24 Adventures in Scenery 



Range and now enters the Mojave Desert. These mountains are 

 composed of pink granite or granitic gneiss, like that about the 

 Morongo Valley and the San Bernardino mountains. East of 

 Morongo Valley is Warren's Valley. Yucca trees are very 

 prominent in this valley, and for this reason it has been desig- 

 nated on the maps as Yucca Valley. Steep alluvial slopes rise 

 along the south side of Warren's or Yucca Valley to the base of 

 the Little San Bernardino range. The north wall of the moun- 

 tains, which extend away to the east, is broken by deep rugged 

 canyons. On the north side of the valley east of Warren's Well 

 is a ridge of pink granite composed largely of massive blocks 

 of granite rounded to smooth outlines and projecting 100 to 200 

 feet above the residuum in which they are buried. 



Water is an all-important consideration in this desert land. 

 The desert plain is made up of detritus from the adjacent moun- 

 tains and hills, and these being largely of granite the soil is an 

 arkose sand (broken granite) , though limestones and slates con- 

 tribute clay to the soil. Playa basins flat undrained areas are 

 common. The soil is by nature rich if there were only water. 

 Wherever springs or wells supply water there alfalfa and live- 

 stock are likely to be found. The principal locations on the 

 map are therefore springs or wells. Off to the east is Twenty- 

 nine Palms, an oasis in the desert. Here is a group of palm trees, 

 some older trees 70 to 80 feet in height. There is also a grove 

 of Cottonwood trees, also willows and other vegetation. 

 Springs issue along the line of a fault, which crosses an alluvial 

 slope coming from the mountains to the south. 



Northward for 15 miles extends the vast desert, interrupted 

 by mountains and anon spreading out into broad valleys with 

 playas or dry lakes. Springs and wells are designated on the 

 maps instead of towns. Streams rush down rocky canyons for 

 a little while, the waters to be lost to sight presently in the sandy 

 soil. Government markers point the direction of springs or 

 wells. Twenty miles east of Warren's Well is Twentynine 

 Palms, and north of this 6 miles is Mesquite Springs, and near by 



