From This
Restful Spot I Have Looked Out Thousands Of Times Across The Great Bend Of
The River And Garnet Canyon To The Five Terraces Named After The Early-Day
Spanish Explorers, Marcos, De Vaca, Tovar, Alarcon, And Garces.
Points of the Explorers.
To the west stands out Chemehuevi Point, six
thousand six hundred and twenty-six feet, while across the river,
terminating Powell Plateau, are Wheeler Point, six thousand seven hundred
and fifty feet, and just beyond it Ives Point, six thousand six hundred
feet.
To the north of Ives Point, but hidden from view, are Beale Point, six
thousand six hundred and ninety-five feet, Thompson Point, six thousand
seven hundred and thirty feet, and Newberry Point, six thousand seven
hundred and fifty feet, all named after early Arizona explorers and
geologists.
Conquistadore Aisle and Steamboat Mountain. The dark chasm of the river
itself, where it moves almost due west, has been named Conquistadore Aisle,
in honor of the men whose names are attached to the terraces above. Here
the river again curves, and its course is seen to be to the northeast, as
if doubling behind Powell Plateau. It then turns back upon itself, and goes
to the southwest. If the conditions are favorable, one may see, to the left
of Ives Point, a majestic butte, detached from the further wall of the
Canyon, and generally known as Steamboat Mountain. It is an object of great
interest, when seen from the saddle on the north rim by those who have
crossed the Canyon and are journeying to Point Sublime.
The Scenic Divide. Now let the observer compare the view to the left with
that which he has carefully examined on the right. There, in the latter
view, are towers and buttes, detached monuments, and a perfect bewilderment
of scenic features; here, to the left, save for the aisles, terraces and
further wall, there is little to attract attention. The view,
comparatively, is uninteresting. The reason for this is clear. The granite
of the Inner Gorge has disappeared. Here is the Scenic Divide, the natural
line of demarcation between two distinctive portions of the Canyon, the
scenery of which is markedly diverse. Where the granite is in evidence, the
stratified rocks resting upon it are carved into varied forms: Where the
river flows through the stratified rocks, and no granite appears, there are
few or no buttes, no towers, no monuments. Nowhere else, in the accessible
portions of the Canyon, is this difference seen, for at Grand View, the
head of the old Hance Trail, the Red Canyon Trail, Boucher's and the Bright
Angel Trails, the outlooks are over areas where the granite has thrust
itself out of the bowels of the earth.
Bass's Cable Crossing. The ride down Bass's Trail is an interesting one,
passing on the way two prehistoric water-pockets and several
cliff-dwellings. On the plateau below, forty miles of trail riding, almost
on the level, may be indulged in, before one descends the narrow Canyon to
Bed Rock Camp and the river.
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