When a wild pony poses, you generally have about 2.7 seconds to either take the shot or get into position to take the shot … or you don’t get the shot because wild ponies don’t generally hang about posing for paparazzi.
Flash did me a super solid and posed for probably at least 12.8 seconds before he moseyed on after his mares.
Plenty ‘o time. 🙂
That’s snow in the background, swirling and whirling with the wind between us and McKenna Peak and Temple Butte. It snowed in the morning, too, but other than the far eastern ridges of Spring Creek Basin, it left nothing behind. … And by the time I took this pic in the evening, most of what had stuck to those ridges was gone again.
Keep trying, Mother Nature. We need that moisture badly (and that makes me think of the terrible wildfires in California, where I read they’ve had just 0.16 inch of moisture since May … ouch. THAT is just astoundingly dry). Keep trying, Mother Nature. …
Forget the goats. Join the mustangs for a little stretching session. 🙂
That’s McKenna Peak in the background, still under foggy snow. We got a skiff of snow that morning (Tuesday morning), but it didn’t last long. Nor did it make the ground any kind of damp when it was gone. Our need for snow is getting a bit desperate.
When I was a young Coloradan, newly moved to Durango from Texas, my then-co-workers at The Durango Herald can attest to the fact that the first time snow fell that winter, I went a little bonkers with excitement.
Not much has changed, 22-plus years later. 🙂
We had another great (rain to) snowfall overnight, and it was a wonderland of white this morning – and muddymuddymuddy underneath. The snow is nearly all melted – at least down-valley – now, but rather than wait for tomorrow, here’s a peek at the Thanksgiving-Eve bounty in Spring Creek Basin:
Shortly after sunrise, Chrome’s Point, looking south-southeastish. Flat Top and Round Top are at left in the distance, and Filly Peak is at right.
Looking back north-northwestish, the difference in light is dramatic (this was maybe only 10-15 minutes after the first pic?) as the clouds linger at the higher elevations south and east of Spring Creek Basin and have started clearing to the west and north (though the mountains were engulfed in clouds the whole time I was out).
Holy heavenly light. If I’d been able to see that spotlight of light, with my own eyeballs, at the time, I would have brought out the big gun (these are all from my phone – handy little pocket cam that it is). Wow. Knife Edge is ahead to the left; Brumley Point is visible at far right. Temple Butte and McKenna Peak are still completely within the clouds.
Round Top – aka Saucer (as in flying) Hill – with snow still pouring from the moisture-laden clouds to the southern ridges of Disappointment Valley and beyond to the Glade.
I was just below the base of Knife Edge with mustangs when Temple Butte and McKenna Peak were starting to emerge from the still-billowing clouds. Dramatic much?!?
Heading back to my buggy and the road, looking upstream at the Spring Creek arroyo toward its source at McKenna Peak … Temple Butte behind it … submarine ridge to the right … Brumley Point straight ahead (it sits right on the basin’s southeast boundary) … Round Top at far right. Water WAS trickling through the bed of the arroyo in some places (like where I crossed).
From the ridge at the main/original water catchment (oh, how I hope this snow provided lots and lots of water for our catchments!), looking eastish across the basin. I mean … who DOESN’T get giddy at the sight of snow?! 🙂 Knife Edge is the ridge at far left with the top rim just barely free of snow. See the trees at the base of the ridge at almost farthest left? That’s where the ponies are (the ones I visited, anyway).
This one’s a little out of order, but it sums it all up. 🙂 I love mustangs; I love snow; I love Spring Creek Basin and its mustangs in the snow!
That’s our water. Our moisture. Our lifeblood for growing things.
So, so, so, SOOOOO grateful this Thanksgiving Eve. Happy gratitude to all you wonderful readers and your families on this, my very favorite holiday. Hope you all get to spend it with those you love, in places you love. 🙂
Odin and Piedra browse while Kestrel looks back at a following bachelor (I didn’t know it when I took this pic, but there was another band farther away and out of sight over a hill; they showed up later).
This pic (and for at least a few days to come, though our snow is melting *rapidly* as I type this Friday) was taken the day after the big snowfall. I was amazed that there was still so much snow covering the ground and shadscale and sage and four-wing saltbush and snake weed and grasses!
Muddy, muddy, muddy underneath the snow. North-facing sides of arroyos were still snow-covered; south-facing sides were muddy ski slopes (vertical or almost nearly so)! Good luck getting up the sides unless you had a bit of an erosion channel to use as steps or enough snow to jam a foot in sideways – and get it to hold just long enough to step up with your other foot!
Fabulous, wonderful moisture. I hope this is a sign of a good winter to come.
* The snow wasn’t actually very fluffy; it was really rather wet. But the alliteration worked for the post title. 🙂
So THIS happened Wednesday! On top of the rain mud, the snow made conditions, um, muddIER. 🙂
These lovelies weren’t the only ones.
But wait! There’s more!
How many do you count? 🙂
As it turned out, though I spent a couple of hours in the basin – enough time for most of the snow (1 to 3 inches, depending on location) to melt! – I saw only ONE band of mustangs. They were farther than I wanted to hike in the snow and mud, so I looked in the far corners for another, closer band – without success. By the time I went back to the first band, they’d decided (anthropomorphism alert) they didn’t want to be leftovers and had disappeared. 🙂
I was just happy to see the snow and the mud and the one band and all the pronghorns (which have been very visible lately, though mostly a bit lower). We’re going to have mud for a while – especially with more rain/snow due Sunday!
La Sals beyond Disappointment Valley/Creek cottonwoods.
We had rain in the valley – to the tune of almost 0.80 inch total (way, way more than we got in all of September). To say I’m “grateful” is a vast, vast understatement. 🙂
Now THAT looks like autumn. 🙂
By the time I was out with Mariah and her band on Saturday, the snow was noticeably melting, and clouds were lowering over the peaks. Sunday had more rain and super sogginess, and if I could have seen the mountains for the heavy clouds, I bet they’d have shown pristine white caps again.
The sky – and rain/snow falling – was the star of the show yesterday afternoon.
One band was just leaving the water trough at the basin’s main/original water catchment, followed by another band. The aprons are visible at right (looks like a tennis court – those are the aprons that catch rain/snow). They deliver water via underground pipe to the big, green tank (slightly right of center). It doesn’t look that big from this distance, but it can hold 12,000 gallons. The dark “spot” in just about the center is a couple of horses drinking at the trough.
This very wide view from Chrome’s Point in the far western part of the basin encompasses the northeastern (far left), eastern and southeastern views of Spring Creek Basin. (The first two pix are within this wide view.)
Oh, wait, carry on. It didn’t make it actually into the valley from the southern ridges. (Argh!)
Buckeye and his family weren’t worried (by it coming or by it not actually reaching us). Of course. 🙂
While Denver and the Front Range of Colorado hog the snow (sorry about your “impossible driving conditions” as we continue to be super dry over here in, you know, the OTHER part(s) of the state), we’re hoping to get any bits of the dregs?! Pretty please?
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 