Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Snow elk

8 03 2026

These elk greeted me on the way out of Spring Creek Basin. If they look “hazy” or dim, that’s because of the blowing snow.

Mostly cows and last year’s calves, but one young bull was with them.

Mama and youngster check in with each other before they follow the group over the hill.

Here, I think they were watching some mustangs I couldn’t see because of a hill to my right.

Note that this was a snow wave after the earlier/overnight big snow (the 2 inches or so) had already mostly melted. What you see is starting to semi-stick again.

That wave didn’t last long … and neither did the semi-stuck snow. 🙂

Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Elk, Snow

It wasn’t until I got out there with Sancho and the bands that I realized how LUCKY Spring Creek Basin got with the snow. Lower Disappointment Valley (especially center and right background, which is sort of westish) either didn’t get snow or didn’t get snow that stuck … or maybe it was rain? (Spring Creek Basin is within Disappointment Valley.)

The sunshine came out while I was with the mustangs, but …

… in that far distance (western/southwestern Disappointment Valley, and the Dolores River canyon(s) is out there), another wave of snow was drifting across the landscape.

By the time I got back to my buggy after a two-mile round-trip hike, the eastern part of the basin was under beautiful sunshine, but the sky to the north/northwest/west/southwest was DARK. I didn’t go far heading out before I was back into the wind-driven snowstorm.

It was WET snow, and it was melting fast. By the end of the day (before then for a lot of areas), most of that snow had soaked right into the very desperate soil, which is a huge relief and blessing.

YaYaYaYaYAYAYAYAY! 🙂

Comments : 13 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Snow, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Super serene saunter

6 03 2026

With any hope at all, by the time you take a gander at this post this morning, our world will be white … according to the forecast Thursday afternoon! I’m not sure I believe it … but I’m hoping with all my might!

Update forthcoming (hopefully a good update) … !

Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Filly Peak, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Fly by bay

5 03 2026

Tenaz and the band flew past me as I sat on my buggy on the road. All I could do was focus and shoot – and I did!

Comments : 8 Comments »

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

Summer March

4 03 2026

Looks like a summer pic, right? This was the evening before the eclipse. That’s Rowan.

Also crazy? While the sunshine flowed over the landscape from the clear southwestern, western and northwestern sky, total cloud cover everywhere else prevent us from seeing the moonRISE that night!

Forecasters are trying to cheer us (Coloradans) up with an optimistic snow forecast by/before March 16. Meanwhile, mostly, partly lotsa sunshine. At least it’s not all 60-degree temps. 🙂

Comments : 5 Comments »

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

Full ‘blood moon’ wow!

3 03 2026

Did you see it??

This early morning’s lunar eclipse sure enough featured the “blood moon” phase of totality, as seen above from Spring Creek Basin over Disappointment Valley in southwestern Colorado.

It.

Was.

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaving the shadow.

What an amazing experience to see the moon go from full brightness to pretty dark (OK, that might also have been the clouds during the full first half of totality) back to super bright just before it set over the southwestern ridgeline of Disappointment Valley.

I hope ya’ll saw it. If not, allow the anticipation to build before the next one, around New Year’s Eve/Day (?) in 2028/2029! 🙂

Comments : 10 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Lunar eclipse, Moon, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area

All rise

2 03 2026

Merlin (the app) tells me this is, in fact, a mountain bluebird. I know it looks green. Pretty sure it’s not the camera/lens/white balance/color cast because it looked green in person!

That big white disc behind it is the MOON!

I got kinda skunked again trying to photograph it rising because of thin clouds that were just enough to block/blend the moon as it rose behind the eastern(ish) ridges. When I got back to my buggy from a fairly long walk into Spring Creek Basin looking for the *right* place to stand and shoot (spoiler: I didn’t actually find it), this beautiful fellow flew in to check me out from the utility wire right above me and the road. How sweet! How did it know I needed a pick-me-up? 🙂 These bright blue flashes of gorgeousity are everywhere right now. … I’m not sure whether they’re early … or right on time. The temp hit 68 insane degrees yesterday.

He gave me enough time to unpack my camera from my bag, fiddle faddle around and change some settings from moon-shooting … and of course, he posed like the gorgeous creature he is (see top pic) … before he flew off. I got this pic (above), and then everything else was a green blur (pretty sure that’s a superhero character: “The Green Blur”).

And it was a beautiful evening after all. 🙂

Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Brumley Point, Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Lone Cone, McKenna Peak, Moon, Mountain bluebird, Temple Butte

Earth beauty

1 03 2026

Once you see Terra’s femmy little mustachio, you canNOT unsee it. 🙂

Is she the cutest, or what!

(Yes, that white in the background is snow … it’s also FAR away and doesn’t help us at all.)

Comments : 8 Comments »

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

Still fuzzy

28 02 2026

Another 60F-plus day. The ponies are semi-shedding.

Juniper hasn’t graced the blog for a while, but here she is, still fuzzy and glamorous in the evening light. It’s hard to remember that it’s February. The days are a little longer every day. 🙂

Comments : 9 Comments »

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

Glorious girl

27 02 2026

Cassidy Rain never quiiiiite properly looked up from her grazing at me (for me?), but she’s so beautiful, and that background was so glorious and dramatic (yay, clouds, but no rain on another 65F day), that I figured it’d do.

Am I wrong?

No. No, I am not. 🙂

Comments : 10 Comments »

Categories : Knife Edge, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs