In the basin

Sand Wash Basin is approximately 158,000 acres and home to an estimated two hundred and fifty mustangs. That's a lot of land and not a lot of horses. Although we'd (just barely) managed to get into the Basin, there was still no guarantee our trip would be a success. 

We drove and drove...

and looked and looked.

Most of the roads were okayish, but some were truly atrocious. Sorry, no video of that. I was literally holding on for dear life.

I kept thinking, "What if we came all this way, don't see any horses and our van gets stuck in here forever?"

I know it sounds dramatic, but that was a legitimate concern.

We saw a couple dirt bikers,

one snake...

and evidence of horses.

Other than that, Sand Wash Basin seemed completely empty.

In addition to being rough, the roads were mostly unsigned. Most of the time, we had only the vaguest idea of where we were. 

We had almost no cell phone signal, so we were navigating with a very basic map and a lot of guesswork.

It was also really windy. Every time we got out of the van, I thought Piper was going to blow away.

The whole day was beginning to feel like a colossal disaster, until we went around a corner and saw a photographer set up alongside the road.

"He's looking at something," I exclaimed. We stopped, and there they were.

Mustangs!

To be continued.