The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-12-06
CANYON SCENE \XNEAR DESERT oApmN

nameless fantastic forms. Irrespec.
tive of. the colorings, these Painted
Desert bad lands deserve to rank
among the scenic wonders of the
southwest. Yet the coloring Is the
greatest wonder of all. Here may be-
seen red wall 500 feet high and 100
miles long. Facing it may be a coal
black mess of hardened lava, rising
from a valley floor of snowy alkall.
From any vantage point one may sur.
vey glowing landscape that shows
score of shades Of pink, gray, green,
red, cholocate, carmine, mauve, brown
and yellow.
In Deadrlver Canyon.
If one drives north from Adamana
to the Painted Desert district that It
is proposed to set aside as a national
monument, he obtains his first view
from the rim of Deadriver canyon. To
describe the vista from this point is
as hopeless an undertaking as for an
enamored youth to describe the
charms of his lady love. AS far as
the eye can carry Is a succession Of
buttes, terraces and castellated hills
painted with almost the glory of the
rainbow Pervading all is the mystic,
purple southwestern haze (due to the
impalpable dust of the desert) that
would blend chaos itself into har-
monious land Of enchanted dreams.
Off to the northwest is black fiat
topped mesa, beyond which lies the
land Of the Hopi Indians. At ones
feet is the sandy, boulder-strewn riv'
er, whose healing flow ceased ages
ago, perhaps when this gorgeous
desolation was green with tropic
vegetation and melodious with the
songs of birds. From the parched
wastes rise shimmering heat waves,
invisible undulations, SO that one IN
voluntarily shrinks from the descent
into the canyon, as into fiery fur
mace.
However, 1t really is not as hot as
the imagination leads one to antict
pate. A circuitous path leads to the
bottom of the canyon, over glitterlns
beds Of gypsum and thick deposits
of mineral paint. Near the bottom
the edge of a vast deposit of silicihed
wood is reached. This is not the
famous Petrified Forest (Which
about Is miles SOUTH, but in man!
respects 1t Is not less wonderful
Officially it is known as the Norta
Sigillaria Forest Here the petrlneo
tree trunks are not agatized, as III
the more famous deposits farther
south. and the amazing coloring tna'
distinguishes the petrified WOOD III
the latter locality is wanting MoS.
Of the petrifications are brllllans
black, and nearly all are deeply
marked with the "Sigillaria pltllns'
Characteristic of the species OF 'reo'
An inspection Of the treetops snow.
that they grew like palms, the loiias'
forming a crown at the top.
For hours one may wander tnroueI
q labyrinth Of winding gorges, arouna
titanic monuments and over dlstof.0.
buttes and crazy hills, until tne in, ,.s
becomes puzzled and confused WIN
the endless variety Of form, ana un 49,
the eye Is surfeited and weary WV.
the dazzling succession OF tlnls ,. a.a
colors. Yet one may follow THIS il's.'
strip of the Painted Desert for huu
dred miles, seeing something new an'
wonderful with almost every Nv
And this is but patch Of the pain.os
Desert, no more wonderful IN i.s o.
tere beauty and weird charm tnan -
score of other patches OF equai
greater extent.