Our May/June issue includes a feature on our West River mountain waters. We gathered several beautiful photos of lakes, streams and waterfalls in the Black Hills. Here are some that didn’t make the magazine.
Mark Rafferty is a young rock climber, photographer and artist from Rapid City. Last November, serious injuries from a 40-foot fall near Tucson sidelined the teen, but he returned to climbing this spring. Here are some recent photos from his climbs in the Black Hills. See more of his work and follow his blog at www.markcrafferty.com.
Branding season is in full swing across South Dakota’s colorful cattle country. Family and neighbors gather to”work the cattle,” which includes not just the brand but vaccinations, castration and anything else that may need attention. The work is done amidst the soulful background bawling of momma cows who are temporarily separated from their babies. Here are some photos from the Sutton Ranch, northwest of Bonesteel in the beautiful breaks of the Missouri River in Gregory County. Photos by Bernie and Katie Hunhoff.
South Dakota’s state flower, the pasqueflower, is among the first flowers to bloom in spring — sprouting from late March until early June. They are sensitive to herbicides and are more likely to be found in untilled areas, some say especially on north slopes. Bruce Porisch found these pasqueflowers on the steep hillsides of a pasture near Flandreau.
The Community Caves of Spearfish Canyon are among the best-kept secrets in the Northern Hills, probably because they are so difficult to reach. The hike is just a half-mile, but it is nearly vertical and the path is strewn with rocks shed from the canyon. Bonny Fleming shared these photos from a recent visit with the Black Hills Photography Club.”Freshly fallen snow and a layer of ice made the hike rather hairy. I think it’s safe to say that no one escaped without at least one slip or slide,” Fleming says.
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway ranks among the most beautiful 20-mile stretches in the USA. The route is a wildly popular fall foliage drive, but its white landscapes in winter are lovely, as well. Next to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, it may be the most photographed place in the Black Hills. Photos by John Mitchell.
Frigid temps across the state created sun dogs in the sky this past weekend. Christian Begeman shared photos from around Lincoln County. Sun dogs are caused by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere. They often appear as a full or partial halo around the sun with colored spots of light on the left and right.
Mount Moriah Cemetery, named for the land in Genesis 22, looms directly over Deadwood. Scores of the poor and nameless lie unremembered in pauper’s graves, but most tourists come to read the stones of colorful Deadwood characters like Seth Bullock, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. In winter visitors are few and deer feel free to roam and rest there. Photos by John Mitchell.
The first major snowstorm of the season hit the midwest on Friday. Only a few inches were initially expected in Sioux Falls, but the city saw record snowfall by the end of the day. The previous record for November 20 was 3.8 inches in 1975. A whopping 14 inches were reported on the south side of town while northern Sioux Falls received about half as much. Christian Begeman spent a few hours at the Outdoor Campus that afternoon, observing birds stocking up at the feeders. See more of his work at cbegeman.blogspot.com.
Badlands National Park probably isn’t at the top of your list for a fall foliage drive; there’s no forest. But Christian Begeman took a trip through the sandstone buttes in October anyway. We think the pink stripes in the ancient pinnacles make up for lack of colored leaves. And the yellowing grassland paints a rich backdrop for antelope and coyote. See more of Begeman’s work at cbegeman.blogspot.com.
