April 12, 2014

Upper Pasture

We saw a wild burro herd on the next day's ride.  The bad burro was not among them.  Note that several of the burros have deformed ears - maybe from fights, or from frostbite.  This group ran from us, so Coco was not scared.
This beautiful desert spring was not on the map.
While we were exploring the water source, Boss walked into a pool and started pawing.  We had to catch him before he decided to lie down in the water and roll around a bit.  That would've been pleasant for him, but a little hard on the saddle.
The shaded pools were partially covered in ice and snow.
Our destination was an area known as the Upper Pasture.  An old brush fence had been built to keep livestock on one end of the plateau.  It doesn't look much like a pasture now, but it's probably been overgrazed.  Once, it may have had good grass.
Most of the "pasture" is bordered by cliffs, making access difficult. Rumor has it that Butch Cassidy and gang spent time here, training horses in between train or bank robberies.  His gang was known for having an excellent string of horses that could outrun a possee easily.  We looked around, but saw no sign of an old camp.
This is the view looking down from the Upper Pasture to a spring-fed canyon below. In a pinch, outlaws may have been able to skid down the sandslide on the left.  We didn't try it. We'd already had a 25 mile ride with 2800 feet of elevation gain and loss, over some very rough terrain.  That was enough adventure for one day.

12 comments:

  1. I know I have said this before Janie, but you go on the most amazing rides. The scenery is always gorgeous. I smiled at the wild burros. Thanks for visiting and leaving a lovely comment. You may not have cardinals out there but you have WILD burro's and all that stunning scenery. Awesome!!!

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  2. Beautiful area... I laughed at your comment about having enough adventure for one day... Been there--done that!!! ha

    We are up to our ears in yard work now that we are home and now that the weather is gorgeous. BUT--they say that we are going to get cold again next week... Bah!

    Have fun.... And I'm glad the Bad Burro was not nearby...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  3. I'm so glad you are out taking photos of all these neat things right in my backyard. I've never seen this.

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  4. awesome photos!!looks like a fun day

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  5. Nice ride! Love finding those hidden watering places, so important for desert wildlife. I'm surprised someone hasn't made dogfood of the killer burro, hahaha. Our friends use a burro to protect their goats--the burro was nearly killed fighting off a big black bear, but none of the goats was harmed.

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  6. I'm glad you didn't have another encounter with the bad burro. It looks and sounds as if you had a very rewarding ride to Upper Pasture. I sure enjoyed your photos.

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  7. Maybe the Bad Burro is not liked by the others. I love the beautiful colours - the rust-coloured soil and the green and grey foliage.

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  8. What a great adventurous ride and no "bad burro" to boot. And trailing the ghosts of Butch and Sundance. My wild burro experience is limited to the tourist savvy crew in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Big moochers that they are...:)

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  9. ahhh - that gorgeous country!
    Coco gave the burros the Stink Eye today.
    - The Equestrian Vagabond

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  10. Twenty-five miles! No wonder Boss pawed at the pool of water! :D That water is so clear, and it's a good thing ya'll didn't walk any further into it as it looks like a quick, sharp drop-off.
    Such gorgeous terrain!

    Wishing you and yours a blessed Easter -

    Lindy

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  11. Gorgeous!

    Do you think that spring dries up during the summer?

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  12. Glad you didn't meet any outlaws! I really like the photos of the spring and the remaining snow. Great ride.

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