munz] A JOURNEY TO THE S ALTON SEA 3 



These two peaks give the names to their respective mountain 

 ranges which run almost parallel in a general north-west and south- 

 east direction, and shut in a vast desert valley, the Coachella, a 

 place dry and hot, yet with water near enough the surface for 

 irrigating purposes. The annual rainfall for points in this valley 

 as well as in the Salton Sink and Imperial Valley to the southeast 

 of it, is given as averaging about two and one-half inches. One 

 does not need to own many umbrellas unless to ward off the rays 

 of the sun. 



After one crosses San Gorgonio Pass, he very soon goes into 

 an entirely different life zone. The grassy slopes and blue lark- 

 spur, chia, and Phacelias give way to the joint-firs {Ephedra), 

 creosote bush (Covillea), and yuccas of the desert. A ride of a few 

 miles takes one to Whitewater, a region of blown sands which are 

 heaped up by the wind as small dunes about the base of desert 

 shrubs or are thrown in great masses against the gaunt, bare, 

 rocky base of the mountains. Far above, these same mountains 

 show stretches of bright green, darker slopes covered with conifers, 

 and the white of snow-covered peaks. 



Cruel as the desert sometimes appears, unkind and terrifying 

 as it may be, it is at this season so mildly pleasant, so warm and 

 soothing, so varied in hue with the pinks and blues and grays, that 

 it is altogether an enticing place, — until the wind blows. 



A journey of a few miles from Whitewater brings one to Palm 

 Springs, a veritable oasis and most surprising place. Originally a 

 little Indian settlement, it has, because of its mild dry air and 

 unusual surroundings, become a favorite stopping place for the 

 Eastern tourist who may be so fortunate as to be able to part 

 with about $15 per day. From Palm Springs one can go to a 

 number of canyons, in the lower parts of which grow native palms, 

 the fan palms of California, which appear at the edge of the 

 Colorado desert in a clay stratum that apparently catches the 

 water coming down from the strata which lie above. These palms 

 are very interesting and a trip to Palm Canyon is worth anyone's 

 time. Here we collected a number of interesting things in the way 

 way of plants: a composite which looked like a mallow, a wild 

 tobacco, and some peculiar little ferns. Cactus is so abundant 

 that in our first night's camping place, near the mouth of the 

 canyon, we had to use the road as the only place free from the 

 spines and had to bestir ourselves early the next morning to make 



