South Dakota – A Randomly Creative Blog

Landscape Photography

Published on February 5, 2019February 4, 2019 by L.M.Leave a comment

Six months ago I travelled west and spent two weeks driving across, around and through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. It’s probably my favorite destination, this was my fourth trip to that area of the States. I took a TON of photos as we drove and have been ever-so-slowly getting around to sorting through and editing them. I thought as I get batches of them done I will share them here.

During the two weeks we visited Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons, Rocky Mountain National Park, Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore. To say it was a whirlwind would be an understatement – even after eliminating a few destinations from the itinerary! The landscapes were amazing, although all the wildfires did make for hazy skies. I think next time I’d like to visit in May, three of my four trips have been in the fall and one in the winter so Spring would be a nice change!

The last photo was repeated almost daily – we explored until there was no more light to explore in before calling it a night. I think this particular image was from a late evening in Yellowstone.

Look for more images in the future!

Creatively,

Lynne

Critters x4….

Published on January 28, 2011January 27, 2011 by L.M.Leave a comment

Well, it’s finally here. The last post from my trip out west last fall. I think I’ve been spreading them out for so long so it won’t feel so final. But all good things have to end. Then again, all good memories remain! Today I’m sharing some photos taken of deer, antelope, elk and burro.

It was fun to see the mule deer with their big ears, so different than the ones here in Indiana.

I was SO excited to see antelope for the first time! And the second. And for several days after that. They certainly aren’t scarce!! 🙂

The elk seemed plentiful as well. It was fun to watch this one large herd and it’s bossy bull who kept a close eye on all the cows. What a ruckus he raised when they wandered the least bit!

In Custer State Park there is a large band of burros that were left behind by miners many years ago. The day I visited the park they were a friendly greeting committee as I entered one portion of the park. How sweet they looked!

I rolled down the window to snap their photos and quickly realized that I certainly wasn’t the first visitor they’d encountered. Their heads popped in my window, begging for treats and attention.

The first fellow got a juice apple from my lunch box.

Little did I know that around each corner there were more of these “greeters” just waiting for me.

Eventually I had to roll up the windows and just keep motoring forward.

So that is the end of the animal photos, I hope you enjoyed viewing them. I had fun seeing them all again as I selected the ones I was going to share with you. Now I am just wondering what new adventures this year will bring. I guess we will find out together!

Happy Friday & weekend wishes,

Lynne

Critters x3…

Published on January 14, 2011January 13, 2011 by L.M.Leave a comment

Continuing with some more animal images today. The last critter post featured domestic animals (cows, horses, sheep). This time we’re moving into the wildlife realm! Now I will be the first to say that some of these aren’t going to win any competitions but I sure had a great time traveling around and taking them. Several of these animals I’d never seen “in the wild” and it was a kick just seeing them, even if I couldn’t capture a decent photo of all of them. 🙂 This is the best shot of a moose that I could capture…although I could hear them and see their outlines through the brush.

I believe this is the calf, there was a bull, a cow and a calf all in the same area at Rocky Mountain National Park. What a racket the cow made when the calf wandered far at all! I also saw a large bull laying under a tree when I was passing through Medicine Bow National Forrest, but it was so far away and so shaded by the tree that it was pretty much unrecognizable in the photos I took. I know he was there though!!

This buffalo/bison (sorry, I can’t seem to tell one from the other) was fun to watch, he sauntered across the field, leisurely laid down in the tall grass, rolled over on his back flailing his hooves in the air several times, stood up & shook the dust off for a few minutes and then went about his business.

I had visited several parks before I finally saw him – I was beginning to think I wouldn’t ever see any! Of course after the first one then seemed to come out of the wood work!

The goats were all photographed in the Badlands National Park. I ran across several of them feeding or laying around when I first started taking photos of them.

Eventually I was lucky enough to see a group of them high up on a hillside climbing, jumping and eventually running down the hill.

What a fantastic site!

The next (& final) critter post will be of deer, antelope, elk and some friendly burros. It will be along soon!

Lynne

Critters, continued…

Published on January 10, 2011 by L.M.7 Comments

Last month I began showing some images of animals that I photographed during my trip out west. I thought I’d continue with those photos today. These are all the more “domestic” type animals – horses, sheep, cows – that I ran across as I traveled.

When I approached this field full of sheep I thought it was a hillside covered with scattered, bleached out rocks. Until I got close enough to hear all the bleating!

I also ran across a group of dogs that seemed to be guarding sheep on one of the dirt roads I traveled down. They were really excited to “herd” me along the road and make sure I didn’t bother their sheep.

I think, perhaps, they should have paid more attention to the sheep though – a short way down the road I found this guy wandering all by himself!

My next post of critter pictures will feature buffalo/bison, moose and elk – look for it soon!

Lynne

Scenic Road Trip: South Dakota, Part 1

Published on November 5, 2010November 4, 2010 by L.M.3 Comments

So when we left off the last scenic road trip I had spent the night in Lusk, Wyoming. I was up early the next morning, ready to go explore some more of the beautiful scenery of South Dakota. I wasn’t disappointed! I had a wonderful trip through the Black Hills, Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore! The winding roads were so much fun to drive, even if I did go in circles a few times. 🙂

It was getting close to dark by the time I left Mt. Rushmore so I headed to Hill City and spent the night at the Spring Creek Inn. The next morning I was off & running again, this time heading further east. I took a very “adventurous” route that was mainly dirt roads. Since it was drizzly that morning needless to say my car ended up a mess…as did my boots, floor mat and most everything else! Nothing like that red dirt everywhere. 🙂 Here are some images from the gravel road route:

In case you are wondering why I haven’t shown any images of animals or wildlife through all these scenic trip posts I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m saving them for last! If you curious where the dirt road and part two of the South Dakota trip led to, here’s a hint:

To be continued….

Lynne