CHAPTEE 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 Eange 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. 



Saddiesand 

 passes. 



