CHAPTER XII 



MOUNTAIN-BARRIERS 



THE character of the land lying along the 

 western boundaries of the deserts is very differ- 

 ent from that of the Arizona canyon country. 

 Moving toward the Pacific you meet with no 

 mesas of consequence, nor do you traverse many 

 plateaus or foot-hills. The sands extend up to 

 the bases of the Coast Range and then stop 

 short. The mountains rise abruptly from the 

 desert like a barrier or wall. Sometimes they 

 lift vertically for several thousand feet, but 

 more often they present only a steep rough 

 grade. There are cracks in the wall called 

 passes, through which railways lead on to the 

 Pacific ; and there are high divides and saddles 

 dips in the top of the wall through which in 

 the old days the Indians trailed from desert to 

 sea, and which are to-day known only to the 

 inquisitive few. 



From the saddles and better still from the 

 topmost peaks there are wonderful sights to 

 213 



The western 

 mountains. 



Saddles and 

 passes. 



