While I was photographing Buckeye, walking up the hill with Temple Butte and McKenna Peak in the background, I looked in the opposite direction (always a great idea, no matter where you’re shooting) and found that we were being watched. 🙂
That’s looking west-ish, with Spring Creek’s namesake canyon – north and south rims – behind Mariah. Some of the cottonwoods lining Disappointment Creek are visible in the low background, and the southwestern ridges of Disappointment Valley stretch into the distance. The widest, most open and very lowest parts of the valley are off to the right, beyond Spring Creek Basin’s rimrocks.
Mariah was named by good friend Roy G., who will celebrate his 92nd birthday this summer. He grew up with his family in Disappointment Valley, and he returns twice a year to see the mustangs. I love to meet up with him and his significant other, Donna, in their camper overlooking Disappointment Creek and hear about how he rides his bike more than I ride mine. 🙂 It was a windy day when he spotted Mariah as a spindly-legged baby, and he called her Mariah, as “They Call the Wind Mariah.” (The original was spelled “Maria”; here’s an explanation of the pronunciation via Wikipedia.)
The day I took the pic fortunately was not windy, but the day before and the day after were sharply windy and cold!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 