
Killian is about to enter the shade from nearby Round Top. He’s so handsome, he carries his light with him.

Killian is about to enter the shade from nearby Round Top. He’s so handsome, he carries his light with him.

Terra and Piedra went on the alert when a vehicle approached their band’s nap zone. We weren’t too far from the road (my back is to it as I sat on the ground facing them).
The driver passed slowly; I waved; the horses moved a little farther away.
We returned to napping and lounging. 🙂

Making every shade of brown look drab in comparison, the lovely Madison glows on an autumn evening in Spring Creek Basin.
How DOES she look so beautiful in her wildness?
One cannot presume to think like mustangs … but I’m fairly sure their curiosity about us humans does not include such thoughts of how amazingly beautiful we are. 😉

Skywalker was mostly grazing along, nonchalantly following a couple of bands. As long as they were in sight, he didn’t seem to feel the need to be too close (and the bands’ stallions made sure he DIDN’T get too close).
Dude is totally chill. 🙂

These dark beauties are bright spots at the edge of evening shade.
Cassidy Rain is standing in a shallow arroyo that Raven had already crossed.

… just before the sun set and the moon rose.

For a while now, I’ve been trying to get a shot that shows how vivid are Hollywood’s zebra stripes. This still isn’t quite what I’ve envisioned, but it shows off his stripes pretty well!

Lovely Maia paused long enough for a glamour shot with Spring Creek canyon in the background.
Readers have seen a lot of pix of La Sal Mountains in my photos of mustangs in Spring Creek Basin. They form a pretty dramatic range on our northwestern horizon.
During a couple of recent aspen-leaf-peeping drives, I had the opportunity to see our landmarks from different perspectives, including from those not-so-far-away La Sals.

Spring Creek Basin, in Disappointment Valley, is a little hazy with smoke in this view southeast from below Mount Peale (the highest La Sal peak), and in this smallish view, maybe hard to pick out. But visible – in the upper, farthest area of the pic – are McKenna Peak, Temple Butte, submarine ridge (my name for it), Brumley Point, Round Top, Flat Top, Filly Peak and the rimrocks on the western edge of the basin.
Autumn-tinged Gambel oak is in the foreground.

This may be the most colorful image I’ll ever get to take of Temple Butte.
It’s taken from a couple of miles east of Groundhog Reservoir, looking northwestish. Spring Creek Basin is on the *other* side of Temple Butte from this perspective.
Happy autumn. I hope you’re all enjoying the colors of the changing season and the cooler temps!

At 6:50:28 p.m., Killian was waiting for his band to graze their way to the top of the ridge.
At 6:51:27 p.m., this was happening:

Killian was already gone, moseying on in the shade of sunset.

By 7:09:38 pm., the ponies were browsing over the ridge, I was on my way back to the Jeep, and the moon was still rising.
Another beautiful day – and night – in the basin.