Outgoing correspondence from Robert Ridgway, August 11, 1867

              u s geological exploration of fortieth parallel camp 12 big-bend of truckee nevada august 11th 1867 my dear mother it almost alarms me when i think how long it has been since i wrote home last it has not been an intentional neglect of duty but has been occasioned by a general rush of work or in other words a press of outside business " we struck camp 12 july 23rd but before i begin a description of our present camp i suppose you would like a sort of description of our trip over the snow-clad sierras our train left sacramento on the morning of july 3rd we consisted of cavalenos, who rode in advance of the wagons we were all well mounted and equipped having the best mexican saddle-gear and splendid mustang animals in our marches we tried to average 18 miles per day giving our cooks plenty of time to prepare meals without hurrying too much on the third day we reached the foot-hills of the great sierras i shall never forget the magnificent veiw we obtained from one of the first of the foot-hills at an altitude of about 2.000 feet ¦¦ the whole valley of the sacramento spread out like a map before us fading away into hazy indistinctness until finally lost in the distance the dim-blue outline of the far-distant coast-range terminating the veiw toward the west the beautiful sacramento river116 dividing the valley and flashing in the sun-light like a silver streak the whole valley seemingly of boundless extent stretching away in sweling prairies and dotted with paradiscal groves which gradually concentrate into a forest along the tedera borders of the river perhaps i am commencing too far ahead in my story and possibly you would like to know something of the country passed over-and which now lies before us in general appearance it is much like the prairie portions of illinois but everywhere with thinly scattered groves of beautiful oaks the grass beneath them as clean and free from rubbish as a carpet here few and far between are the ranchos or farms which are