Saturday, October 13, 2012

Black Hills Autumn

Vanocker Canyon Road
Spending a week in the Black Hills of South Dakota during Fall has been on my bucket list for quite some time.  This year I was able to make it happen.  I spent a lot of time in the northern hills in and around Spearfish Canyon.  I also spent a couple days roaming Custer State Park.  Here are some of the photos from the week featuring fall colors.  If you are interested more specifically in my Spearfish Canyon and/or Custer State Park photos, then check out my state park page over at South Dakota Magazine's website:  http://southdakotamagazine.com/stateparks.  CSP's photos and column will be the grand finale to the series and the plan is to have it posted on Monday, October 15th.  Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for stopping by!

Aspen and an abandoned building near Custer Peak


Little Spearfish Creek in full afternoon sunlight.

Some colorful leaves at Red Gate/White Gate hiking area.



Backlit Aspen leaves in Custer State Park.

More color from Custer State Park.

A mountain blue bird near the buffalo corral in Custer State Park.  The fall colors of the creek in the distance made for a nice background.

Bison grazing along the wildlife loop road.

Whitetail buck in a thistle patch as the last light of the day shoots through the valley near the Badger Hole area in Custer State Park.

Colorful leaves in the waters of a small creek near the Game Lodge camp grounds in Custer State Park.

Majestic Aspen near Mystic, SD.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Falling Water - Colored Leaves

Spearfish Falls - September 2012

Autumn in the Black Hills of South Dakota plus waterfalls equal bliss for a nature photographer.  Here are a few of my favorites from my wanderings a few weeks ago.  Click on image for a larger file to view and enjoy a little of God's creative wonder!
 
Spearfish Falls

The lower portion of Roughlock Falls.

A couple photos of upper Roughlock Falls.


Water falling along the Red Gate/White Gate Trail in the northern Hills.


Little Spearfish Creek between Roughlock Falls and Spearfish Falls on a perfect autumn morning.

Brown trout about to swallow an aquatic insect floating on the surface.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

High Country Sunsets

Sunset at Pactola Reservoir west of Rapid City
I was blessed to spend a week wandering the Black Hills during the third week of September this year.  While there I witnessed a couple amazing sunsets.  Here are some shots of both for you.  Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in.

A couple more of the Pactola sunset as the colors progressed through the evening.


A few evenings later, I took in this great sunset over Stockade Lake just east of Custer, SD.