52 EXPLORATION OF THE CANONS OF THE COLORADO. 
curious rocks, deposited by mineral springs that at one time must have 
existed here, but which are no longer flowing. 
July 14. This morning, we pass some curious black bluffs on the right, 
then two or three short canons, and then we discover the mouth of the San 
Rafael, a stream which comes down from the distant mountains in the west. 
Here we stop for an hour or two, and take a short walk up the valley, and 
find it is a frequent resort for Indians. Arrow heads are scattered about, 
many of them very beautiful. Flint chips are seen strewn over the ground 
in great profusion, and the trails are well worn. 
Starting after dinner, we pass some beautiful buttes on the left, many 
of which are very symmetrical. They are chiefly composed of gypsum of 
many hues, from light gray to slate color ; then pink, purple, and brown 
beds. 
Now, we enter another caiion. Gradually the walls rise higher and 
higher as we proceed, and the summit of the canon is formed of the same 
beds of orange colored sandstone. Back from the brink, the hollows of the 
plateau are filled with sands disintegrated from these orange beds. They 
are of rich cream color, shaded into maroon, everywhere destitute of vege 
tation, and drifted into long, wave like ridges. 
The course of the river is tortuous, and it nearly doubles upon itself 
many times. The water is quiet, and constant rowing is necessary to make 
much headway. Sometimes, there is a narrow flood plain between the river 
and the wall, on one side or the other. Where these long, gentle curves 
are found, the river washes the very foot of the outer wall. A long penin 
sula of willow bordered meadow projects within the curve, and the talus, at 
the foot of the cliff, is usually covered with dwarf oaks. The orange colored 
sandstone is very homogeneous in structure, and the walls are usually ver 
tical, though not very high. Where the river sweeps around a curve under 
a cliff, a vast hollow dome may be seen, with many caves and deep alcoves, 
that are greatly admired by the members of the party, as we go by. 
We camp at night on the left bank. 
July 15. Our camp is in a great bend of the canon. The perimeter 
of the curve is to the west, and we are on the east side of the river. Just 
opposite, a little stream comes down through a narrow side canon. We cross, 
