122 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
the fine fishing that it affords and that tempts many anglers to come 
here to try their luck. The double track which begins above Red- 
cliff ends just below the bridge over Gores Creek. 
At the point where the red sandstone and shale pass below railroad 
level near Gores Creek the cliff on the right is composed of the over- 
lying light-colored sandstone and interbedded darker shale. At the 
mouth of the creek these beds dip about 30° NE. <A short distance 
below the mouth of the creek the river bends sharply toward the east, 
and in so doing it cuts more directly across the hard ledges of sand- 
stone which compose the bulk of the formation. As these rocks are 
harder than those either above or below, the canyon cut by the river is 
narrower and more rugged than it is in the vicinity of Minturn or 
below that place, where the beds are much softer. After making a 
great curve to the right the sandstones (Weber formation) abruptly 
come to an end. As the train passes this point the traveler may not 
fully realize why they terminate at this place, but the map will show 
him that their disappearance from the east side of the river is due to 
the fact that they swing across the stream, although they do not show 
in the hillside on the west. If the traveler looks back after passing 
down the valley a mile or so he will see these beds on the east side of the 
valley dipping about 45° NE. and reappearing on the west side, as de- 
scribed above. The beds that overlie the sandstone are very soft and 
consist mostly of clay or shale with here and there a more sandy layer 
that makes a ledge along the hillside. The beds are so soft that they 
have been worn down into comparatively low hills, at least near the 
river, and the slopes are everywhere round and gentle. These rocks 
are the same as the variegated sandstone and shale at Leadville, which 
have been called the Maroon formation. 
Immediately below the mouth of the canyon the river bottom, which 
expands to a width of about half a mile and holds it for a distance of 
several miles, is strewn with boulders brought down by the stream. 
These boulders extend for about half a mile, and below that point the 
valley, although narrow, is well irrigated and farmed. The hills on 
the west side of the valley bear no resemblance in form or color to those 
on the east. They are dark and their surfaces are hummocky, as 
if composed of soft material that has slid down the hillside until 
it resembles a gigantic moraine. The reason for the peculiar appear- 
ance of this hillside is not apparent until the trav- 
- eler has passed the little village of Avon and has 
Elevation 7,465 feet. looked back on the other side of the hill. The rocks 
nver 308 miles, 
here are well exposed by the cutting of the stream 
that comes down out of the high mountains on the west. At the base 
they consist of the ordinary country rocks with which the traveler is 
already familiar, Above these rocks lie some darker ones, com 
Avon. 
