Having crossed the Eastern range the young aviators dropped into the parallel valley to be sure of being unobserved and then turned north again. The anemometer showed a speed of 56 miles at three quarters power. The Loon had left Michel at 1:15 o’clock. At 1:35 P. M. the boys figured that they were about 20 miles north. The proposed camping place was reckoned about 25 miles from town. As the Fording entered the Elk at this point it was clear that their destination was not over five or six miles distant. A few minutes later a stream cut the valley and the Loon was brought to half speed.
Even at four hundred feet the view included endless [mountain] ranges; near at hand and forming the Elk River Valley these were hardly more than great hills. Then, each successive line of peaks rose higher both east and west until on the distant horizon could be distinguished the Columbian Rockies, the Selkirks and the Purcell ranges.
Between these were valleys of pines, cut now and then by silver mountain streams, while each rocky wall was gashed by chasms and passes in which, tumbling and crowned by spray, waterfalls dropped their endless torrents. Off to the northwest, where the Selkirks died down in the Herchmer range and Norboe and Osborne peaks, even in the June day could be distinguished the glisten of chasm-protected snow. And with it all no sound, no sight of a living object except, high above them a motionless, soaring eagle.
Frank was yet at the wheel. Before the narrow, swift Fording was reached he turned to follow its banks eastward. When he saw the falls he also made out the grass valley. It looked a bit risky, but not wholly dangerous and when Phil’s eye caught sight of the cottonlike falls, Frank selected the smoothest ground and dropped to it. New mountain grass and wild poppies made a soft and picturesque landing, but it gave no great assurance as to starting again for, as the monoplane wheels sank in the grass the car wobbled from side to side and then came to a sudden stop.
“Anyway,” exclaimed Frank, “it’s better than being stuck in a wheatfield.”
“Except that there is no hard road to drag her out to,” added Phil.