The grandest scene I ever saw was Eastward from Mt. Bullion yesterday, the Sierra Nevada over the valley of the Merced. We rode by a trail not very difficult to follow, though steep and rocky, to the top of the ridge East of Bear Valley village, where in 3/4 of an hour from the office we came upon it. We then rode on a trail which it was awful to follow with that scene constantly over your left shoulder three or four miles to Fremonts’ camp, from which it is still commanded, and then back to the crest of Mt. Bullion at a higher point, where we had the Sierra view on one side and on the other looked quite over Bear Valley and Oso Mountain range, upon the San Joachim valley beyond—the coast range dimly discernable in the Indian summer beyond. From a similar point of observation (I guess 4000 ft. above San Joachim) the Campagna cannot appear very differently. The side down South & East of Mt. Bullion was all fine. The day’s ride was twenty miles probably and though often somewhat difficult, John, with a small squad of China-men, would in a month make it perfectly convenient. It wants a few stones rolled & chapparal shortened in. The mountain sides are very steep, awkward to descend and fearful to ride in contour-line—the trail being a scarcely perceptible jog in the face of the slope, and the awful valley gaping below—but it is not really dangerous or difficult, and requires no skill.

There are a great many pleasanter places than Fremonts’ camp—tho’ that is pleasant—but it is [the] only spring on the ridge or at all elevated so far as I have yet learned. While Mrs. Fremont was living there (40 ft from the spring her tent was) Grizzlies frequently came to the spring to drink. She saw them. We saw coon-tracks & thousands of rabbit tracks, one snake track in the dust, but no animals but squirrels & birds. The trees are better that way, somewhat. The rocks have a greater variety [118]of lichens I think than with us. I have not seen cactus-aloe or any of the dry-country plants. I can’t think why.

Called again today on Mrs Arnott who gave us a nice lunch. She is from Maine—wife of one of the superintendents, and a very nice, smart, respectable woman. The superintendents are all excellent men—Williams at Princeton, especially so. His son also a mill superintendent (a position of trust) is going East in a fortnight (I hope to get a wife) and I shall give him a letter to father. He has relatives in New Haven & Worcester. He expects to return in March.

I start for San Francisco to be about 10 days, tomorrow.

I like it all, better & better.