This year Karen and I will be going to only two horse management areas to reduce travel during the pandemic. We will spend a week at Sand Wash Basin in Colorado, and a week at Great Desert Basin in Utah. Ordinarily, we have two or three trips per year, but for safety, we decided on one summer trip. We are excited to spend a lot of time living on the range with the wild horses once again. The spring was stressful for the entire world as we battled an unseen enemy and mourned those we lost to Covid 19… I worked on the frontline of medicine in one of the hardest hit spots, New York City. Karen tirelessly sewed hundreds of cloth masks during the critical shortage of medical supplies. Equus ferus- Wild Horse Photography donated bolts of cloth for the masks.
Anya & Koko
This year we have two very special guests on the Mustang Walkabout. Anya (12) and Koko (10) are rescued pugs from Arizona Pug Life Rescue. Koko is blind and wears a halo from Muffin’s Halos when she is in unfamiliar territory to prevent her from walking into things. Anya will wear Doggles for trips through the sagebrush to protect her eyes. Both dogs will wear protective paw booties to guard against cactus and painful burrs of the Bur-grass plant (Cenchrus echinatus)... I bring hemostats (fancy medical tweezers) to remove the burrs from our shoes & socks, and we hope the booties will protect Anya & Koko from painful thorns and burrs.
Supplies: Camera
Labeling the memory cards. I use the larger 64 GB cards first, then the 32GB cards. We often buy new cards halfway through the Walkabout as we travel from one management area to another… Next weekend, I’ll be getting the photography equipment ready.
Solar cooker
This year we are trying out a new concept: the solar cooker. Karen has been making many of her meals in the two cookers and they have come out delicious! Pictured at two cheese enchiladas and one mushroom meal…. Mmmmmmmmm. We will eat like royalty!
Canine Air Conditioning (‘Swamp Cooler’)
Because pugs are prone to overheating, Karen purchased a swamp cooler. Based on the principle of evaporative cooling, this little gadget will keep Anya and Koko in air conditioned comfort while we photograph wild horses. We also have a small raised bed (made by Karen) for the dogs, so they won’t have to lie on the hot earth… can you say spoiled?
Solar generator
This generator will be a first for us. We treasure the sounds of nature at night and prefer to not have the noise of a gas-powered generator intrude upon our solitude. This silent generator will be useful to charge small electronics, a small fridge, ice-maker ( I am really excited for that), our phones, and other devices…
Please visit our Facebook page to stay up to date on our adventures…
https://www.facebook.com/Equus.ferus.Wild.Horse.Photography
