Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Nap buddies

28 12 2025

Who else is feeling the need for a nap between Christmas and New Year’s Day? 🙂

It’s been blessedly quiet and peaceful in Disappointment Valley and Spring Creek Basin lately. The crazily unseasonal 60-degree temps are a thing of the past; today’s high temp is forecast to be a whopping 39F. Some places in Colorado are getting rain or snow from the storms that hit California (thank you, West Coast!). There’s an ever-so-slight possibility of “rain/snow showers” here next weekend. As always, our hopes are higher than the forecast percentages.

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Categories : Filly Peak, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Peace on Earth

26 12 2025

The mustangs don’t know what day it is, which is to say that they don’t attach any particular significance to one day over any other. We humans do that.

Christmas was beautiful. 🙂

We had a drizzle in the morning, and by the time I went out to look for mustangs, the ground was dry, the light was fabulous, and the mustangs were dry and enjoying the warm south wind (the temp might have hit 60 again?).

Our very own peace on our own little patch of this beautiful planet. Truly. 🙂

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Categories : McKenna Peak, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Temple Butte

Season’s best greetings!

25 12 2025

However you celebrate the winter/Christmas/Hanukkah season, with those who are important to you and enrich your lives in all the best ways, from our herd to yours, we wish you peace, joy and love!

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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Au naturel

24 12 2025

Terra framed by Alegre. 🙂

Merry Christmas Eve!

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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Pre-solstice joy

23 12 2025

The day before solstice was cloudy and grey, but in the middle, there was black and white: Corazon! 🙂

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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Dusty solstice

22 12 2025

Dust on winter solstice? Sure. Because we haven’t had a drop of moisture since the very beginning of the month.

High temp of at least 64F (second day in the 60s after a week in the 50s)? Sure, let’s pretend it’s autumn. And it has been warm enough – and windy lately – that most mud is mostly dry. (See that white spot at far left, though? That’s a patch of snow.)

It’s hard to deny how beautiful the weather has been. … It’s impossible to not start the usual worry about how a terrible (dry) winter will lead to an awful growing season.

Yesterday (see above, Aiyanna following the band down to water on a dusty trail) was winter solstice, the beginning of winter (and now lengthening days), “a promise that the light always returns,” I heard recently. Can we amend that to the start of the season when the snow replenishes the soil and vegetation in anticipation of the coming year?

Please, please, PLEASE, Santa, Mother Nature and Old Man Winter, bring us snow this winter!

Let it snow, let it snow, LET IT SNOW! 🙂

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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Winter solstice

Sooooo sleeeeepy

21 12 2025

We don’t have snow. Mud is drying. Temp was at least 61F recently. Wind hails from the warm south. Rain is forecast for Christmas (in Colorado!?!?).

We have water.

Ah, the little (big) important things. 🙂

Happy winter solstice!

Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Ponds, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Water

Seldom seen

20 12 2025

The elk surprised me running around a hill as I toodled up the road. I stopped immediately, but they were not in the mood to also stop, and they kept going. These are probably the first elk I’ve seen since before the main rifle seasons. I’m happy they’re here … though unhappy that I disturbed their peace!

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Categories : Elk, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Wildlife

All the pretty … deer!

19 12 2025

Sunrise in Disappointment Valley highlighting mule deer (I’m so glad to see the bucks back!) in the greasewood and chamisa (rabbitbrush) and willows and cottonwoods along Disappointment Creek, looking toward Spring Creek Basin. It was a drive-by shot, and I couldn’t actually see what I was shooting on my phone’s screen, but the light was so beautiful highlighting the pretty and handsome does and bucks, I literally pointed and pressed the button.

Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Creek, Disappointment Valley, McKenna Peak, Mule deer, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Temple Butte, Wildlife

Returning

17 12 2025

During the hunting seasons (basically starting the first of September and running across or nearly to (and in some cases past) Thanksgiving in Colorado), the wild antlered critters make scarce. I don’t know the numbers, but the traffic and human population of Disappointment Valley increases wildly (sorry) during that time – and not in a good way for the peace of most of us. And when the peace returns, so do the regular sightings.

One little girl is a little more bold than her sisters and aunties. 🙂

*Collective sigh of relief*

These are the first pix I’ve taken since returning to the basin since the snow has (mostly) melted. The roads range from completely dry in sections to stretches of snow-bordered bogginess. Ponies are foraging mostly far from roads, which is perfectly good and fine. Signs are holding up well!

Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Mule deer, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area

Spring Creek Basin Mustangs