Isabel Centennial Wagon Train - Day 2

Wednesday morning, August 3rd saw me up with the sun to take this multiple image panoramic of the beautiful and rugged prairie. Click on the image for a larger file to view and thanks for stopping by.

Getting the horses hitched and ready.

Views from along the trail.

I added a tilt-shift effect on this one to give it a unique look.

Circling the wagons at the end of the day's ride.

Isabel Centennial Wagon Train - Day 1

The first of August was my hometown of Isabel, SD's 100th birthday. As part of the centennial celebration, a three day wagon train ride was organized to commemorate the days of the pioneers. I was asked to document the event with photos and video. I wanted to share some of my favorite images from the ride in this post and few more to follow. Click on an image for a larger file to view and enjoy!

We started about thirty miles north and west of town at a ranch nestled under the south butte of the twin butte area. The first two photos below are the rocks and view from the butte.

Making coffee the cowboy way.

Sunflowers along the trail.

I rendered some of the images black and white for a historic, timeless feel.

Tuesday night camping out under the Milky Way. I pitched my tent a little ways away from the rest of camp in order to work on some star photography. It was a gorgeous night for star gazing. There isn't much light pollution out in God's Country!

Finding Fall Color

A tree belt in Duel County at the height of Autumn color.

I really wanted to go to the north shore of Lake Superior this fall to seek out and photograph fall colors. I was not able to do that so I did the next best thing and traveled up and down the east side of South Dakota to find some fall colors a little closer to home. Here are my best shots from a full day Sunday and Monday evening, October 2nd and 3rd. Enjoy!

A couple shots of a creek in Grant County.

A couple shots of large, majestic cottonwood at Hartford Beach State Park on the shores of Big Stone Lake.

Sumac leaves on the hills above Big Stone Lake.

A fisherman casts into Big Stone Lake with the colorful hillside as a backdrop.

The last three photos were taken at Palisades State Park near Garretson, SD.

Autumn along the James River

I happened to find myself with some free time in the Mitchell area late yesterday afternoon so I decided to explore the fall colors along the James River valley north of town. Here are some views I found along the way. The river valley is still flooded. It was weird to see so much water this late in the year. Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for stopping by.

A gravel road on the east side of the James just north of Mitchell.

Fall colors just east of Forestburg.

A dirt road in Sanborn county, south of Forestburg.

The trees along the edge of the James just south of Forestburg. I like the contrast of the the dark, seemingly dead trees at the bottom with the blazing autumn colors above.

This tree reminded me of the Ents in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books (and movie).

A view of the James River.

Fall color in a shelter belt north of Forestburg.

My favorite of the evening. Late light accentuates the warmth of this peaceful SD scene.

Summer's End

Black Samson otherwise known as "wild purple cone flower" gracing the grasslands of Wind Cave National Park.

Where did the summer go? All of the sudden August is winding down. It has been a good, but extremely busy summer for me. This post features some new photos that I have not added to this blog before but many of them are in my new photo book called "Take Me Home." See the link in the upper right hand of the page and thanks for stopping by!

An Eastern Tiger swallowtail on a thistle blossom.

A rambunctious buffalo calf plays on the hillsides of Custer State Park.

A Wind Cave National Park prairie dog calmly munched a blade of grass as I took its portrait.

This beautiful patch of harebell flowers were swaying in the wind on the southern border of Wind Cave National Park just north of Hot Springs, SD in early July.

A wild wood lily found under the pines of a Custer State Park hillside.

Wild daisy amongst blooming flax south between Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon.

A close up shot of the flax flower.

Some of my favorite sunsets from July are below. The last being a thundercloud northeast of Sioux Falls as the setting sun lit it with its last beams of the day.