Glorious cottonwoods and blooming rabbitbrush along (dry) Disappointment Creek in Disappointment Valley draw admirers’ eyes toward McKenna Peak and Temple Butte above and beyond Spring Creek Basin. The sky isn’t blue-blue because we’ve had some gauzy, hazy, high “clouds.”
Alegre and a couple of her mare buddies seemed slightly affronted when the rest of the band left the water catchment after they all drank and wandered up the hill for better grazing. But once they decided that their friends weren’t waiting and weren’t coming back, Alegre and co. decided they’d better get in gear.
If you look closely – which is to say far away – you might see that the flanks of Utah’s La Sal Mountains were still tinged with gold (about 10 days ago). Now, the aspens have spent their glory, and the cottonwoods are the stars of the riparian shows.
So often, it slips through our fingers, even as we have it every. darn. day.
Smoke is bad again in the north-northeastern part of Colorado (and … ?) from (especially) the Cameron Peak Fire, which has reached an astonishing 203,253 acres and has rocketed to the top of the awful list as largest wildfire in Colorado history. (The fire that held that place until recently was this year’s Pine Gulch Fire, near Grand Junction. At 139,007 acres, it’s fully contained but not expected to be completely out until snow falls.) Many families and their animals are evacuated from their homes.
Down here in the southwestern corner of the state, some rain chances (and snow?!) have showed up in our forecast for next week. For everyone who needs it, we sure hope some moisture reaches our parched places.
Skywalker saunters after bands as another days slides toward night in Spring Creek Basin.
Relaxation illustrated, brought to you by a mustang (Terra).
You’re welcome. 🙂
With mustangs like Spirit taking advantage of the dense, junglelike cover in Spring Creek Basin, it’s a wonder we ever find them at all.
🙂
Storm and his band prefer the quiet places beyond the back of beyond. In the course of looking for them (and finding them, sometimes) in those places this year, they’ve shown me a number of seeps. Even after all these years and lots and lots (LOTS!) of wandering, they teach me how much I have to learn about this wonderful place they call home.
🙂 Who doesn’t love to learn new things? 🙂
Hollywood’s band on a bench just below the top of Round Top in Spring Creek Basin. The top is just above my right shoulder. This is looking basically northwestish, and the basin stretches across the middle background.
Kwana follows his ladies away from their evening drink.
The mountains are clearer than they’ve been lately. Our temps dropped, which is lovely, but no clouds means no rain.
Spirit places each hoof carefully on the slippery shale while walking down a fin of a ridge on the west side of Round Top. What they were doing up there – and they were up there! – only they know.
The view is fabulous, but the grazing is sparse!
