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e wondered if enough time had elapsed most often the horses remain so skittish around humans and vehicles that it is nigh on impossible to photograph them we decided to take our chances we entered the area through the southeastern corner of the great salt lake the gravel road winds between mountains and flats great salt flats we camped in a gravel pit during our first night while walking sam the next morning i spied this tiny horned lizard tiny horned lizard we drove through fishing creek wildlife refuge yet again we were too early for the fall waterfowl migration we saw lots of coots and a dozen or more ibis looking birds that were quite coy i ll wait until we re home to name them fishing creek wildlife refuge we have a favorite campsite on a bluff overlooking the davis mountains we have had horses graze right past us in this spot it also offers a great view of the area our bluff side camp the next morning we found one of the herds along the pony express roadway near the simpson creek campground please see our last post from david about the pony express we were close enough to watch them from the road at one point two of the stallions got into a tussle and ran across the road right in front of us i love moments like this after the herd meandered past us we visited several other places where we have seen herds in the past but this time the horses were being shy we went to our campsite and waited until morning while driving to one of the watering holes we spied the largest of the onaqui herds not far off one of the gravel trails david slowly drove the path stopping the truck about 50 yards from the herd to our delight the horses grazed right toward us at one point one of the stallions grazed a mere twenty feet from the truck sam although on high alert was quiet and respectful it is such a privilege to be in the presence of the horses and to watch them interact we watch several roll in the dust then shake mightily creating a cloud of dust we noticed a young filly with a gash across her chest hopefully it will heal her mother was very protective when several stallions spared nearby it was the kind of encounter that few are able to enjoy filly with a gash on her chest there s nothing better than a dust bath a sentinel stallion a cold front was due in by morning but there was no prediction of rain so we set camp in our usual spot by sunset however a mountain of red clouds gathered in the south and rain was on the horizon storm clouds turned red at sunset storm clouds on the horizon by midnight the wind picked up an hour later the truck was rocking and rolling against great gusts our pop up soft side billowed and blustered violently david and i both knew we needed to find better shelter we timed dropping the camper top between wind gusts at two in the morning we were making our way down a rugged four wheel path under the beam of headlights watching night creatures scurry in front of us sam was completely bewildered there is an area about ten miles away from our camp that is near the bottom of the valley and surrounded with juniper trees we made our way for that protection and located a spot between junipers to safely pop the camper again i was surprised that we were able to go back to sleep after all the drama but the junipers surrounded us offering their safety and we drifted back to sleep our safe camp nestled between the junipers the next morning all was calm although the clouds were heavy we located both herds but they were all at a distance with rain in the forecast we decided to leave my beautiful horses with its heavy clay base this road is not to be trifled with in rain it quickly turns to a sticky slippery muck so goodbye once again to my beautiful onaqui horses vaya con dios onaqui stallion posted by virginia at 11 28 am no comments tuesday september 19 2023 from six months to six seconds original pony express route near dugway utah please welcome commentator david for this post on the pony express in 1845 it took six months for correspondence from new york or washington to reach california by the time it arrived it was old news when california was admitted to the union in 1850 current communications between washington and sacramento became more critical on january 7 1860 after several attempts by california us senator william gwin to encourage the federal government to improve mail delivery time a private consortium established the central overland california and pikes peek express company better known as the pony express its expressed goal was to transport communications from st louis missouri to sacramento california in ten days they also hoped to garner other commercial contracts from the army and private companies the overland company used existing stage and freight routes in the east but needed to establish new weigh stations in the west the company purchased 400 to 500 mustangs hired 200 men to manage the stations and 80 riders the riders were mostly single and many had no family because the route was fraught with danger due to the encroachment of settlers into american indiana territory the needless slaughter of the buffalo and the atrocities perpetrated by the gold and silver miners from 1859 to 1860 in western nevada the american indians were hostile to the pony express riders and station managers although the riders and their horses were fast enough to escape the dangers many station managers lost their lives due to their stations being attacked the more fleet footed thoroughbred horses worked well in the plains of the east but the half broken mustang horses where favored in the west due to their strength and endurance in the arid and mountainous regions of the west the average horse could cover about 10 to 12 miles per day at full speed so the company set up stations every 10 to 15 miles where the riders could exchange their rides for fresh horses to continue their journey the first rider left st louis on april 3 1860 however on october 4 1861 the transcontinental telegraph line was completed creating a much faster and cheaper way to send communications from the east to west coast nineteen months after the first pony express ride it became obsolete but the legend of the express lives on in the stories of the brave riders horses and their station managers the original route traveled right through dugway in central utah where we photograph wild horses the oregon trail memorial association and utah pioneer trails and landmarks association have preserved the trail by constructing monuments information boards and preserving one of the weigh stations along the utah portion of the trail running through dugway west of salt lake city preserved pony express station near dugway utah and today the history and legends of the pony express live on in the wild horses of the onaqui posted by virginia at 10 49 am no comments sunday september 17 2023 a return to steens vista from steens mountain loop near frenchglen oregon over the years we have tried several times to take the steens wild horse loop in southeast oregon near the town of frenchglen but have been thwarted because of snow slumps and timing we decided since we are slowing up our travels for the conference we now have the opportunity to take our time to see what we can see we learned from a store owner in frenchglen that the loop had a slump over the road that prevented us from taking the entire 40 mile stretch based on her information we chose to drive the southern section where we would most likely see wild horses we traveled the entire 26 miles without seeing a single horse it was late in the afternoon and we were looking for a camping place the designated camping area was next to an equestrian campground and inundated with black flies so we moved on shortly afterward we found the perfect road that would nestle us in the trees to our surprise we spied two wild horses a stallion and mare just beyond where we wanted to camp the horses were a bit spooked at our arrival but david cut the engine and they settled down i opened the door to the truck slowly staying close to the cab to keep from alarming them i spoke softly to them horses are such curios animals that they ventured as bit closer the pair stayed near us while we set up camp ultimately grazing out of our area during a walk with sam that evening we came upon the carcass of a wild horse in horse management areas the horses live and die on the land they receive no medical attention if they are injured or aged while some would disagree for me there is a dignity in their being able to live life that way free and far from the things of man carcass of a steen wild horse an evening stroll with sam as we left the next morning we saw several other small bands of horses it was uplifting to see them even at a distance although the steen horses were small in number a wild horse is a wild horse in my book i m just delighted we found them steens wild horses steens wild horses posted by virginia at 10 34 am no comments thursday september 14 2023 towering giants old growth cedar forest on to the steens farmers are beginning to burn their fields this was a fire near where we planned to camp the smoke was so bad however that we drove on to another site the burning of the fields we passed through idaho on our way to oregon and the steen wild horses last year we discovered an old growth cedar grove west of lolo it was the perfect place to camp for the night the grove is nestled beneath several enormous trees and next to a creek it is secluded and off the beaten path after two times camping here we have seen only one other vehicle in the area we call it our gnome and fairy campsite because we feel so small there to give you an idea of how big these trees are here s a little test can you find david and sam in the photo below hint they re near the base of the middle tree david and sam beneath the old growth cedar trees posted by virginia at 10 22 am no comments friday september 8 2023 jasper between jasper and banff we left muncho lake under cloudy skies and nearly freezing temperatures soon we realized that the mountains just above us had a fresh dusting of snow on them we were here to witness the winter s first snowfall now we travel on to jasper it has long been a favorite stop for us we normally camp in whistler campground they have several bull elk there that gather their harems in the area they are a treat to see several years ago we saw a bull elk just outside one of the men s bathrooms as soon as he left at least half a dozen fellas came boiling out of the bathroom bull elk in rut are nothing to trifle with they have even been known to attack vehicles that they felt were invading their territory we have a special place that we visit that is territory for a certain bull elk to our delight he was there in all his glory he had only acquired a small harem at this point we knew immediately that we were early for rut elk near whistler campground jasper the next morning we visited several places we had seen elk in the past unfortunately there were none to be found the weekend was upon us and the crowds were larger than expected because of a music festival the campground was full and crowded it was time to move on rather than wait for the elk while in spokane waiting for the new tire to be installed we toyed with the idea of driving straight home we are tired maybe road weary is a better term the problem is that it will take us a full four days of hard driving to get home nine days later we will need to make a two day hard drive to reach los alamos for the rocky mountain outdoor writers and photographers conference i am outgoing president and need to be there and i know myself once i m home i want to be home plus those hard days of driving will be so difficult for sam so we continue we have decided to retire our sock caps for cowboy hats our search now will be for wild horses posted by virginia at 10 14 am no comments wednesday september 6 2023 rocky mountain high warning waxing rhapsodic this is a repost from the first time we visited muncho lake i feel the exact same way again each time we visit when i was just days from turning sixteen years old i saw the rocky mountains for the very first time i remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday i fell in love immediately i had never seen anything so spectacular in my entire life snow capped mountains pushed high out of the earth their jagged peaks beckoned to me i felt that i could touch the face of god if only i could climb to the top of one of the highest summits they awed and humbled me at the mere thought of the breath that had created them nearly 35 years ago on david s and my first vacation together we visited the rockies it was then that i took my first steps on what i considered holy ground since that time we have traveled camped hiked and backpacked through the rocky mountains during those precious times we have truly encountered god we saw him one autumn outside of hermosa peak on a mountain draped in its coat of many colors we remembered his promises as a double rainbow arched across a ragged sky we ve prayed for him to calm the storm and lead us home we have seen a flaming bush that did not burn and water so clear that surely he had already walked upon it we glimpsed him in the sunlight on an eagle s wing heard him in a buguling elk and drank his sweet fragrance in an ancient juniper grove we ve witnessed his glory in such stunning views that time suspended and our hearts seemed to stop and we almost touched his face as we climbed on top of our second fourteener handies peak today i am most blessed and privileged i stand at the northern edge of my rocky mountains we have now traveled them from stem to stern over 1 850 miles of the most majestic scenery in the entire world praise god and thank you this is truly my rocky mountain high posted by virginia at 7 44 pm no comments tuesday september 5 2023 these are a few of my favorite things muncho lake british columbia there is a section of the alaska highway that always captures my heart the area between the liard river and toad river offers some of the best wildlife viewing ever this time was no exception near the liard river and hot springs the alaska highway is known for its wood bison a different subspecies of the well known prairie bison wood bison are distinguished by their habitat and their squared off shoulders we even had to stop for a bison jam one of the bulls showed recent scars from the last rut of course the babies always get attention wood bison bull bison jam along alaska highway bull with scars from recent rut encounter wood bison baby we saw at least nine black bears grazing along the roadside these bears are in hyperphagia now an insatiable hunger necessary to ready themselves for the onslaught of winter and their six to seven months of hibernation most were grazing berries black bear grazing berries black bear probably first year on his own grazing berries we also saw a golden eagle feastin...