Mr. Hollywood is doing all right. He’s alone but can see other horses as much or as little as he likes. When I found him this day, he was napping in the warm sunshine and gusty wind. He didn’t seem to notice me until I talked to him from across a deep arroyo. It didn’t startle him, but he raised his head and pricked his ears. He was relaxed, hip with the gash cocked comfortably (it’s healing, just a little square of rawness now, the strip of hide gone). I made a circle with him at its heart, talking to him so he wouldn’t have to try to track me with his one good eye.
That he’s able to nap (likely) means his belly was full enough to rest, and I suspect that simply grazing and napping and drinking (he was maybe a quarter of a mile from a pond with water) are his only needs right now.
The horses are creatures of habit, though grazing time and tea time may not be specifically punctual every day. Still, the ponies do like their siestas … especially when the sun is high and the light is bright and the temp is warm.
To all the great dads who protect their families and support their passions … and pass down their values and life lessons: happy Father’s Day!
Especially to my dad, for (also) passing down his love of horses and wide-open places, love of seeing new places and fresh-cut hay fields. 🙂
I love you, Dad!
P.S. I should have added that Buckeye was named by my mom, as she and Buckeye very nearly share the dates of their October birthdays. My mom and dad are originally from Ohio, the Buckeye State, and my dad is, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye (he graduated with a degree in animal science before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army).
Something a little different today inspired by a recent introduction.
Pictured are three bands in what I call the east pocket of Spring Creek Basin. It’s hard to get to because of the current condition of the road, but it has always been one of my favorite places in the basin, and this season, some of the horses seem to agree.
A few weeks ago, I got a message from Rick Freimuth, who is a firewatcher based at Benchmark Lookout in the San Juan National Forest. He shared with me a glorious sunset pic he had posted recently from the tower and said that just a little outside the frame of the photo was Disappointment Valley – and Spring Creek Basin. As it turned out, I had recently taken a pic in which I included the ridgeline on which the lookout tower stands, so I sent it to him in turn.
Later, I specifically took these pix, from the east pocket looking southward toward the Glade and Benchmark Lookout to share with Rick and his wife, Linda.
See the tower? Highest ridge at upper right.
Benchmark Lookout stands tall, amid aspen and ponderosa forests and looks out over VAST country – all over southwestern Colorado and into Utah.
Rick and Linda have an amazing job, and this 2020 Cortez Journal article highlights the work they do to assist firefighters in the region. If their tower home looks like a lightning magnet, apparently it is! … But the VIEWS!
Years (and years) ago, I went up to Benchmark Lookout to do a story for the Dolores Star. Rick and Linda know Barbara Zinn, who was the lookout then. Words such as “incredible,” “marvelous,” “astounding,” “outstanding,” “amazing,” “fabulous,” “fantastic” … fall far short of the actual wonder of the view. From Spring Creek Basin, I often point out to visitors the tower standing guard over our cherished, local public lands.
Kudos to Rick and Linda and all the other firewatchers and protectors of Colorado’s (and America’s) public lands!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 