While the young men were absent on their search for two comfortable cars the two elder men with the scouts were planning various excursions to the points of interest around Santa Fé. One of these excursions would follow the trail past Buckman, taking in the Water and Ancho Cañons, and so on to the Bandelier National Monument. On this route they would continue to the Frijoles Cañon, thence to the Painted Cave, and further down the trail visit Cañon de Cochita; the next point of interest would be a visit to the San Felipe Indian Reservation, and then trail eastward to the Tiffany Turquoise Mines and the San Marquis Pueblo Ruins.
Within an hour after leaving the ranch house, Sandy and his friends returned in two comfortable touring cars. The camping outfits were stowed away, and a supply of food packed in hampers; then having said good-by to the host, the scout-party got into the two cars and drove away. Sandy acted as chauffeur in the car where Julie, Hester, Mr. Gilroy and Mr. Chase were seated. Tally drove the car in which were the Captain and Mr. Vernon, Betty and Joan, Mr. Burt and Mr. Adair. The latter car being a seven passenger model, while the former was a five passenger car.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JULIE’S TÊTE-À-TÊTE
The distance to the Jemez Forests was about twenty miles over sandy roads. The trail led across the Rio Grande and then climbed up and up. Finally it became apparent that, later, the autos would have to be parked if the scouts wished to visit the “City of the Dead” as they had outlined, so the cars stopped while all planned.
“Now what? Walk up that awful trail and haul the kitchen on our backs?” cried Julie, frowning up at the great layers of shelf which seemed to reach to the heavens.
“No,” giggled Joan, “we’ll leave the ‘kitchen sink’ in the car, but take everything else.”
“We can drive up much farther than this,” said Mr. Vernon. “The trail winds and winds and at last brings us to the mesa where we will lunch. There we will leave Tally to hunt up a suitable cave for his afternoon siesta, while we climb to the sky.”
Finally the cars came out upon a high mesa—perhaps, thousand of acres of park, all shaded by yellow pine.
Upon this wonderful tableland the scouts had lunch and then went on to Frijoles Cañon. When, finally, they came to the end of a road—they had arrived!