Autumn Days in the Rockies. 



river, crossing' first to one side and then to the other and at 

 times resting on a bed carved out of the solid walls of granite. 

 The entire route is a continuation of graceful curves ; each one 

 opening up new scenes of wonder and grandeur to eager eyes. 

 The mountains are always beautiful in the early autumn, 



"When the fern is red on the mountain, 

 And the cloud is low in the sky," 



then they are at their best. The rough, rugged walls of the 

 canyon on one side of the train, clothed in their varying tints 

 of green, orange and brown, and the foaming waters of the 

 river on the other, brought exclamations of surprise from the 

 lips of many a nature-loving tourist as the train proceeded up 

 the canyon. 



One moment the perpendicular walls encroached upon the 

 river until it seems as though the train would certainly dash 

 against the face of the cliff ; but suddenly it makes a sharp turn 

 over a bridge into a pretty little park and stops at Strontia 

 Springs. This is the first resort in the canyon and a fitting 

 introduction to the beauty that lies beyond. The neat station 

 and pretty cottages in the midst of a green park, with the slop- 

 ing, wooded hills in autumn tints, formed a very attractive 

 picture. 



A run of three miles farther and our train stopped at South 

 Platte station, thirty miles from Denver. This is where the 

 north and south forks of the Platte River form a junction and 

 is an ideal angler's resort, as either branch can be fished from 

 here. From the South Platte station the railroad follows the 

 north part of the Platte and the higher the panting iron horse 

 climbs the grander the scenery becomes. 



A short distance from the South Platte a fellow tourist 

 pointed out to us the "Cathedral Spires," a peculiar rocky for- 

 mation, very much resembling the spires of an ancient cathe- 

 dral. For several miles they were seen and lost to view, as the 

 train followed the windings of the river. Dome Rock next 

 came into view. It is an odd dome-shaped rock protruding 



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