Howdy, While I finish writing up one of 49erReuben Cole SHAW longer ones, let me scatter-shoot several shorties: SCOTTS BLUFFS " Having made camp early in the afternoon near a spring of cool water which was gushing from the base of a high cliff, we had an opportunity of visiting the sandstone formations at that time called SCOTTS BLUFFS[Nebraska], only a mile or two from camp, and were amply paid for the time spent, for among them, with a little stretch of the imagination, could have been found the counterpart of everything in ancient or modern architecture, and on a most stupendous scale. There seemed to be immense buildings, with terraces, domes, turrets and pinnacles, and a bewildering labyrinth of streets, alleys and broad avenues, the whole forming a veritable city done in soft sandstone. "Where the wind had full sweep, sand-dunes were formed, the outlines and artistic curves of which were very intereting; and the innumerable scales of mica mixed with the sand glistened in the sunlight and added beauty to the scene. "In the clear atmosphere of that locality one is easily deceived as to heights and measurements, and we indulged in much wild guessing relative to the height of some of the vertical walls of the larger formations, which were probably from three to five hundred feet high. "I doubt whether there could be found a clearner spot in the world, for there was not a trace of vegetation to be seen, and the point visited by us was as clean as pure gray sand could make it." THE WASHING "...[You] may be curious to know how we did our washing when crossing the plains. We adopted the trappers' system, though we could only practice it when camping on rapid streams of clear water and was managed about as follows: We first secured a pole the length of a fishing rod, but somewhat larger and stronger, and fastened a strong cord five or six feet from the small end and another at the extreme point, then securely tied the loose ends of them to the corners of a blanket to be washed, and to the outer corners of that another blanket, and as many shirts or other garments as we cared to wash. "By placing rocks around the rod it could be set any any desired angle; or, if a rod was not to be found, we tied the cords to rocks and sunk them in the proper place, which gave the same results, though this sometimes necessitated deep wading. This outfit was placed in the current of the stream where the water was a foot or more deep, and the different articles floated near the surface, while the water gave them a GENTLE, undulating motion. Under favorable conditions a washing of this kind was completed in one or two hours... We exercised much care in tying knots and making connections, or we might have been under the necessity of finishing our journey without shirts or blankets.":-) THE DIVIDE "Near nightfall on July 29[1849], we encamped on the Little Sandy river, a tributary of the Colorado. We had passed the DIVIDE[South Pass-Wyoming] and were on the waters that found their way to the Pacific Ocean. We were under the necessity of traveling at a very moderate gait and leading our mules single file, as the trail through rocky gorges and along steep hillsides allowed the passage of only one animals at a time...." WILD ONIONS "We discovered in several localities in the mountains a kind of wild onion, which was used in flavoring soups made of bones and remnants of meat. After having been so long deprived of vegetables, they were a welcome adjunct to our bill of fare. The Doctor{no name] pronounced them healthful, in a general way:-), and also excellent as a preventive of scurvy, from which we were liable to suffer when living on an exclusive flesh diet, and he advised us to use them freely whenever they could be found. These wild onions were not very large, but what they lacked in size was made up in strength. When eating them in liberal quantities it is very doubtful whether we would have been cordially received in refined society." FREMONT PEAK "Early in the morning on the last day of July[1849], we left Big Sandy for a climb over the high mountain ridge which lay to the west... From this elevated point FREMONT's PEAK[Wyoming -but I can't find it on my road map] and adjacent mountains[Wind River?], which lay in a northwest direction, were in plain view, enabling us to realize, to some extent, the immensity of the surroundings. "A small lake, which seemed to be in a deep rent a little south of us, looked like a mirror lost in a wilderness. The pass down the west side of the mountain proved to be very difficult and, in places, quite dangerous; yet we found ourselves at dark encamped at the foot of the mountain in one of the most beautiful of little parks. A portion of the way down was along the brink of a deep canyon, where a false step meant a tumble of many hundred feet. The medicine chest and ammunition were carried down by the men, while our animals were all safely landed in the valley, and the much-abused mule was given credit for being sure-footed and cool-headed." Just some stuff that caught my eye - hope you don't mind:-) Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>