I was fortunate to be able to arrange a trip to the Colorado Sand Wash Basin to visit the wild horse herd in quest of a cover for my new book Thundering Hooves.
The Journey
I departed early in the morning on Tuesday, a week ago tomorrow in my new / old Jeep Cherokee. I had been wanting to make this trip for a couple of years now, but I was afraid the wheel base on my old Dodge truck was too long to be able to negotiate the wash outs on the low spots. I took Highway 24 to the Highway 9 turnoff to Breck, and then on up to Kremmling where I hooked up with Highway 40 to Craig.
My First Mustangs
I arrived at the Sand Wash Basin late in the afternoon, and didn’t want to get too far back in there before nightfall, so I thought I would just take the 48 loop over to 46 and back down to 318. This was where I soon spotted Astro and Ukraine. Of course I would have no idea of their names without the help of others in the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horses Facebook group.
Shortly thereafter, my plan went awry when I missed the 46 turnoff due to it being closed off with a gate. I continued northeast on 48 until I ended up departing the Sand Wash and on my way to Montana. Eventually I decided that it might be good idea to turn around and go back the way I came. By the time I came upon the horses again, they had turned around and were posing for these two pictures.
Eventually my idea to turn around and go back paid off. I was back at the entrance and ready to look for a place to camp.
My Campsite
This is where my day took a real turn for the worst. My Free Campsites app failed me. The site near Sunbeam turned out to be not a free BLM site, so I moved on. The next free campsite said “No Camping”, so I continued past Maybelle toward Craig. I ventured into each campground along the way, looking for a free one, until I was halfway back to Craig where I found Juniper Ridge. Juniper Ridge campground was free, but it was also not really much of a campground. It was more of a parking lot for a trailhead, and I’m not sure how happy the families camping there were to see me. But it was dark, so I pulled in anyway, and climbed into the back of my Jeep to sleep. In retrospect, had I had more experience in the Wash, I would have just pulled in somewhere on the north end of the Wash and spent the night. It would have saved me a fruitless 2 hour drive back to the south end, and a trip all the way back to Craig.
However, the site was on a nice hill with a beautiful view to the southwest. I enjoyed watching a lightning storm move in from the west as the sun slowly went down. Eventually I fell asleep to the sound of rain gently falling on the roof of the Jeep.
I got an early start the next day and headed north on 67 through the wash. It didn’t take long for the place to live up to it’s name. I drove down a steep hill to find the road washed out at the bottom. And I was glad I wasn’t in my old Dodge, which has a 4 foot longer wheel base than the Jeep. The Jeep plowed right through and I was back on my way.
I continued northward and soon I began to see horses. The mustangs weren’t terrified of me, which is surprising after the way the BLM treats them, but they weren’t exactly happy to see me either. But I did get a few captures before they turned their backs to me and wandered off.
As I neared Sheep Herder Springs on the north end of the 67 loop, I spotted Lennon and his band. This beautiful stallion was so captivating that I made sure to spend as much time as possible photographing him and his mares. They milled around a while eating the dry desert grass, and eventually lined up and headed toward the spring.
The Trip Home
I then turned southward onto 126 and didn’t see another horse all the way back to the entrance on 318. By then it was getting close to 1:00 in the afternoon and I was tired of the rough dirt road and sharp rocks. I knew that I had my cover shot in the bag, and decided to just head for home. I considered staying another day, but if I made another loop, I would have needed gas to make another loop through the Wash, and there was no gas to be had until Craig, probably 40 miles away. When I got to Craig I was out of the mood to camp another night, and I just kept going.
The Cover
I eventually decided upon this image for the cover of my book. These two white mustangs staring into the distance are just perfect. It’s as if they are watching the horizon for some sort of threat, which is of course what my novel is all about, the threat the BLM poses to these majestic animals and other herds throughout the west. Main characters Caleb, Lacey and Angie continue their efforts to save the Sand Wash Basin Mustangs, as they continue to work on behalf of the wolves.
The novel is in for final editing and soon I’ll be ordering a proof copy. Once I have approved the proof, the story will be published.
The Sequel
Thundering Hooves is of course a sequel to my first novel in the series, Spirit of the Wolf. In this first installment, the story is told of the most famous wolf of all time, wolf 926F of the Yellowstone National Park packs The story is a historical fiction account loosely based on the beloved alpha female 926F, also known as 06 for the year of her birth. Main characters, Caleb, Lacey and Angie work tirelessly to save Luna the female alpha wolf, from hunters and ranchers.
So be sure to stay tuned to my blog as the time for the book launch nears! Also, please consider getting a head start on the history of my characters with a purchase of Spirit of the Wolf, a publication which is all the more relevant as Colorado continues it’s fledgling effort to restore wolves to the Colorado mountain wilderness. Spirit of the Wolf can be purchased on Amazon in Kindle for $2.99 or Paperback for $9.95.
Photographer and author Steven W. Krull has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Visit his complete works on his website at swkrullimaging.com
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 