It took Crow and the others two days to reach Red Rock Canyon. The rough beauty of the place was not missed by the ten riders. It took them a day to pass through the canyon and then they began to climb again. The next day they crested the pass and entered the Pahrump Valley. The valley floor was flat. It was the Mojave Desert, and the distance between and through the Spring Mountains, unlike Red Rock, was miles apart.
“Sure is a whole lot of nothing,” remarked Barley.
“Yup,” McCauley replied. “But the way through the mountains is not in doubt. You can see for miles.”
Smitty chimed in, “Sure glad we"re crossing in the fall. I wouldn"t want to be out here in summer.”
“Well, we best be moving across those flats, "cause you don"t want to be crossing Cajon Pass in the snow,” said Crow. “We"
