Sam's Mesa Spring

On our second day in the San Rafael Desert, we head back to Sam's Mesa for further exploration. 

The views are classic western, worthy of a movie set. 

The Henry Mountains (highest point, 11,500 ft.) loom in the background. 

The yellow party balloons seem a little out of place.  The wind must have carried them a long distance.  The horses think they are scary at first, but our boys calm down when the balloons don't seem to bite.  The strings are hung on a thorny bush.  Good thing we don't hear a sudden loud pop.  That could cause the horses to have permanent balloon phobia! 

This sandstone pinnacle looks like 3 smoke stacks. (Or 3 of something more phallic, but I'm far too genteel to point that out.)

Ten miles down a sandy road, we reach the slope leading to Sam's Mesa Spring.  The hill is too snowy and slippery for the horses. 

Steve and Daisy walk to the bottom of the canyon where cottonwood trees mark the presence of water. 

If you look closely in the above photo, you can see Daisy sniffing around the trunk of the cottonwood tree.  The spring has strong flow for this dry country, but the stream is frozen in the canyon's shadows.   In summer, this must be a haven for birds and wildlife.