Darling Calls Dibs...AGAIN!

On Saturday morning, bright and early, we met our friends Maggie & Farrel for a quick continental breakfast in the lobby of the Silver Spur. Maggs & I wanted to head out and get an early start up to the mountain, so by 7 am we were in our vehicles and heading towards the South Steens.

This was City Boy's first trip to the mountains, and he wasn't sure what to expect. 70 miles outside of town, we turned off the paved road and headed up a well maintained gravel road. We'd not gone far before we spotted what we were after...a set of ears poked over the top of a ridge, so off to the side we pulled and we began our trek on foot across the lava rocks in search of wild mustangs.

A bachelor band of five greeted us, and imagine Darling's delight when she found her old pal, Dibs, up on the hill among them!

Darling began her slow approach to the young stallion. We had originally thought that Dibs and his buddy were roughly 1-2 years old when we first spotted them a couple of years ago, but Dibs' friend had been aged by the BLM as a 5 year old this year, and we expect that Dibs is the same age.

Two years ago, Dibs barely gave Darling a second glance. This time? He watched intently and with great curiosity as she quietly and confidently circled toward him.

I'm not sure what City Boy was thinking as his daughter approached the stallion. I know that Maggie was standing next to me absolutely trembling. Emotions were running rampant inside of her as she whispered, "This is so cool! But my grandma genes are screaming to be careful! But it's just so cool!!!"

Then Dibs did something that had me catch my breath. He turned and faced up to Darling. I swear, had she reached out her hand he'd have reached forward to sniff.

Rather than take the chance of him retreating first, Darling quietly stepped back from her friend. Who would have guessed that she'd have had that wild horse moment of a lifetime, twice in a lifetime?