We got some rain. 🙂 (Zoom in to see actual drops of actual, falling rain!)
A proper toad-gagger across Disappointment Valley and across Spring Creek Basin. Zoom in above to see rain drops. … This, pictured, was NOT the toad-gagger; that happened much earlier (before daylight). This was the third or fourth wave. A non-stop symphony of thunder banging the drums across the sky, and it was … *magnificent*.
THE best thing to do after getting rained on? Roll! Almost all the horses rolled when the rain stopped and they wandered out to resume browsing.
Ahhhh. Fresh.
Spring Creek was still running, though low, at the first crossing, but clearly it had run high! By the time I got there, the water definitely was slowing. I’d gone first to where Spring Creek runs under Road 19Q (Disappointment Road), before I went to Spring Creek Basin, and it was rolling along then and there like a proper creek).
Toad’s-eye view of Spring Creek looking upstream. That sky brought the next wave of rain – and thunder rolls.
Absolutely, absolutely fabulous. 🙂 And the forecast is looking extra promising this week (as long as said forecast proves accurate and doesn’t just bomb, as it has so often this year). Dance, pray and cross everything for us. 🙂
**********
In other news, some of you may remember that I was a member of the Colorado Wild Horse Working Group a couple of years ago. That group was created by Senate Bill 23-275 (2023) as part of the Wild Horse Project to enable the state to provide support to BLM’s management of wild horses in Colorado. A second bill, House Bill 25-1283 (2025), created a program for wild horses within the Colorado Department of Agriculture, along with an advisory committee for that program. I’m now a member of this new committee.
The first bill came with $1.5 million, much of which was granted to Colorado’s boots-on-the-ground advocacy groups for range-improvement projects and fertility-control support. The second bill comes with no funding. Earlier this year, the Colorado Legislature approved a new license plate design, to join the 270 (!) current designs, to funnel funding to the state’s new wild horse program for further on-range fertility-control support as well as off-range (post-roundup) support of Colorado mustangs and adopters.
CDA has just released a survey with several license plate designs, and you, the public, are encouraged to vote for your favorite. As stated, if you participate in the survey, think about this: “Which design will help sell the most plates” … to offer the most financial support. Colorado’s campaign for wolf-related license plates – “Born to be Wild” – apparently generated around $1 million in its first year.
If you’re so inclined, please follow this link to get to the survey to vote for plates and describe what you like and don’t about each plate. Keep in mind that visibility and identifying *wild* horses as the subject are the main goals in order to encourage people to buy these plates for their vehicles to help support Colorado’s wild horses.
And if you’re a vehicle-driving Coloradan, the plates likely will be available next year.
Thank you!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
All washed clean and pretty! Love seeing these pictures of your wonderful rain, TJ! I’m so glad your forecast was the real deal this time. As it turned out, so was ours! I just needed to be patient; our rain arrived during the night and everything is gloriously wet this morning! Looks to be a good week for moisture. We are so grateful.
Oh, that’s great, Sue! So glad you got some rain … even if it was delayed. A friend in the Durango area said they got 1.5 inches last night or early morning. Wowza. In the usual turn of forecasts, we got nothing of the rain forecast late last night/early this morning. I mean … whaddya gonna do? Just have to wait for it and love it when the rain actually arrives. 🙂
TJ, I signed into answer the license plate, questions, and it kept canceling.Sent from my iPadOn Sep 15, 2026,
Hm. Sorry about that, Karen. Maybe give it another try? I did it all from my laptop and didn’t have any trouble, though I kept going back and forth (with the survey’s back/forward buttons, not the browser’s) to check my votes/comments. I so appreciate you taking the time to give the plates a vote!
So glad you finally got some decent rain! Hope more is on the way!
Us, too … and us, too! 🙂 The forecasts are completely unpredictable, and it could all be a giant tease … but we’re sure hoping!
Did. the survey and shared on Facebook.
P.S. We got rain, too. A GIANT double rainbow last evening at sunset. I also got to hang out with a Tennessee walking horse yesterday afternoon.
That’s so cool! I looked for a rainbow yesterday during a brief flash of sunlight, but none appeared. I’m looking now as a storm passes north of us … nada. Always magical. 🙂 And so great about your visit with the Tennessee Walker! My mom had one as a youngster.
Thanks so much, Martha!