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[[underlined]] Dec. 3. [[/underlined]] The horses had gone off 2 or 3 miles & that gave us a late start. Did not get off till 9 oclock, reached Soda springs at 11.

Went down into the valley & a long way over bad, baked clay, which is what would be the bottom of a lake if there was water in it. The ground is level, hard, & smoothe without vegetation.
This patch is about 2 miles long. There is another in the valley farther north, toward Lunning, and another South east of Soda Spr.

There are some big springs near town that furnish water for town & R.R. & smelter, & a good deal runs over.

Vegetation is scarce in the valley. Small bunches of Sarcobatus & Atriplex confertifolia & A. canscens are scattered about. There is much bare ground, which has a blackish appearance from the dark pebbles scattered over it, except the dry sides, which are pale yellowish & from a distance look white. There is almost nothing to build a fire of. Part of the road was sandy

The wind howled & covered all the track.

It began to rain just before we reached town & kept it up till in the afternoon - a cold rain & snow on the Mts. When it cleared the Mts. all around were white down to edge of valley. Cold & freezing in evening & windy. Camped in an old smelter for shelter. Packed a lot of skins & shivvered to keep warm. 

Transcription Notes:
reviewed -@meg_shuler