A Trip to America (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1884. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIX. The Gteysek Basins. Twenty-seven miles of hard riding or fatiguing waggon driving had to be undergone before we reached the nearest geyser basin, named, after one of the commandants of the park, the Norris Geyser Basin. The first business was to climb the mountain side for about 3,000 feet. The road lay through a dense forest, and was the steepest, dustiest, and hottest I ever remember. After two hours' hard struggle we got our waggon and its contents safely to the plateau at the top. I did not know at the time, but I found out afterwards, that we had to return down this terrible hill. On the way back one of the waggons, team and all, turned over and tumbled down the mountain side. Fortunately the occupants had wisely taken to their feet just before the accident, aud the only result was the loss of a lady's dressing bag, for the horses recovered their feet, and did not seem to trouble much about their sudden descent. When once we were on the summit we found a long level elevated valley, with a pretty lake, called Swan Lake, but I saw no swans, for the reason that there are not any. Passing beneath the lofty cliffs of obsidian, or volcanic glass, along the shores of Beaver Lake--with obvious traces of the dams and houses of these quaint animals, all of whom have long since been trapped, --we left a poisonous green coppery stream on our right, and mounted another terrible hill chiefly of sulphur and magnesia, and catching a glimpse only of the Lake of the Woods, entered another level valley, partly prairie, partly forest, and arrived at our first night's camp at 4 p.m. One of the greatest drawbacks of travelling in the park, is the difficulty of obtaining water that is fit to drink. On the route we had just passed there were two springs deliciou...