To and from

31 03 2026

Heading TO Spring Creek Basin, I found the prince’s plume plants in full, crazy bloom. Why is this crazy, I hear you asking? Because they don’t usually bloom until May. IN Spring Creek Basin, the prince’s plumes I saw were a little behind these along Road K20E toward the basin, which makes sense as the basin is a bit higher elevation than along this road.

Heading OUT of Spring Creek Basin, the grey sky exploded with color at and post-sunset! Wowza. The weather wizards are giving us a whopping NINETY PERCENT chance of rain Wednesday. Do you know what Wednesday is? Wednesday is April 1, otherwise known as April Fools’ Day. Call me a fool a million times over, and please, please, PLEASE, let it RAINRAINRAIN!!!


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Brumley Point, Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Filly Peak, McKenna Peak, Prince's plume, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek canyon, Temple Butte, Wild flowers

Golden-hour mosey

18 03 2026

Buckeye follows his mares (every stallion knows when to follow) along the north side of the Spring Creek arroyo toward the canyon in Spring Creek Basin. They’d just left a stretch of shallow, trickling water, where they drank their fill before moseying on to find some evening grazing.


Comments : 7 Comments »

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

When it was clear

16 03 2026

Going back a couple of days, to the time before the wind when the mountains were still clear on the northwestern horizon.

I read an article recently about how lack of dust on the snow of the mountains is a good thing. … And it is (dust causes the snow to melt more rapidly). … But I imagine that those same researchers will find a pretty “good” layer of dust after this weekend, and that just joins the bad news of “skimpy snow” (according to the article) to begin with.

Still, we have to admire the positive, and that’s Flash and all our other wild ones in that magnificent landscape. … And pray for a wet(ter???) spring.


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Spring Creek canyon, Utah

All in one

13 03 2026

Gaia leads Juniper and Mysterium up a trail.

It looks pretty parched out there, but signs of spring are *everywhere*.


Comments : 7 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Spring Creek canyon, Utah

For the good

24 02 2026

Back to current conditions, though this pic of Winona was taken the day before the snow-that-stuck-day (as opposed to the blowing-snow-didn’t-stick-at-all-days).

So peaceful … but we need a lot more of those snow-sticking days for the good of the rest of our year!


Comments : 11 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Spring Creek canyon, Utah

Almost camouflaged

23 02 2026

None of that snow is still there (as of the afternoon of the day I took that pic of Skywalker!), but it was decently wet snow, and so the ground is still damp to muddy in places (thankfully and finally). Almost none of the exceptionally little snow this winter has lasted past the day it fell, so I like to take advantage to show at least a few images, though it doesn’t match the current scene any longer!


Comments : 6 Comments »

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

Imagine that view white

20 02 2026

The above pic of Winona looking slightly muddy and very peaceful is the day after the day of windblown snow (also known as yesterday). Yeah. That’s about how much snow actually landed (yes, I know it’s very brown, and most of the mud was already dry or drying, thanks to the sunshine and less but not gone breeze). We’re looking northwestish across the rimrocks of Spring Creek Basin’s canyon, across lower Disappointment Valley and out to our horizon of Utah’s La Sal Mountains … looking here like they were anticipating this morning’s snow (? that’s a hopeful statement as I’m typing this Thursday night).

Behind me is Flat Top, and there were patches of snow on its sides and base, contributing moisture to the soil as it melted. So that was nice.

And, really, how ’bout that view? I dunno about you, but Winona makes it perfect. 🙂


Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, La Sal Mountains, Snow, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Spring Creek canyon

Red rock beauty

13 02 2026

Beautiful Aiyanna and the matching edge of the western-boundary rimrock behind her are almost enough to detract from the craziness of another 60-plus-degree day in Southwest Colorado.

Today … snow? Because … COLORADO! Wish us moisture! (Please! :))


Comments : 4 Comments »

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

Beautiful dry

9 02 2026

This was at least a 57-degree day in still-early February. The temp has been as high as 65 – in still-early February.

Buckeye and the mustangs and all of us are looking for rain – hopefully!!! – the end of this week!


Comments : 9 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Spring Creek canyon

Catching the runners

26 01 2026

The snow Saturday morning lured me into Spring Creek Basin twice that day. The first time was shortly after sunrise, and while the mustangs were frustratingly far from any accessible areas, the pronghorns were fascinatingly cooperative! While that sort of looks like a giant cave opening behind them, that’s the north rim of Spring Creek canyon (viewed from the southeastish). The pic of Chipeta yesterday was taken much later in the day; compare the melting that had been at work.

Pronghorns (not actually antelope) are North America’s fastest land mammals. Here, they were just moseying. When they *really* run, they are FAST!

They’re more sprinters than marathon runners … and thankfully for me and my camera, they’re wonderfully curious. 🙂

(Note that the landscape doesn’t look like that AT ALL by this morning (or even by yesterday morning). It was cold (high of 34F?), but in Colorado, sunlight means even more than temperature.)


Comments : 12 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Pronghorn, Snow, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek canyon, Wildlife

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