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Show ' . . .. Figure lfl.-Onnnisou's Butte at the foot of Gray Cal'lon. (2,790 feet high.) GUNNISON'S OROSSING. 51 smooth water. At noon we emerge from Gray Canon, as we have named it, and camp, for dinner, under a cottonwood tree, standing on the left bank Extensive sand plains extend back from the immediate river valley, as far as we can see, on either side. These naked, drifting sands gleam brilliantly in the midday sun of July. rrhe reflected heat from tho glaring surface, produces a,. curious motion of tho atmosphere; little currents are generated, and the whole seems to be trembling and moving about in many directions, or, failing to see that the movement is in the atmosphere, it gives the impression of an unstable land. Plains, and hills, and cliffs, and distant mountains seflm vaguely to be floating about in a trembling, wave rocked sea, and patches of landscape will seem to float away, and be lost, and then re-appear. Just opposite, there are buttes, that are outliers of cliffs to the left. Below, they are composed of shales and marls of light blue and slate colors ; and above, the rocks are buff and gray, and then brown. The buttes are buttressed below, where thf} azure rocks aro seen, and terraced above through the gray and brown beds. A long line of cliffs or rock escarpments separate the table lands, through which Gray Canon is cut, from the lower plain. The eye can trace these azure beds and cliffs, on either side of the river, in a long line, extending across its course, until they fade away in the perspective. These cliffs are many miles in length, and hundreds of feet high; and all these buttes-great mountain-masses of rock-are dancing and fading away, and re-appearing, softly moving about, or so they seem to the eye, as seen through the shifting atmosphere. 'fhis afternoon, our way is through a valley, with cottonwood groves on either side. The river is deep, broad, and quiet. About two hours from noon camp, we discover an Indian cros!:!ing, where a number of rafts, rudely constructed of logs and bound together by withes, are floating against the bank. On landing, we see evidences that a party of Indians have crossed within a very few days. This is the place where the lamented Gunnison crossed, in the year 1853, when making an exploration for a railroad route to the Pacific coast. An hour later, we run a long rapid, and stop at its foot to examine some |
