This wonderful sight greeted me the other day as I drove into Spring Creek Basin and gave me a face-stretching grin right from the beginning.
I tie the look-at-me flagging to this sign every autumn right before third rifle season in an attempt to remind the hordes that off-road travel is verboten in the basin (throughout Disappointment Valley, as numerous signs warn). But the flagging is relevant year-round, also, particularly, in the spring when people emerge from winter hibernation and flock to the backcountry (for recreation as well as to hunt “sheds” – antlers shed by mule deer and elk – that can go for big bucks).
Neither the flagging nor the signs are a complete deterrent (as some folks “helpfully” remind me, people need to be able to read …), and every fall and spring (particularly), I find tracks of vehicles that have gone off the road and up and down broad arroyos.
Contaminates in the waterways, destruction of vulnerable seeps, crushing of vegetation that may take years – if ever – to recover. Those are just some of the reasons we want people to stick to the established roads and OFF the rest of the sensitive areas.
Most people are good visitors, I’m happy to say. There are always those who don’t care or believe they can go wherever they want to go because they’re in a vehicle that *can* take them there and/or are too lazy to get off/out of their buggies and walk 30 yards (or so) to look over a ridge or examine our water catchments. But the majority are respectful, and for that, I’m grateful.
So pretty in the golden light – Piedra. The wind swirls the dust, and those particles diffuse the light – like the smoke will later – and makes for a lovely glow. Though I think we’d all like to have lighter breezes and much less dust.
We had such a great time with the mustangs and visitors Saturday at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum!
A little background: Last year was the 50th anniversary of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. CANM had a wonderful special exhibit all year that celebrated mustangs – especially our Colorado herds in Spring Creek Basin, Little Book Cliffs, Sand Wash Basin and Piceance-East Douglas. To help promote that, we were invited to a very special one-day event last fall, to introduce a couple of our local adopters of Spring Creek Basin mustangs, have advocate and author Kathryn Wilder read from her memoir, Desert Chrome (published in May), and take limited numbers of visitors (still under Covid protocols) through the exhibit inside the museum.
It was such a success, Amala Posey-Monk, supervisory park ranger with CANM, asked if we’d like to make it an annual event. How fast could we say YES?!
So Kat returned and read again from Desert Chrome, which is being sold in the new bookstore area in the visitor center and museum (which looks fantastic, by the way; drop by and see (among the museum’s other wonderful exhibits about the cultural history of our area) the particular wall full of ways to appreciate our very dark skies). She also signed copies of her book for folks who were there to visit the mustangs.
Tif Rodriguez brought her gentle giant, Whisper, and Keith Bean brought his teddy bear, Skipper, who are so calm and willing to meet lots of admiring strangers! We had one little incident before the event started when the wind caught the little popup tent, but as Keith said, most domestic horses would have catapulted into any of the nearby states if they’d been there. Skipper and Whisper were very startled, but they hardly left the plaza. 🙂 Tif and Keith answered questions and talked about numerous topics related to mustangs and adoptions, and Skipper and Whisper greeted everyone from seniors to the littlest visitors.
Our excellent herd manager, Mike Jensen, kicked off the day with an introduction to BLM wild horse management, particularly in Spring Creek Basin, and also answered lots of questions from visitors. As he said, mustangs are the only resources BLM manages that have beating hearts. 🙂
Mike talks about mustangs at the beginning of the event.
Keith says that seeing Skipper without something to eat in his mouth is unusual. Tif’s mom (not pictured), Lyn Rowley, brought snacks for both people and horses, which were particularly appreciated by Skipper. 🙂
Amala and her 4.5-year-old daughter, Geneva (who came with husband/father and baby sister), also got to meet the mustangs.
Skipper may have liked his treats from little hands best of all. See the very end of the carrot? 🙂 (Lyn pictured in the background.)
And a couple of pairs of little hands are even better!
I know. I should have prepared ya’ll for the overload of cuteness. 🙂
Skipper and Whisper spend a lot of time on the trail together every year with Tif and Keith as they do miles and hours of trail work on public lands (both BLM and Forest Service). Little Skipper is the guy in charge, apparently … and he also evidently loves his big friend!
Thanks to one of our visitors for taking these pix of me, Mike, Whisper, Tif, Skipper and Keith. Unfortunately, we missed getting Kat corralled for this group pic; Mike was trying to get home to his family for Saturday activities, and Kat was signing books inside the museum.
And I’ve been so long out of the journalism game (and my computer-driven slideshow while she was reading was giving me fits), I completely spaced taking any pix of her reading from Desert Chrome in the museum’s wonderful theater. She read excerpts about her first meeting with Maka, the big bay mustang from Divide Basin, Wyoming, that she adopted from Cañon City, then bringing him home. People asked some great questions. A couple of visitors had bought Kat’s book a day or two earlier, then came back to hear her read and get their books signed! This is a pic of her reading last year:
If you haven’t read it yet, find it at your local bookstore or order from Torrey House Press!
To close out this post, a little humor from wiseacre Whisper:
There’s always one. 😀
Our deepest appreciation and gratitude to everyone from CANM who made this event possible (Amala, Anna and Nick, at least), to Mike, to Kat, to Lyn, to Tif and Whisper, and Keith and Skipper, and to all the visitors to came, whether drawn by interest in the gems of cultural history found in this part of the Colorado Plateau or particularly by the opportunity to meet two amazing Spring Creek Basin mustangs!
Our event at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum yesterday with mustangs Whisper and Skipper, their adopters Tif Rodriguez and Keith Bean, author Kathryn Wilder and Spring Creek Basin herd manager Mike Jensen was wonderful!
Spring Creek Basin herd manager Mike Jensen, center, talks to visitors after being introduced by CANM employee and mustang supporter Amala Posey-Monk – smiling. 🙂 Tif Rodriguez and her big grey boy, Whisper, and Keith Bean and his little bay boy, Skipper, attended the event to allow visitors to greet mustangs and ask questions about everything from mustang hoof health to adoption! We had a special visitor from the Land of Enchantment: Barb Kiipper, director of Jicarilla Mustang Heritage Alliance in New Mexico. She works with the U.S. Forest Service to gentle and train mustangs from the Jicarilla District of the Carson National Forest for adoption. Barb is at far left.
Awesome mustangs with awesome mustang folks. 🙂
It was a beautiful spring day with friends, mustangs and visitors. We particularly relish opportunities like this to talk about our mustangs and what great horses they are. Thanks to all who made this day possible! I’ll have some more pix tomorrow.
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P.S. Happy May Day birthday to my brother, Jeff! 🙂
Reminder: If you’re local and want to meet a Spring Creek Basin mustang, come to Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum – 27501 Highway 184 above Dolores – between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, April 30.
Big grey Whisper and little bay Skipper, along with their adopters, Tif Rodriguez and Keith Bean, will be very glad to meet you! Tif and Keith will talk about their adoption/mustang experiences and answer anything you want to know about potentially adopting your very own mustang. 🙂
In addition, Kat Wilder will read from her memoir, Desert Chrome, published last year. Books will be available for sale and signing.
We’ll be in the plaza outside the museum between the above hours – you won’t be able to miss the mustangs and their admirers!
From last year: Skipper, Keith Bean, Alice Billings, moi, Lyn Rowley, Amala Posey-Monk, Kat Wilder, Karen Keene Day, Tif Rodriguez & Whisper.
Disappointment Creek doesn’t flow through Spring Creek Basin in Disappointment Valley, which is too bad because when it flows, it’s a good source of flowing (though usually very silty/muddy) water in a dry land.
Here, Kwana is looking through trees at some of his mares, and although I was uphill of him, I was happy to get some background in the frame of the south ridge above Disappointment Creek. It’s a rare background because the horses are rarely in that area of the basin.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 