After a pretty smoky early morning, the wind blew it east and away again most of the rest of the day. The wind still is switching between southwest and southeast and south. Cassidy Rain and her band were just leaving water; you can see the mud on her right front leg.
This is a very wide view (cell phone) from the main/original water catchment looking south/southeast. The source (ish?) of the Ferris Fire is at far right. I think it might have been the wind that had the smoke so ragged; clouds were actually visible low to the horizon, through the smoke. (Is that weird? It seems weird; the smoke on the horizon(s) has been so dense that it seems unusual to see anything beyond it, whether that’s the far ridges or even clouds.) You can see how clear it is between here and there. Fortunately for the mustangs, they’re not dealing with a lot of smoke.
From near the western boundary of Spring Creek Basin, looking west/northwest as the sun drops into a bank of smoke drifting from the Utah fires and maybe some farther southwest of Disappointment Valley in Colorado. Earlier in the day, the mountains were fully visible and the smoke was behind (west) of them. Then there was a period during the day when the mountains were fully obscured by smoke again. And here, at the end of the day, they were visible below the band of smoke. I think that great band of smoke was from the southern fires and joining smoke from the northern fires (like the Snyder Mesa Fire).
This last image is from about the same place as the one above, but now we’re looking nearly directly north. See the painterly smoke from left that fingers to the right, right of center? That’s from the western fires. See the greyer smoke at right? That’s from the Ferris Fire. Straight south and to the southwest, we’ve had a clear sky, and straight-ish north, we’ve had a clear sky. Tonight, the smokes from west and east have joined in the north. Wild, right? (If you look closely, those white dots at center left, on the sloping edge of the northern Spring Creek canyon side, are mustangs. :))
We continue to be very lucky in location, and the mustangs are doing very well.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
Us too, TJ – “very lucky.” The smoke swirls around us but not often directly overhead. We maintain a “breathing hole” in the center of it all. The Ferris fire is burning down almost all of our favorite Glade trails. The forest service just issued a closure of the entire San Juan Forest from the Salter Y west and north until December 31, 2026! Beautiful photo of Cassidy Rain with extraordinarily colorful desert layers as her backdrop. Very pretty, TJ.
Doesn’t surprise me – the closure of that part of the forest. I’m surprised they haven’t closed the Dolores-Norwood Road. And the clear sky was apparently the beauty before the beast; today has been really smoky as the fire burns down into the Dolores River canyon on the west side. Apparently the upper part of Disappointment Valley was clear (or more clear?) today, but SCB and lower were pretty smoky with the fire consuming new fuels and the wind directions. … Looking for the beauty, and so far, as far as I know, people are OK. Not sure about the wild critters, but the mustangs are still OK.
“Wild critters.” My heart grieves for them every fire we have.
I know. 😦 I just can’t even think about it.
Pretty gal! Hope they can get the fires under control! So heartbreaking for everyone! One of the firefighters was from mi! We mourn her loss!
Oh, yes, I read that – Emily Barker? So deeply sad about all three lives lost. Colorado also mourns Emily, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson. 😦
https://www.denver7.com/news/wildfire/as-fun-loving-and-reliable-as-she-was-brave-family-grieves-loss-of-firefighter-killed-in-snyder-fire
Glad smoke has eased in Spring Creek Basin – I believe the roundups are supposed to start soon if they havent already -I remember seeing pictures of earlier ones running the horses through smoke so thick – how they breathe – I dont know.
No roundup here. Roundups in Piceance-East Douglas and West Douglas will be in August; Sand Wash Basin’s in September. Never a good time … through smoke only as an emergency/last resort?!
I realize Spring Creek Basin wont be going thru that. Sand Wash Basin? Isnt that where the 3 or 4 fillies came from several years ago – and a couple foals ago?
Yes, in September 2021, we got three fillies from Sand Wash Basin at the conclusion of the big roundup there that year: Dundee, Rowan and Aiyanna.