here we had a most glorious view of mountain scenery we camped near a spring and good grass this was the best camp we have enjoyed for some time distance 20 miles
Thursday ipth Today we have had a verry hard sandy road we passed this morning a fine running stream and at 1 1 oclock we came to a succession of lakes crusted over with alkalie some of them near a half inch thick some places more than others we halted on the rise after passing these lakes for the teams to come up we moved after an hours halt and four miles brought us to the (Sweetwater) We hailed it with delight found a good place to camp and halted for the night near independance rock^^ a place where every passer by leaves his signature distance 1 6 miles
Friday July 20th 49 Today our road has been mostly along the Banks of the river occasionally strikeing across the Bluffs these are soft sand and verry hard for teems to get through at 1 1 oclock our road run near the upper side of the "Devils Gate"^* an opening in the Mountains for the river to run through the cut is called by the Mormon guide^^ 400 feet perpendicu- lar and 80 feet wide it looked like the passage way of some higher power anyway it is one of those wonders of nature that man likes to admire the "Sweetwater" Ridge must be a part of the Rocky Mountains as they are a solid rock no herbage but an occasionally stunted Cedar in some crevice we camp tonight on the banks of the river 1 7 miles from our last camp
"Today we have disposed of one of our waggons making our remaining loads rather heavy" "For a week past we have passed a large number of Ox trains the hard chance we have had for grass has compelled them to give out many of them, we find them along the road oftener than every mile and parties with them have to lay by to recruit the remaining one."
Saturday July 21st 184^ Today we have laid by to give our mules a chance to recruit We found it expedient to improve some of our waggons by shortening the body we find others have done it with good results All well and everything ready for an early start
Sunday 22 This morning we were moveing at five our road lay mostly along the river banks some hard sand Bluffs to cross we halted at noon on the river 10 miles from our camp yesterday. While here a Buffalo came down to drink a little above our camp the camp was soon roused and the rifles read [y ] a dozen men started on foot to cut him off they returned in an hour only one getting a shot at him This afternoon a man came to us who got lost four days before on a hunting excursion he looked miser- able haveing nothing to eat for four days we fed him and he is with us tonight he proves to be a regular Phys[ician] from Miss belonging to a pack mule party This afternoon we have had a real shower the first we have had for 35 days it was a great relief to the dust we camped to- night near the crossing of the river under a mountain of rocks good grass and wood distance 19 miles
