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Bye Bye Butterflies

By Christian Begeman

Some years ago, I heard about the Dakota Skipper. This small butterfly was a candidate for inclusion on the endangered species list. It hasn’t made the list yet, but is still vulnerable because of the reduction of its native prairie habitat and its unique life cycle. It only appears in its adult form for three weeks in late June and early July. The range map for the Dakota Skipper includes northeastern South Dakota, so I took it as a challenge to find and photograph this beautifully named butterfly on the first day of July.

Suffice it to say, after a very warm day of slowly walking through tall grass and much arm waving to keep the mosquitoes at bay, I failed. The good news, however, is that I did find a variety of butterflies including the regal fritillary, which is also considered a species at risk. I came across other species of skipper nectaring primarily on purple coneflowers, including long-dash, tawny-edged and Delaware. These skippers are small and brownish orange just like the Dakota, so I had to send my photos to a few experts to find out if I was successful or not.

Butterflies in general are an outdoor photographer’s dream. Colorful and often found on wildflowers, they are like ornaments of the prairie. Except they move, and often away from a large, sweaty fella with a camera. All butterflies are usually quite elusive, and that is another reason I enjoy photographing them. The satisfaction of getting a decent shot is all the more rewarding — if and when it happens.

Late summer is the best time to go butterfly hunting. A 100mm macro is my preferred lens. The colorful flutter of wings seems less elusive as they focus on the last of the summer wildflowers prior to migrating south. This year, the monarch numbers seem quite high. Last year, painted ladies stole the show. I’m not smart enough to know why, though I suppose it has to do with timely rains and overall weather patterns. It also seems that more folks are aware of planting pollinator friendly flower gardens as well as keeping the remaining native prairies as healthy and intact as possible. This is a good thing.

Twice in the last few weeks, I spent a couple hours sitting cross-legged on a hillside at Lake Herman State Park near Madison attempting to get new and unique photos of monarchs on blooming prairie blazing stars, goldenrods and Maximilian sunflowers. In doing so, I came across plenty of other species — moths, skippers and garden spiders — all hoping to catch a meal from all the activity. The beauty and complexity of these small things that thrive on our hillsides and grasslands is truly a wonder to watch and contemplate.

I still plan to get that Dakota Skipper photograph. I’ll have to wait for next summer, but it will be worth it to take another slow stroll or two amongst the beauty of our wild prairie hills.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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West River Odyssey

By Christian Begeman

My immediate family gathered this month in Mobridge. It was the first time we’d all been together in several years. From a family of six on the farm to a family of more than 20 scattered from Sioux Falls to California seems pretty amazing, but probably not that uncommon. I grew up roughly 60 miles west and 10 miles south of Mobridge near the Moreau River breaks. I don’t get back in that country near enough, but this was a good year to go. The rain has been abundant and the wildflowers profuse. Last season was dry, and it seems all that stunted life from a year ago has burst into its fullest measure this time around.

Before heading home, I took a notable detour to the beautiful Matthews Opera House in Spearfish to take in my friend Eliza Blue’s new album release concert. From there I wandered down through Custer State Park, where I reveled in a summer thunderstorm (until a few large hailstones caused me to flee south into Wind Cave National Park). Then I spent a day and a half in the Badlands, where I had good luck watching burrowing owls take care of their young. After that, I made my way north to the rolling hills of Perkins and Corson counties.

The real surprise of the journey was an impromptu photo tour just northwest of Bison. Sion Hanson is a friend of a friend who asked if I’d be willing to take some photos of him and some of the landmarks on his land for his grandkids. Hanson turned 60 this year and wants to pass along a little bit of the family history and legacy in images as well as stories. I didn’t quite know what to expect as we pulled out of the yard and headed north along a wheat field through the tall grass. Then we crested the hill.

As I mentioned, I grew up near the rugged and rolling hills of the Moreau River breaks along the Dewey and Ziebach county line, so I have a near-and-dear appreciation for the long draws and short grass hills topped with gravel, yucca and Black Samson flowers (also known as wild purple coneflower). What now opened before us was the south edge of the Grand River breaks, and it was breathtaking. The short grass prairie had taller than normal grass waving in the wind, and it was ablaze with wildflowers, particularly Black Samson. One of the long draws before us was where Hanson’s grandfather and grandmother had a sod house built back when the land opened for settlement in the early 1900s. Hanson’s granddad was a freight wagon driver who hauled goods to Bison from the nearest train depot to the north. Each trip was a two-day journey. We saw parts of the old road from Bison to Hettinger that survived as a fire trail, at least into the 1970s. It is mostly overgrown now.

It was an unexpected and enjoyable trip to some of our state’s truly wide-open and rugged country. To hear the history of it as well as help a new friend keep the stories and places alive for his family was quite an honor. Those couple hours of looking over the land, reminiscing and simply enjoying the view was a good reminder of how strong the family unit was and still is in these open prairies of our great state. It was only fitting that my next few days of vacation were spent making new memories with my own family at the end of this summer’s West River odyssey.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Down and Dirty

By Christian Begeman

This June, I’ve reacquainted myself with my macro lens. In doing so, I experienced a brief stare down with a badger and I discovered flowers that I’d never knew existed with names like Nodding Trillium and Smooth Solomon’s Seal. Whoever came up with those flower names must have had poetic sensibilities.

Personally, I struggle to write sound poetry, but I do try from time to time. Often the muse is the simple beauty found in the prairies and hills we call home. While I may labor to describe the pleasures of spring with words, the camera lens has no such dilemma. So, as the days lengthen and the earth turns green, it’s hard for me to stay indoors and not explore what is out beyond the next hill.

An old photography adage says that the worst in weather produces the best photos. We’ve had a lot of rain here in southeastern South Dakota this spring and one evening after work, I couldn’t resist the rain-induced cabin fever that had grown for most of the week. So I grabbed the macro lens, a powerful handheld LED flashlight and headed for Lake Vermillion Recreation Area near Canistota. The walking trail there has always produced wildflowers in June. It is easy to find and photograph prairie coneflowers, Black-eyed Susan as well as prairie rose and common milkweed. Since it was raining steadily, I took a second jacket to cover my camera when not in use and I took the flashlight to add some artificial light to the raindrops adorning the tall grass and flower petals. An hour later and drenched, I happily tumbled back into my truck. The cabin fever was gone, and I discovered the prairie was as beautiful as ever adorned and accented with raindrops.

Macro photography isn’t always easy. I have the grass stains and ripped jeans to prove it. Even a gentle breeze can cause the roses and clover to dance and sway, often away from the perfect focus or composition. Ants, spiders, beetles and bugs abound in the undergrowth, too. A photographer must put away any insect squeamishness to get down and dirty in the macro world. Actually, these tiny creatures turn out to be surprisingly interesting to look at through the macro lens. Some are quite beautiful to photograph.

My favorite time this June was sitting quietly for over an hour on a small hillside in Oakwood Lakes State Park in a patch of white petaled Canada anemones. Small orange butterflies (who were quite skilled at avoiding the camera) fluttered about, and bright blue damselflies perched on tall stems riding out the strongest of breezes. I can’t remember the last time I sat down in a patch of prairie like that, just taking in all of nature’s bounty, looking for beauty in the details and finding it everywhere I turned.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Chasing Birds

By Christian Begeman

Spring in our part of the world is like a runner’s reward after a long distance race. During winter we hold breath, and when the south wind and longer days finally chase away the cold, it is time to exhale and breathe in the new season. We got a late start to spring’s festivities this year and subsequently all the new growth, fragrant blooms and birdsong seemed to burst on the scene all at once. Bear in mind I’m not complaining, because I was out nearly every evening for three straight weeks looking for spring scenes to photograph.

If you’ve followed my column over the last few years, it is no secret that I like to seek out and photograph the migrating warblers in May. I am tempted to call them war-blurs, because more often than I like to admit, that is all I get when trying to photograph them. They are tiny, fast and usually found in low light situations such as tree canopies, even on a sunny day. If anything, this new found spring obsession has taught me to listen first and look second, walk slowly, carry plenty of insect repellent and have patience … a LOT of patience. Hardly anything is more frustrating to a photographer than having your subject move away from the camera. So in warbler season, I’ve learned to pick a couple spots where I have reasonable views into the canopy and simply sit and wait for one of the little buggers to move into view. Sometimes it works wonders; other times I get skunked.

Even on days when I don’t get much warbler action, I’m still outside. I still see the landscape bloom and get to breathe in the clean fragrance of wild plum blossoms, chokechery flowers and lilac. All of these aromas have a tendency to conjure a flood of memories of growing up on the farm/ranch near the Moreau River. Since we had a small dairy operation, there are other smells that take me back too, but I’d much rather be amongst the lilacs and plum brush than the corrals this time of year.

Springtime in South Dakota also means planting season, spring showers and late evening sunsets. The nice thing about chasing warblers at our many state parks and recreation areas is that it gives me the opportunity to drive home during the golden hour of the evening. There is nothing quite like a slow drive down a country road with the window down, your elbow out in the breeze and a favorite song on the radio. I particularly enjoy the smell of dew in the evening. Not only is it a pleasant aroma, but oftentimes meant”quitting time” back on the farm and taking a short drive home as evening rolled over the high plains.

However you enjoy springtime, here are a few favorite photos of my bird chasing and evening drives from the month of May. I hope you enjoy them even half as much as I did capturing them.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Almost-Spring Journal

By Christian Begeman

In previous April columns, I’ve shared a journal-style report showing spring’s return to the countryside. I’d like to do the same this year, but it may look more like a journal of how winter lingered longer than usual on the Plains. I don’t think anyone is complaining about all the moisture that those April snow storms brought to a thirsty land, but I’m pretty sure the most of us would rather see it come in the form of April showers that bring May flowers, not snow plowers. Be that as it may, here is the unfolding of the”almost” spring of 2018 from March through the end of April.

March 17

While out looking for the first waves of snow geese, I stumbled upon two snowy owls northeast of Emery.

The clouds to the west cleared around sunset, bringing a colorful background to the geese as they flew north.

March 21

A relatively warm and clear day gave me a chance to chase the sunset after work. Since it was a day after the solstice, the sun set nearly due west, making for an interesting photo looking down a long ribbon of Highway 42 west of Wall Lake.

March 27

I saw the largest flock of blackbirds I’ve ever seen in western Minnehaha County. A line at least 2 miles long with 30 to 50 birds across slowly flew overhead. Later, I spotted a few that had stayed to scope out the best territory to call their own.

March 31

Most of the snow across the state was melted by this year’s early Easter weekend. I snapped this photo of an old abandoned schoolhouse with accompanying outhouse and just a bit of lingering snow north of Miller.

April 2

A snow storm hit after Easter and the Missouri River hills between Mobridge and Pollock in Walworth County looked more like January than April.

April 3

Lake Oahe’s ice near Mobridge was just coming off and many geese and other waterfowl were hanging out on or near the ice edge at sunset.

April 5

I booked a blind at Fort Pierre National Grasslands to observe and photograph the prairie chickens dancing in the early morning light.

There was still a little bit of snow as the meadowlarks sang and the chickens danced.

April 8

A significant snowfall in Sioux Falls caused impressionistic scenes of geese on the pond.

Many of them fluffed up against the cold robins at the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus.

April 11

I found my first pasqueflower in bloom in rural Hanson County. The few blooms on the hillside were just a day or two old.

April 15

A day after blizzard conditions hit much of South Dakota, I returned to the pasque patch in Hanson County. The tough little flowers had survived with their blooms above the snow and ice.

April 19

Yet another significant snowfall in southern South Dakota kept spring at bay on April 18.

The following day was sunny and mild. I found birds aplenty at the Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon, including this black-capped chickadee appearing to gather moss for a nest.

April 22

Snow trillium was blooming at both Newton Hills State Park and Union Grove State Park.

This early woodland wildflower is rare for our state and blooms just as early as pasqueflowers in my experience.

April 23

A day with temperatures near 70 made it feel like spring was here for good. I walked around Palisades State Park after work and discovered a handful of gold-crowned kinglets hunting for insects among the tree branches.

April 24

There was more snow in the northern and western parts of the state, with rain sprinkles elsewhere. At sunset, the clouds began to clear in the far northwest, which allowed for a colorful sunset in McCook County. If spring isn’t fully here yet, it’s right around the corner, and we’re all happy to welcome it back.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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The Colors of Winter

By Christian Begeman

Last month I shared a selection of black and white photos inspired by winter weather. This time, I’d like to explore the color of winter. It may sound oxymoronic to call winter”colorful.” After all, nothing seems to grow but icicles and snowdrifts. Even though there is undeniable beauty in a snow-white landscape, I would be hard pressed to call it”colorful,” wouldn’t I? Maybe not. Even though the green of spring and the many hues of summer are months away, color can still be found. Blues, browns and gold abound this time of year across our landscapes. Elegant sunset skies and even a form of rainbow can also grace the coldest of wintry days in South Dakota.

One of my favorite winter colors is blue. On a sunny day after heavy snow, the sky seems bluer than other days. Low humidity and a lack of dust and other particles in the air make the scene especially bright and crisp. The shades of blue found in shadows also fascinate me, particularly in the late afternoon and early evening when the sun’s rays give off warmer hues. I recently spent a half hour or so trying to capture the beauty of blowing snow in a Union County ditch. I know that is an odd thing to say or do, since blowing snow is not usually our friend, but there I was, frozen fingers and all, enthralled by the play of light, shadow, motion and color in this simple scene.

Southeastern South Dakota had a nice January thaw this year. I took advantage of warmer than average temperatures to hike along Sergeant Creek at Newton Hills State Park south of Canton. I found sumac berries particularly colorful when backlit by the late afternoon sun. Higher up the hills, the tall grass gleamed golden against the backdrop of undergrowth that had kept its leaves throughout the winter.

Other gems to be found in winter are man-made. Ice on dams is a great reflector of sunsets, and red barns stand out in greater beauty against the whites and blues of winter. There is spectacular color to be found in the wild things around us, too. The red of a male northern cardinal is prettiest in a snowfall, and the brown fur and eyes of a rabbit hiding in a briar patch have their own kind of beauty when struck by the winter sun.

One of the most interesting wintertime scenes usually occurs on the coldest and most unpleasant days. A strong wind whipping up fine ice particles in the lower atmosphere produces sundogs, which are essentially light diffractions on either side of the sun, or small, faint rainbows to our eyes.

And let’s talk about the whiteness of snow itself. Scientifically, white is all colors of the visible spectrum being seen at once. Metaphorically, white is associated with purity and holiness as demonstrated by one of my favorite passages from the ancient prophet Isaiah:”Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as pure snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.”

However you feel about the white blanket of snow covering the ground, it is almost over for another season, and that is also a good thing. If we didn’t have winter, how would we know just how special spring and summer truly are?

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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The Beauty of Black and White

By Christian Begeman

Two things have long piqued my interest: history and black and white photography. I stared for hours upon hours at grainy, monochrome images of the Civil War up through vintage World War II film footage. Old family photos and slides were often black and white, too. The seeds of my appreciation for the medium were likely planted because of these, but it wasn’t until I actually learned to develop black and white photos in college that I really began to appreciate the power of black and white photography.

I recently read a description of black and white photography as being romantic. I think abstract is a better word. A scene rendered in black and white is not what an average person sees. Draining the color from an image both simplifies and complicates. The simplicity lies in the lack of color, but complication arises when a viewer’s imagination needs to work harder to figure out the details and mood of the image.

The best black and whites have a true black tone and a true white tone somewhere within them. This allows rest of the gray tones to play out beautifully in between. I’ve always been a fan of the”red filter” look that Ansel Adams made famous. It turns the azure blue sky of a clear day into a strong dark, if not completely black tone. This adds contrast to any white cloud in the sky or light colored object below, which brings drama to the image.

I was keeping an eye on a snowy owl visitor to my neighborhood in northwest Sioux Falls. It was a cold, clear blue, winter sky. I happened to see a large jet passing overhead, so I pointed my camera up to get a photo of the plane and its contrails. The image was OK in color, but the photo really popped when editing in black and white with the”red filter” technique. I tried the same thing with an image I captured of the snowy owl in flight against that same blue sky. I quickly fell in love with how the black of the sky set off the beauty of the nearly white bird in flight.

I think most folks agree that there is true beauty in falling snow and in undisturbed snowfall. The white flakes against a dark background like the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Sioux Falls or the barren trees of upper Sherman Park are favorite subjects for me. This January, I spent a few hours hiking the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus during a heavy snow. This time, I took my macro lens to see if I could find new a black and white beauty close-up. One of my favorite images of the day was finding a feather nestled on a tree branch that was catching snowflakes. You’ll find that image in this column, along with few more of my favorite black and whites from this winter and a few oldies but goodies from warmer times and winters past. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I have enjoyed finding them.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Winter Wonderland

By Christian Begeman

A couple weeks ago I wasn’t sure this column was going to happen. Since October I had planned on taking the full week off before Christmas to spend some time in the Black Hills, camera in hand. Early winter in the Hills is a magical time. Fresh snow, active wildlife and very few people make great reasons to wander places like Spearfish Canyon, Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. This year, however, things were looking grim for a peaceful vacation in mid-December when little to no snow was on the ground and the massive Legion Lake Fire was tearing through Custer State Park and portions of Wind Cave National Park.

Thankfully, through great work by local and regional firefighting teams and some much-needed snowfall, the fire abated and the parks re-opened just days before my scheduled arrival. I was nervous about what I might see as I arrived on the evening of Dec. 21. I had spent the majority of the day in the Northern Hills waiting for the snow to end, and then cruising Spearfish Canyon as the sunlight broke free of the clouds and danced along the high ridgeline. The play of light and shadow through one of our state’s most scenic byways was worth the trip by itself. By the time I arrived in Custer State Park it was nearly dark, and I could smell the faint odor of burned grass and timber, but otherwise all was quiet and peaceful.

The next morning, I accidently turned off my alarm when attempting to hit the snooze button, so I missed my planned rendezvous with the sunrise. But the morning was not lost. Just outside the window of my room at the Creekside Inn a flock of nearly 30 blue jays were calling, flying and digging in the snow. Beyond the creek a lone deer crossed the road. On the flanks of the far ridge, a flock of wild turkeys slowly made its way eastward and at the top of the same ridge, the early morning sunshine began to kiss the tops of the snow-covered ponderosa pine. It slowly enveloped the entire ridge as it chased away the blue-tinted shadows with warm, yellow-hued light. The scene before me was truly a winter wonderland. It was a special kind of peace and quiet that I think only the Black Hills can provide.

Later that morning, I made the rounds on my favorite park roads looking for wildlife and trying to measure the extent of the fire damage. Enough snow had fallen to cover the blackened ground and singed trees, so I had to look closely to spot fire damage. About mid-afternoon, snow-laden clouds rolled in from the north and west. I found a group of old bison bulls along the southern curves of the Wildlife Loop road, and those same clouds let loose. While taking bison portraits, my camera and I both had a hard time finding true focus through the snowflakes. Even so, the out-of-focus shots were cool too, showing the extent of the snowfall with the bison silhouetted in the background.

As I was leaving the park on Dec. 23, I stopped at the Game Lodge chapel to snap a photo. Just a week before, I had seen an image on social media showing the fire line behind the chapel and cabins. Now the whole valley and park lay under a peaceful blanket of snow. The fires were out and the beauty and peace of winter in the Black Hills had once again fallen over the landscape. All seemed right again — at least for now.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Autumn Postcards

By Christian Begeman

The winds have howled the last few days, and autumn’s splendor seems to be flying away all too soon. It is a bittersweet season. All over the state, prairie landscapes accented with wooded draws and farm windbreaks have changed their colors in one last vibrant explosion, only to yield to winter’s bitter arrival. To me, autumn is a beautiful reminder of life’s end for another season, and the hope for its inevitable return. The return of the cold north wind reminds us to be like the wise ant of Aesoph’s Fable, and gather in the harvest for the long winter. Even the lengthening of the night will make the long days of the coming spring and summer that much more enjoyable.

For the last few years, I’ve taken time away from my day job to explore the beauty of our state’s autumn landscapes. This year was no different. When I journey through the Black Hills and then northeast to the upper Missouri River valley and then eastward again to the Coteau Hills, it has become a habit to immerse myself in good music to help pass the miles. Not that long ago, I”discovered” South Dakota artist Jami Lynn and purchased her album Fall is a Good Time to Die. It made sense to get to know the album on this year’s fall trip. Maybe it was just my mood as I took in the season’s visible changes while the music played, but I felt like the album is a poignant mix of joy and sadness, of both longing for and being at home. That sounds like fall to me.

U2’s The Joshua Tree was popular when I was growing up. I listened to it as I spent hours in the tractor, summer fallowing amongst the Moreau River hills. Hearing that album now takes me back to those summer days and that rugged landscape. I have a sneaking suspicion that Jami Lynn’s album will do the same when I listen to it in the future, but instead of long, hard days of bright sun and harsh shadow, I’ll be transported to colorful fall vistas and cruising over the open roads of God’s country. It’s funny how music can cement memories and feelings into our consciousness like that. It’s also the reason so many of us instinctively take photos of our vacations and cross-country trips. After all, remembering the good things has a way of helping us through the inevitable tough times of life.

So here are my South Dakota autumn postcards from this fall. Through my travels, I saw beautiful things across the state. For me, the images are best viewed with some good music playing in the background. I’ll turn up the volume and let my imagination take the trip across the open prairie, only to get lost in the grand beauty of it all once again.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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A New Day in the Badlands

By Christian Begeman

There are few early morning scenarios that excite me. I’m not one to pop right out of bed and feel great. I need time to wake up, get the grogginess out and get the brain functioning at the proper levels. Spending the first hours of the day in Badlands National Park, however, has a way of getting me up and going every time. I haven’t done it a lot, but the rugged beauty, abundant wildlife and overall peace and calm of the new day dawning over the Badlands has never disappointed.

On August 25, the National Park Service commemorated its 101st birthday. They asked fans to submit haiku poetry to help celebrate on social media. I had just spent an incredible morning in the Badlands, where I photographed my first ever bobcat in the wild and witnessed a unique, hazy sunrise caused by humidity and wildfires in neighboring states. All I remembered about haiku was that the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven and the third line goes back to five. I’m sure there are more rules, but I didn’t take the time to look them up. I chose two photos from my late August morning and wrote the following:

We gazed at the sun.

The ground was broken and bent.

Song sprang from shadows.

— Inspired by the sun rising over Panoramic Point

Ears above tall grass,

Eyes along the rugged ridge.

Hunger gnaws within.

— Inspired by the bobcat

Now whether those are good haiku or not is up for debate. For me, the fun came in reflecting on the morning and the images I captured in this new way. With that in mind, I resolved to go back to the Badlands this month, capture what I saw and then present it to you in this column.

Again, the Badlands did not disappoint. The first thing I noticed, just as the sky began to brighten, was what appeared to be a vast white lake in the valley below the formations. A low fog had settled, rendering the views almost primordial. Soon the sun rose, illuminating and coloring the clouds over Norbeck Pass. A little later, I passed a small group of bighorn rams along the park road. I drove ahead to where I thought I wouldn’t stress them as I took photos. They ended up walking right by me. One of them serendipitously passed on the driver’s side where I was huddled down, and I snapped as many photos as I could. One starburst photo out of a dozen exposures was my favorite shot of the morning. I couldn’t have planned it or executed it again if I tried. During moments and mornings like this, I can’t help but think of a line in a favorite hymn:”All things are mine, because I am His. How can I keep from singing?” (or photographing in my case).

I guess dawn in Badlands National Park has a way of bringing out the awe and wonder in a person. Whether it is a haiku, a perfect photo or an old hymn of praise, the rugged beauty of one of our state’s finest gems continues to inspire … especially in the light of a new day.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.