The Republican journal., 1916-03-30
"Reminiscences OF
Western Travels.
BY HELEN M, TODD.
XVIII.

From Swan Lake to the Geysers.
The first sound that penetrated our
consciousness was tapping on our tent
door frame next morning, heralding the
entrance of the camp boy, or ''pack rat"
with kindlings for our stove. He laid
the fire and lighted it, filled the little
tea kettle that was part of our tent
equipment with fresh water, and de-
parted with the announcement that the
rising bell would sound in fifteen min
utes, followed, half hour later, by the
breakfast bell. Thanks to the little
"air.tight," the tent was soon warm and
comfortable in spite of the cold, frosty
weather outside.
Breakfast over, and our packing COM
pleted, we regretfully said goodbye to
our Charleston friends, who, being sadly
limited in time, could go no farther with
us, and to the camp matron who had
helped TO make our brief stay so pleas
ant. We had come thus far in a four
horse stage, but now we were assigned
the conveyance thf t was to be ours for
the remainder of the trip, "a two-horse
rig, driven by the Scissor BILL who
was to be our guide, philosopher and
friend for the ensuing five days. Bill
that was really his name-like the
gentleman we had met on the Columbia
River. was "from the East" that is,
from Minnesota, We We're to have, to
all intents and purposes, private car
rage through the Park, privilege for
which later in the season, We would
have had to pay dearly. We did, how
ever, give lift" to two ''savages, "
from Swan Lake to the Gibbon Lunch
Station, and found them such pleasant
company that we should rot have been
sorry to have had them with US for the
entire trip. They were both college
girls, one from Denver, ana the other
from some place in Ohio.
The morning was clear but very cold,
though the traces of the recent snowfall
soon disappeared under the suns rays.
W. found good use for all our extra
wraps, and for all the robes with which
our carriage was equipped, and still
wished for more. Our first stop was at
Apollinaris Spring, where we sampled
the waters. Sampled" is the right
word, and a very small sample at that
was quite sufficient. Shasta Water was
very mild beverage IN comparison.
We were soon driving under the
shadow of Obsidian Cliff, huge cliff of
volcanic glass, very black and forbidding,
and so hard that when the road builders
were working on this section of the
Park roadway they found the glass sub
stance of " bich the cliff is composed too
hard either for drilling or blasting. The
only successful method of penetrating
it was by heating the glass to high
temperature by means of huge fires,
and then dashing cold water against it.
The debris produced by this unique
method was used IN balasting the road
way, so We were literally driving over
glass road, the only one in the world.
On our right for a considerable dis
lance stretched Beaver Lake, where
the work of the busy little animals was
much in evidence, and we saw several
beaver dams. We did not so much as
catch a glimpse of a beaver, but many
woodchuck were stretched on the rocks
by the roadside, basking in the warmth
of the SUM- and too lazy to even lift their
heads as we drove past.
Soon we were reaching the outposts of
the Norris Geyser Basin, and steaming
pools and streams along the roadside
became more and more frequent. Roar
ing Mountain was an aNesome sight,
with its slopes covered with dead and
fallen timber. and all vegetation killed
by the steam and sulphur fumes con-
stantly escaping through assures IN its
sides, while from its summit rose clouds
Of steam through great vent, with the
terrific roar that has given the mountain
its name. This region was anything but
pleasant one; pools fed by the greenish
yellow sulphur water were frequent, and
the steam rising from springs and mini
allure geysers on every hand, with the
sulphuric odor heavy in the air, made
one almost believe that the neither world
was uncomfortably close at hand.
Nor was the Norris Geyser Basin
more attractive spot when we reached
it. The geysers there are small ones,
hardly worthy of mention when COM
pared to the giants of the Upper Geyser
Basin, but very wonderful to us since
they were the first we had seen. The
Basin is bowl-like depression, barren
of all vegetation, and consists of shaly
lime foundation, grayish white in color,
save where Shiny growth of hot water
algae colors the numerous little streams
IN varying shades of reddish brown The
formation is marked Dangerous"
which is easy of belief, since hot water
rivulets are constantly flowing over and
beneath the thin scaly surface. A mar
row board walk extends over the forma-
ton, past the principal geysers, and the
tourists leave the stages, walk across