Sparkling water droplets from her tail swishing catch the light as she drinks from one of the ponds that caught water a week or so ago.
It’s such a relief that the horses have enough water to wade into (in some places).
The temperature yesterday hit 101 degrees in Disappointment Valley. Tuesday, the high temperature is forecast to be about 55 degrees! Fortunately, we have some rain also in the forecast. Here’s hoping!
Storm is always the focus!
He was looking at my Jeep, parked on the road, across the flat, over the arroyo and up the hill. Not close … but different. It hadn’t been there previously, and nobody has eyes for *different* like a mustang. I think it’s funny that he wasn’t at all worried about me, standing a few yards away, but he was intent on making sure that little black buggy, close to half a mile away, wasn’t a danger to his family.
He and his band had found one of the three newly-watery ponds. They had apparently already watered when I found them and were grazing their way into the shade of the late afternoon.
Spring Creek Basin’s grand ol’ lady. And make no mistake, she may be a little rough around the wind-knotted-mane edges, but she is a lady. She’s seen the world – her world – and she knows more about you than you know about her. (You’re not that complicated, whereas she is a lady of mystery and secrets.)
She is Houdini, and the ultimate escape is hers … because she’s wild, and she lives it to the wildest.
Cassidy Rain and Raven are beautiful and plump in the back east pocket of Spring Creek Basin below pyramidal McKenna Peak.
You can see some hints of mud on Cassidy Rain … but Raven’s WHOLE other side was covered in dried mud. Clearly, they’d found a remote spa. 🙂
You know it feels good when you can work a good head rub into your roll. 🙂
Shadow girl looks like she’s deep in a sweet slumber. In truth, she had laid down for a leisurely roll … but I love that this very wary gal felt comfortable enough to lie down in my company. She’s not usually that relaxed. 🙂
We’re not the only ones celebrating water in the basin.
Skywalker was just moseying after his bachelor pal and a band, grazing as he went. Other than the wind, it was a quiet night in the basin, which is just the way we like it.
Storm helps illustrate the fact that at least three ponds in Spring Creek Basin now have water for the first time in months (and months and months). A very small portion of the pond behind him is reflecting the fiery sky, but the pond is much larger than that little reflection point.
Saturday’s drenching didn’t cover all of Spring Creek Basin, but it hit a good portion of the eastern region, from the east pocket in the north to the southern tip.
At least four bands are taking advantage of two of the ponds, and I’m pretty sure a fourth pond also has water. … I ran out of time to hike back to check it because I was having too much fun hanging out with ponies – and that was before the giant, heart-leaping thrill when I saw the first of the three ponds with water. (I might have yelled and screamed and hollered really, really loudly.)
Thanks to all for your hopes, prayers, wishes and dances! 🙂
By the time I took this pic of lovely Chipeta, in the southern part of Spring Creek Basin, we were stomping through soupy mud (!). Another wave had briefly washed over us … and yet another little wave was on its way. Even the littlest arroyos were running – RUNNING – with actual, honest-to-goodness (and very muddy) WATER.
When I got back to lower Disappointment Valley on the road, the road and ground along it was dry. When I drove around and into the western part of the basin, my Jeep was leaving yet another trail of dreaded dust.
I’m not even kidding.
But at least part of the basin got rain, which seems to have been a bit of a toad gagger. 🙂
The rain was coming.
C’mon, rain!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 