowstone.
| Cliff, and crag, and stunted pine tree lie
! all about us.
/ NATURES RICH PALETTE.
/ Here the significance of the name "Yel-
| lowstone' appears in these tremendous
| walls of yellow stone and sand blotched
| very curiously with the most varied of
| reds-here a deep and murderous color,
| there a dash of terra-cotta, there stretch
| of sand of palest pink, of crimson, of
| cherry. This little point, reached by foot
| path down a steep rock, is well fortified by
| heavy beams. but despite that one feels a
| physical weakness when he surveys that
| tremendous gulf. On an isolated peak, Sc
| cure forever from the intrusion of man, an
| eagle has builded its aerie and there the
| mother bird was wheeling about patiently
teaching her eaglets to fly. 1t seems as If
one could hear the very heartbeats of the
Almighty; In the presence of this majesty
platitudes cease, quip and joke are for
gotten, silence sets it's seal upon the lips.
One does not think, he only feels.
One pleasant innovation in our journey
was a trip Of some thirty odd miles on
Lake Yellowstone. 1t had been a hot and
very dusty drive from our camping place
| in the upper basin to the Thumb Bay
lunch station. People were stifled with dust
and to increase their discomfort there was
a poor luncheon at the little station, con-
4 StQucAGy WHICH tic iilliS SledHeI ILL
lah was espied rocking on the waves of
| Lake Yellowstone, the coaches were al
| most entirely deserted. The captain paced
up and down soliciting passengers and tell
| ing US that once his boat was in a storm
| and some Of the Vanderbilts were on board
and they told him what a perfectly won
derful boat 1T was. Every blessed one of us
| was fired with a determination to go on
that boat. He charged US the neat little
| sum of s. for ride which would have cost
| us a quarter at Maxinkuckee. 1t was
beautiful sail. however, the sky being
cloudy and constant succession of land
and seascapes following us. This is the
| highest lake OF its size. There is a variety
of opinion regarding the lake fish; they
are thin and attempting looking and many
persons will not eat them, also they are so
easily caught as TO take away the pleas
| ure; our tourists came into the lake hotel
bearing strings of fifteen and twenty
which they had caught in a couple of
hours.
| Many more were the pleasures of this
| tour, but newspaper space is limited. This
journey is growing yearly in popularity;
| Americans are beginning to discover that
| all else they have seen is as naught COM
pared with this ideal journey. One can
wish intending tourists no greater boon
than to make this trip next summer. under