Back to current conditions, though this pic of Winona was taken the day before the snow-that-stuck-day (as opposed to the blowing-snow-didn’t-stick-at-all-days).
So peaceful … but we need a lot more of those snow-sticking days for the good of the rest of our year!
The above pic of Winona looking slightly muddy and very peaceful is the day after the day of windblown snow (also known as yesterday). Yeah. That’s about how much snow actually landed (yes, I know it’s very brown, and most of the mud was already dry or drying, thanks to the sunshine and less but not gone breeze). We’re looking northwestish across the rimrocks of Spring Creek Basin’s canyon, across lower Disappointment Valley and out to our horizon of Utah’s La Sal Mountains … looking here like they were anticipating this morning’s snow (? that’s a hopeful statement as I’m typing this Thursday night).
Behind me is Flat Top, and there were patches of snow on its sides and base, contributing moisture to the soil as it melted. So that was nice.
And, really, how ’bout that view? I dunno about you, but Winona makes it perfect. 🙂
Quiet Tenaz strikes his *wild stallion* pose.
I saw him just as he stepped into position, and I snapped about four pix … and just as I shifted to the right to try to get more of the mountains (visible at far left) in the frame, he returned to quiet grazing mode. 🙂
This was at least a 57-degree day in still-early February. The temp has been as high as 65 – in still-early February.
Buckeye and the mustangs and all of us are looking for rain – hopefully!!! – the end of this week!
Not super close, of course. That snow, on those mountains, is in Utah. It doesn’t flow to Disappointment Valley; not even Disappointment Creek (which is still dry and isn’t likely to flow much this year) flows into Spring Creek Basin. We need snow (or rain, at this point, we are NOT picky) to fall IN/ALL OVER/ON Spring Creek Basin (and greater Disappointment Valley … OK, the entire Western Slope of Colorado … all right, really, all of THE WEST).
The optimistic forecast continues its slide until you wonder why the forecasters bothered teasing us at all. … It changes about every five minutes, and any possible/potential moisture is close to a week out anyway (it continues to slide in delays, too).
Terra enjoyed her nap a couple of weeks ago with that beautiful background. Then life got busy and I nearly forgot about that beautiful day with her band.
See ’em? 🙂 Look for the white spot, above the ridge of rimrocks … then note the dark spots (that aren’t trees) spread out to the left.
That’s Temple’s and Madison’s group. Out of sight to the right (northish) is Filly Peak and the main interior of (and main entrance to) Spring Creek Basin. FROM that interior, where I’d been 15 or 20 minutes earlier, I couldn’t see the mustangs from the other side of Filly Peak (familiar visitors will know that the road runs along the north/northeastish side of Filly Peak). But I saw Buckeye’s, which led me to leave the interior, drive out and around and hike up what I call corral hill, which is where I was when I took this pic, looking northwestish toward Utah’s La Sal Mountains. This is one of my favorite views in the basin (*note: like mustangs, you can’t have just one *favorite* view?!?!). And then I spotted the ponies. You couldn’t have seen them at all from the interior road, but they’re no more than a 15-or-so-minute walk from that road. From this vantage, though, Buckeye’s were less than five minutes below me back to the right(ish).
In addition to wanting to see Buckeye’s band, I hoofed it up the hill to try to catch this rising before it got too high:
This is what Google AI has to say about the February full moon (it’s actually full on Sunday, Feb. 1):
The February full moon is most commonly known as the Full Snow Moon because February typically brings the heaviest snowfalls of the year in North America. Other traditional names, often rooted in Native American, Colonial American, and European traditions, include the Hunger Moon, Bear Moon, and Eagle Moon.
Key Facts About February’s Moon:
Other, less common names for this lunar cycle include the Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) and the Goose Moon (Haida).
***
Yes, I almost did fall off my chair laughing when I read that the February full moon is “most commonly known as the ‘Full Snow Moon.'” I mean, really? 🙂 Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Not to mention arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! If you look really closely, you can see some lingering patches of snow in the above pic, and that’s several layers (what I like most about the pic) rising to the final ridge, which is actually outside/beyond Spring Creek Basin, but you’ve gotta look *really* hard.
The first layer of grey Mancos shale is the south end of what I call bachelor ridge, then the sandstoney-topped mesa known as Knife Edge, then the actual piñon-juniper-topped ridge that is a north/northeastish boundary ridge of the basin, then the ridge with its old burn scar(s) most commonly and easily accessed from Dry Creek Basin (can you imagine anyone calling Dry Creek Basin “Dry Creek” like some people refer to Spring Creek Basin as “Spring Creek” (which, as we all know, with its tributary arroyos, drains Spring Creek *Basin*)? (how’s that for a whole lotta parentheses?? :))).
How about a new name this year (which may or may not echo Februarys past … and presage Februarys future): Deep-Anxiety-Inducing No-Snow Moon? Bummer.
But to end on a happy note, another glimpse of the ponies on the “bench”:
Let alone the wild ones, how ’bout THEM layers? 🙂 Interestingly (?), the part(s) that look like people’s idea of Utah are in Colorado, and the parts that look like people’s idea of Colorado are in Utah. Yay, Southwest! 🙂
See the eagle? 🙂
The weather is *starting* to look as though it’s changing, hopefully for the positive, which is – *crossing everything that can be crossed* – “AM snow showers” Saturday. The percentage chance drops a bit more every time I look at the forecast, but it’s still there. … Surely that means something??
All dances, wishes, prayers and hopes accepted!
Kind-eyed Seneca indulges me with a look while her band mates browse back (way back!) at the end of last year and way back deep in Spring Creek Basin.
Question: Is Mysterium posing, or is she alert to something?
Hint: She does love her naps, when it might look like she’s “posing,” but she really doesn’t do posing. 🙂
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!!!!
I was sitting on the ground, lens trained on some horses, when I heard them spook and looked up to see that something had caught their attention. THEY didn’t go far at all (more a spook-in-place kind of thing), and then I saw a flash of moving-red … FOX! Wow. It must have been in one of the little/shallow curvy arroyos nearby, and I’m not sure what spooked IT. I must have walked semi-past it earlier to go uphill of where the horses were (note the view beyond Mysterium!).
Unfortunately, there was a tree between us, and then it disappeared into one of the drainage folds … and when I caught sight of it next, it was nearly over the ridge. I wish it had stopped to give us a quick look, but nope.
Wowowowowow! I think the mustangs were just as thrilled (OK, interested) as I was. I doubt they see many flashy red foxes around. (We weren’t super far from where I found the fox last year, but we weren’t close, either. I don’t know what kind of territory a fox covers?)
