Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6 contains Images from my February 2009 visit to the Wheeler Pass HMA and the Spring Mountains Recreation Area. I had heard the Forest Service had redesignated the Cold Creek Camp Ground as the Cold Creek Ranch Historic Site, graded an area for parking and camping and rebuilt several of the small ponds that were originally in the area. I didn't get started as early as usual and arrived at Wheeler Pass HMA rather late in the day. I wanted to check it out the new pond area before it got too late, but unfortunately (fortunately) I ran into a small band of horses grazing along the road, and since I was there to photograph Wild Horses I couldn't pass up this opportunity!
The sun was slowly sinking in the west so I circled the band to take advantage of the fading light. At first, they didn't pay any attention to me, but after a few shots, one of the younger horses decided I was worth investigating and started to move towards me. I kept slowly moving away, snapping pictures as I did. I noticed the rest of the band was beginning to follow. They were getting closer, too close for the 200mm lens I was using. The light was changing rapidly, so I headed back to the van to change lenses, with a small band of wild horses close behind!
I was in the process of mounting my 580EX flash when I looked up to see a horse's head looking through the drivers side window of my van. I quickly added an Omni-Bounce diffuser to the flash, dialed the power down 2 1/3 stops and shot the next to last image in the gallery above. Once I managed to chase the "Little Guy" away, the sun had dipped behind the Spring Mountains. Before long it would be completely dark so I headed off to my usual camping spot on Road 572. The Cold Creek Ranch Historic Site and the ponds would have to wait until morning!
Off to Check Out the Pond!
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I noticed four horses walking up the dirt road from from behind the pond. They came around the front of the pond, one by one. While I was watching and photographing the first band, another band of horses appeared from the east of the pond.
Pretty soon there were about 15 to 20 horses in and around the pond. Photographic opportunities were everywhere. This was the first time I had observed so many horses in one place!
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I spent over two hours observing and photographing the horses in and around the pond. Then as quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared back into the surrounding desert!
Heading for Willow Creek
Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6
This seemed like a good time to pack up my gear and head for the Willow Creek Area. Would like to see if I could locate the black and white Paint Stallion and his band that I ran into last year. I followed Forest Road 601 past the Willow Creek Camp Ground to where Forest Road 565 branched off to the right.
As I drove along Road 565 it seemed a lot rougher and more rutted than last year. As I crested a small rise where I had spotted the band last year, the road really took a turn for the worst. The right side of the road was completely washed out and there was a deep (about 30") and wide rain rut on the left.
I got out to check things out to see if I could straddle the rain rut on the left by putting my tires up on the bank. It was probibly doable, but I wasn't comfortable without a spotter. One slip and I'd be wedged into that rut with no possible way of getting out. It would be a long walk back to get help. That is if I could get someone back in there to pull me out!
Finding the Paint Stallion would have to wait until another day. I slowly backed down the hill, found a wide enough spot and turned around to head back to "The Pond"!
The trip back was rather uneventful. Didn't see any horses but did spot two coyotes and a couple of rabbits. I would have liked to get some pictures of the two coyotes, but they didn't seem to be too interested in having their picture taken. They disappeared into the underbrush before I could even get to my camera!
Back at the Pond!
Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6
When I arrived back at the pond, there were some people fishing so I parked as far away from the pond as I could, still staying on the graded area. I set up my gear and prepared to enjoy the sunshine and wait to see what the afternoon would bring.
I didn't have to wait long. A small band of horses came up out of a wash behind the pond. As they were grazing, one little guy left the band and started to walk toward my camp site. By the time he was half way there the rest of the band started to follow. I got some good shots but I needed a shorter lens.
I went into the van to get my other camera which had a wide angle lens mounted. When I turned around I was surrounded by Wild Horses! After much investigation I was deemed not to be very interesting and my cameras were not food. They moved off looking for someone or something else to investigate.
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I was watching them move slowly off toward the village when I noticed another band of horses in the scrub on the other side of my van. It didn't seem like they were moving this way so I went back to the van to switch to a longer lens. I watched them for about ten or fifteen minutes. Made some nice images before they too disappeared into a wash.
This was really a good day for viewing and photographing Wild Horses! I was about to get my laptop and start downloading some images when some movement in the distance caught my eye. More horses? I mounted up my really "Long Glass" and used my camera as a spotting scope. Once I was sure they were horses, out came the tripod. The last image in this group shows a Paint and two other Wild Horses more than a half mile away.
I decided to camp right where I was for the night. Didn't see any more horses that evening. A couple more fishermen showed up and stayed until well after dark. Don't think anybody caught any fish! I guess that's why it's called fishing and not catching!
I was up early the next morning. Wanted to get some sunrise shots but Mother Nature was not going to cooperate. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so no chance for any color.
The first visitor to the pond that morning was a local from Indian Springs. He had family visiting from back east. While they walked around and took some pictures, I was talking to him about other locations to photograph Wild Horses. I found out there was another access into the HMA about ten miles north of Indian Springs. I thanked him for the information and decided to check it out.
Exploring a New Area
Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6
It only took about thirty minutes to drive from my camp site to Forest Road 553 off os US95 North. I spent most of the morning exploring the dirt roads leading into the Spring Mountains Recreation area and the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest. To learn more about this section of the Spring Mountains Recreation Area, visit our Destination Page on Exploring the Wheeler Pass Area.
I didn't see any Wild Horses on my drive back to Cold Creek. That was kind of a surprise since they usually hang out along the road from Indian Ridge to the Village. But after yesterday, I had nothing to complain about!
There were some wild flowers starting to bloom along the road by the prison and around the base of Indian Ridge so I took some time to photograph them. Then I headed back to the pond for a late lunch.
At the Pond Again
Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6
There was nobody at the pond when I returned. I parked in the same place I camped the night before. Didn't see any horses so I decided to hike around the pond and generally check out the area, so I grabbed my camera and was off. Hiked around for about an hour and a half and covered about 2 miles.
Saw a lot of horse signs and tracks below the pond and what looked like large Bobcat or Mountain Lion tracks in the mud by the small creek created by the pond overflow pipes. I spotted a band of horses off to the north. It looked like the were moving toward the pond so I headed back to the van to get my gear ready.
The Fight
Photo Gallery 6
Photo Gallery 6
I was watching one band about fifty yards away, grazing toward the Village when all of a sudden one horse bolted back toward two horses who were definately not part of the first band. At first there was just a lot of stomping and vocalizing. Just as I got to my camera and started snapping images, they started to fight.
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In just over a minute everything was calm again. The bay stallion did get in a few good bites and kicks, but I think the black stallion came out on top. He headed back to his band and the bay stallion moved off with the other horse he showed up with.
About an hour after The Big Fight, "Curious" and her band showed up again. After visiting and grazing around for a time, onte of the older mares thaught a good roll was in order! After rolling and a lot of shaking they walked off into the sunset.
Guess the fish bite better at sunset because four fishermen arrived at the same time. I watched them select their spots, set up their chairs and coolers and get down to business. Again, it didn't look as if business was very good.
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Saw a few more horses as the sun began to set, but none came to visit. Got some good images of the sunset as the eastern sky turned a brilliant pink and then faded to a dusky blue-gray. The color of the sky bathed the landscape with an eerie pink glow. The reflection on the surface of the pond gave the entire scene an unearthly feeling. Not unusual since we were only about 70 miles, as the crow flies, from Groom Lake and Area 51!
The morning of my last day at the Wheeler Pass HMA and Spring Mountains Recreation area dawned clear and slightly warmer than the past three mornings. I took a short walk around the area, scanning the desert for horses, but saw none.
There was a road below the pond leading into an area I had not explored before. I decided that this morning I was going to see where it lead!
The road dropped into a deep and narrow wash about a quarter of a mile from where I was camped. I proceeded along the wash for another half mile seeing many horse signs. The road then took an unexpected sharp right turn, up and out of the wash.
When I got out of the wash I spotted a small herd of Elk! I herd there was Elk in the area, but I had expected to see them higher up in the mountains, not on the desert floor!
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I watched them for a while as the moved along, more interested in eating then me. I managed to get a few pictures even though the light was not the best!
As I turned to walk back to the van when I noticed some Wild Horses grazing on the other side of the wash. I probably would not have seen them if I had not seen the Elk!
I followed the road another half mile to where it ended in a rather nice camping spot, complete with fire ring. I stopped there to watch the Elk for a while. Soon they were just dots in the distance and disappeared into the desert.
As I started back to the pond I figured I'd get a chance at more pictures of the horses I had seen on the trip out. No such luck, they had disappeared too! Didn't see anymore horses that morning as I made the drive back to US95.
By the time this page makes it to the Website, we will have made another trip to Wheeler Pass to photograph the new members of the herd. These photographs will be displayed as an extension of Photo Gallery 6 or in Photo Gallery 7!
I hope that you haved enjoyed Photo Gallery 6 as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you!
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