Icon below an icon

10 05 2024

Sigh. My boy Storm. Could he be any more handsome!? πŸ™‚





Just sauntering along

9 05 2024

Ah, to be wild and free in such a glorious place. πŸ™‚





On the edge

8 05 2024

By the time I got up on the ridge and had taken my time visiting with and photographing Hollywood, Sundance’s were dropping off the ridge and Storm’s band was about to. So I didn’t get a lot of pix of them, but that was OK. Above is Storm with Gaia and Mysterium before they headed down. I wish I’d gotten a better composition with that balanced rock behind them!

It’s not nearly as steep over the edge behind them as it looks. I moseyed over there as they were heading down, but I didn’t follow them as it was getting late and I had a long walk back.





Hollywood gold

7 05 2024

Quietly waiting and watching Storm’s and Sundance’s bands heading off the ridge. He’d been watching them to his left. … I caught this pic as he turned to look directly at me.

Still a bit lean, still shedding some tufts of his winter coat. Always handsome.





Bloomin’ hedgehogs

6 05 2024

“The ‘hedgehogs’ are blooming!” a basin visitor announced the other day, and although that’s not what I call these gorgeous cacti, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

The buds were tightly furled one day, and the next day, they’re open and ready for their buzzing visitors!

Another sure sign of spring in our desert country. πŸ™‚

You can’t tell by this photo of Buckeye and his mares napping, but the wind was *blasting*. It was a little better close to the ground, but it was *ferocious*. Peace is in the perception, eh? (Bia was just out of frame to the left; at one point, they were ALL lying down.)





The pretty wind

5 05 2024

Did I mention that it was REALLY windy that day, up on that ridge? I may have forgotten that part; here, wind in the spring is such a usual occurrence, it’s as normal and regular as sunshine.

By the time I moved away from Hollywood and closer to Sundance’s and Storm’s bands, Sundance’s were on their way down another little finger ridge. But when he stopped to pose as only Sundance can (!), the wind had its artful way with his mane and tail!

(From 8 this morning until midnight, pretty much all of western Colorado is under a high wind warning. I’m predicting NON-pretty dusty air by the end of the day.)





Downslope

4 05 2024

From that amazing ridge in far southeastern Spring Creek Basin, Hollywood’s path down another little finger ridge gave me some of the most dramatic pix I’ve ever taken of a mustang in the basin. You’ll likely be seeing some more pix of Hollywood in the near future … because he didn’t just go down that ridge and disappear over the edge. He came back up. I’m not sure why, but you’d better believe that I took photographic advantage.

Hollywood, the legend. πŸ™‚





Worth the crawl

2 05 2024

If you’re afraid of heights, you’d have had a hard time hiking with me to this spot … because I had to crawl, on hands and knees, hoping the wind wasn’t stronger than my body weight (no chance of that –ha!) because the width of the finger of shale I crawled up on to get to where I’m sitting on the ground to take this pic (below what you can see) was not much wider than my four-square hands and knees. Let’s just say that I didn’t take in the view – or the drop to either side – until I got to this point and shimmied around onto my derriΓ¨re!

What. A. VIEW!

If I say that frequently about Spring Creek Basin, who could blame me – or argue? πŸ™‚

Bonus: It’s starting to look a little green, eh? … Just a little?!

Bonus No. 2:

I knew I was going to find Sundance’s and Storm’s band up top (you think I did a death-defying hands-and-knees crawl for my health!?), but I also found Mr. Hollywood! This pic can’t begin to do justice to this view: It’s still a ridge, though it’s (much) wider than where I crawled up. The horses had already moseyed to the far end by the time I crawled and walked up to this point, which is just above and behind my spot in the first pic. You might have to zoom in to see them.

The horses take me to all the very BEST places! πŸ™‚ There will be pix of them to come in future posts.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that although the horses didn’t follow my route UP (!!!!), they had been DOWN that little ridge – at least to the end – by the existence of desiccated manure. (Really, you find it in the craziest places!)





Birthday wish to my brother

1 05 2024

My brother, Jeff, is 50 years old today! He’s not big on birthdays (a trait we share), but 50 is a big milestone, and because this is my blog, I get to mark it.

Happy big 5-oh, little brother! πŸ™‚

(Pic is of Buckeye, himself a younger brother and a particular favorite of mine. :))





Defense

29 04 2024

As I was leaving the basin a couple of days ago, horses were just above the road near the western boundary. Maiku prepared to defend his band (he’s a lieutenant), looking quite handsome in the process.