This pic, taken Sunday from between the main/original water catchment and Filly Peak in Spring Creek Basin, is looking southeast toward the Glade and Benchmark Lookout. A few days before, I’d seen the red swaths of retardant across the trees while looking at smoke up there, but I didn’t manage to get a decent pic that showed it. While fire continues to smoke in that area (that’s the Ferris Fire’s northeastern edge), clearly firefighters and aircraft pilots have been hard at work. So hugely grateful! Rick and Linda Freimuth, who staff the tower during the fire season (!!!) hope get the green light to return this week. The mustangs and I (you know they would if they could) will be cheering their return.
Now, some taken yesterday (Monday):
Storm brewing to the east. Spring Creek Basin’s western rimrocks and Filly Peak (lower left) are in sunshine, while Temple Butte, McKenna Peak, Brumley Point and the basin’s eastern ridges are shadowed by rain! Woo-the-heck-hoo!
Looking back to the west from the same spot as above. More rain! What looks like white smoke on the horizon at left IS smoke from the Ferris Fire … and I hope it got a good dose of the wet stuff. It wasn’t a high-rain-chance day, but toss the forecast and let ‘er rain!
Methinks the weather wizards were outsmarted by Ma Nature herself. š RAIN, BABY, RAIN! This is from Chrome’s Point in western Spring Creek Basin, looking eastish at a curtain of rain that DID, as I was taking pix, make its way west. Unfortunately, I didn’t get tooooo wet. Ha ā I would not have minded!
Ants congregating at the entrance to their mound. Apparently, “Ants congregate at their mound entrances after rain primarily to survive flooding. When underground tunnels fill with water, the colony is forced to evacuate. They move the queen, larvae, and food upward to escape the saturation, using the surface or mound entrance as a temporary, elevated sanctuary.” Interestingly, these ants and others I saw doing the same thing in the same relative area happened to be on some of the highest ground in the basin, near the western boundary. I guess that when you’re an ant, everything is at the elevation of ground level (ha ha!).
From the south wall of Spring Creek canyon looking eastish after the rain (it didn’t last very long, unfortunately).
Hope you don’t mind this view! It’s pretty spectacular. No, that’s not a road down there in the canyon; that’s Spring Creek arroyo, and just beyond (lower left), it leaves Spring Creek Basin to cross lower-ish Disappointment Valley on its way to join Disappointment Creek (neither of which are carrying water at the moment).
See the pinto pony? This is from the same point as the above two pix, looking generally northwestish across lower Disappointment Valley toward Utah’s La Sal Mountains. There’s a fence across this lower end of the canyon to keep the mustangs within Spring Creek Basin, and there’s a water gap (hanging PVC pipes to move when water DOES flow) across the Spring Creek arroyo. There are a couple of manmade structures down there, one behind McKenna and one kind of in front of him.
As it turned out, though he and his pal and a band were in the vicinity ā and the reason I walked out ā it was something else entirely that actually took me all the way to the canyon rim. … And that will wait for another post because I got some pix that knocked even my socks off.
To end this post, news that I never want to post because I want it to never have happened, some really tragic news from the Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray and Ridgway: A pilot was killed Sunday when his aircraft, used to aid firefighting efforts on that fire, crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir, in southwestern Gunnison County, on the northeast side of the fire. It’s the worst of all news to lose another firefighter. š¦
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
So sorry to hear of another life lost.
Glad there was rain – somewhere – hope it did some good.
Gorgeous pictures, TJ – gives me a glimpse of how beautiful it is out there.
One life lost is one too many. Four … š¦
The rain, combined with firefighters’ intense efforts, have increased containment to 43 percent. That’s wonderful news.
Most beautiful place in my world. š
Gorgeous photos, TJ! I love the perspective over Spring Creek Arroyo. Nice to see a little rain out there, a little beginning. We had a real shower here too yesterday that even made the ground wet. Prayers of thanksgiving and hoping for more, especially over the fire. Such a heartache – another courageous firefighter killed. It was just awful news and so sad for his family. The job for wildland firefighters is akin to going to war with the possibility of casualties. Love the pinto pic!
I’m so glad y’all got rain, too! Nothing here today, though it *promised* … with dark clouds and strong wind. God bless that pilot. It’s a terrible loss.
Prayers and gratitude for the firefighter and his/her family. Love to all who are continuing the fight! XOXO
Echoed … and there are many still to pray for. Thanks, Carol!
Thanks for all your updates TJ!
Still a journalist at heart … š
Amazing photos — and yeah, I saw the pinto. I think my eye is just drawn to painted horses. The ants are incredible.
Even in a big photo, the little guy draws the eye. š
So sorry for the loss of another firefighter! Hopefully this will come to an end soon!
Firefighters, with some help from Mother Nature, have worked unbelievably hard, every hour of every day. Our gratitude is boundless.
Thankful for the rains and clearer skies T.J. and so sorry for the loss of another firefighter. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and all who loved him xxx
I did get a little chortle out of “… the rains and clearer skies …” … AND I know exactly what you mean! š Hoping those clear skies (we do still have a bit of smoke haze, but we haven’t gotten the rain other areas have received … yet!) bubble up with afternoon anvils and drop some moisture across the whole region! Well said about Mr. Dale. … We owe all the firefighters so much.