Tag: autumn

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gold at Home

By Christian Begeman

The autumn of 2025 has so far found me mostly homebound. The toils of everyday work life coupled with many of my nieces and nephews excelling in fall sports has kept me from my usual Black Hills trip seeking out the fall colors of the high country. The good news is that there is plenty of seasonal splendor to be found right here in Minnehaha County.

One of the perks of the good folks at South Dakota Magazine allowing me to share photos and thoughts in this column over the past decade plus is that I can look back at the seasons and compare and contrast the details. For example, this season has seemed like the green and warmth of summer lingered longer than past years, when in actuality, the peak of color is happening at about the same time. That said, it is a touch greener and the orange, yellow and reds are somewhat muted compared to years past. Even so, you can find the color of fall out and about if you take the time to go look.

I was able to take off work on October 24 to wander the city on a near perfect autumn afternoon. That’s when I noticed how much things have really changed over the years. There aren’t as many trees flanking the main falls at Falls Park, for starters. The views of downtown from Cathedral Hill are not nearly as easy to see because trees from the park land below the church continue to grow. And so it goes. I should remember that the only thing that remains constant is change even when it comes to photographing familiar locales, but I don’t really remember until confronted by visual proof.

Palisades State Park.

In this column, I will keep the words brief. Fall is both a beautiful and bittersweet time as the growing season comes to an end in a final colorful flourish. We all have more than a few months of the long cold winter lined up next. Even so, winter does make one enjoy the spring all the more. In this selection of photographs, the first half are from this year, and the second half are selections from past years that have never been published here before. May they inspire you to get out and enjoy a last autumn stroll or two before old man winter’s long arm reaches down from the north country.

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

West River Autumn

By Christian Begeman

September usually signals the end of hot summer weather in South Dakota, but this year things have been warmer than usual. The dry and dusty days of late September reminded me of the hot and dry summers of my youth growing up along the Ziebach and Dewey County line. The only difference was a lot more grasshoppers back then and these days I pack a camera any time I’m back in West River country. Such was the case when I took a much-needed vacation to the Badlands and Black Hills the last week of September.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that as amazing as these locations are, it is in the golden and blue hours when magic happens. For those of you wondering, the golden hour is the hour before sunset and after sunrise. The blue hour is the time after the sun sets or before it rises when the sky is not fully dark. These are the times that wildlife is most active, particularly when the day is going to be baked with a side of gritty wind.

Since daylight shortens in late September, there is also more night. In the Badlands and more remote parts of the Black Hills, added darkness is a boon to stargazers and amateur astrophotographers. The Milky Way can be observed as a near vertical shaft of distant starlight in the southern sky about an hour and a half after dark in late September. As the night wanes, the Milky Way slides westward and slowly sets. This year, I finally attempted a Milky Way composition I’ve been wanting to do for about a decade. I wanted to align the Milky Way with the Needles Eye in Custer State Park. With clear weather, this was the year to give it a try. At elevation, the hot air of the day cooled as the evening deepened. The wind died except for an occasional vehicle passing by and I soon became alone with the stones and stars. It’s hard to explain that feeling, and photos can’t do it justice.

Late September also brings out the first blush of autumn’s color, particularly in the high draws and high country. Spearfish Canyon is a national scenic byway, and early fall is among the best times to take the drive. Further up and into rural Lawrence County, even more beauty can be found with stands of aspen and birch glowing in the sunlight. And there are fewer tourists and dust clouds along the county roads to boot.

I spent my last few days in Custer State Park just after the big annual buffalo roundup. Call me anti-social if you want, but I prefer the quiet parts of that park and adjacent Wind Cave National Park. I did stumble on quite a scene, thanks to the roundup. While traveling the Wildlife Loop Road, a scene that could have been taken from centuries ago revealed itself as I approached the bison corrals. The trees of Lame Johnny Creek were showing off their autumn color and scattered beyond on the receding hills was a portion of the big bison herd grazing peacefully. Moments like this are what keep me coming back to this part of the world when the seasons change.

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

When Seasons Collide

By Christian Begeman

October on the Northern Plains can be fickle. One day might bring perfect autumn hues and warm sunsets, and the next may bring bone chilling wind that carries the autumn leaves to parts unknown, replacing them with snowflakes and frost. Every so often, the seasons combine without the soul sucking wind and a brief period of visual magic descends on our landscapes. That’s exactly what happened this fall in southeastern South Dakota.

On October 21, I broke away from the usual and took a drive. Yankton County was my eventual endpoint, but I didn’t really know that when I left. As many of you know, country churches are a favorite subject of mine. With one of those nearly perfect fall evenings developing, I headed toward a cluster of churches, hoping to find some autumn magic. St. Columba, Faith United and historic Vangen churches made their way into my viewfinder. The late afternoon and early evening light accentuated the fall colors, and all was well with the world.

The winds held back for another week, so when the first snow of the season arrived, the color of autumn and white crispness of winter merged. I noticed a couple of birds hanging out in the trees of our courtyard, staying out of the snow presumably. One was a robin, which is part of the robin family that nests in said courtyard, but the other was a rare-to-me fox sparrow. This bird has pronounced rusty tones and is one of the prettier sparrow species.

After photographing the birds, I decided to see what else was happening around Sioux Falls as the snow fell. Sherman Park had many trees still in full autumn splendor, and I discovered large flocks of winter birds and migrating sparrows there, as well. Dark-eyed juncos and Harris’s sparrows were the most abundant.

I finished the afternoon taking a walk along Split Rock Creek in the upper portion of Palisades State Park. The temperature hovered right around freezing, so the rocks were slick, and the going was slow. Even so, the walk did my soul good, as it usually does in our scenic areas. The drive home, on the other hand, was a bit dangerous. I’ve always noted the signs warning drivers that the stretches of highway atop bridges often freeze first. On this day I witnessed it and saw a couple near accidents happen just in front of me on Interstate 90 between Brandon and Sioux Falls. Winter weather, for all its potential beauty, can still wreak havoc. Sioux Falls received just a skiff of snow, and we have had none since. And that is okay with me.

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Finding Fall

By Christian Begeman

Fall has arrived in South Dakota, although in some places a few winter blasts have already tried to push autumn out. These same locations that have seen snow are some of my favorite early autumn haunts. The high country of the Black Hills is always a treat in late September. The last week of the month is typically the most colorful time to cruise the backroads and do some leaf peeping.

That said, Badlands National Park lies between my home and the Black Hills, and I cannot resist getting off the interstate to spend time there. This West River spectacle sparkles in early autumn with wildlife active around dawn and dusk. The golden light accentuated by the season’s dry and dusty air makes great photography opportunities.

After staying the night in Wall and driving to Sage Creek Wilderness on a crisp morning with temperatures in the low 40s, a low fog hung in the bottomlands as the first light of day struck the tops of the formations. The resulting scenes were otherworldly. I’m not a morning person, but a view like that will get me up well before sunrise any day.

After saying farewell to the Badlands, I arrived in Custer State Park about four days before the Buffalo Roundup. The trees in the draws were just starting to turn and the mountain bluebirds were flocking along the southern reaches of the park. I spent a good hour watching at least a dozen juveniles and adults prowl a prairie dog town on the hunt for insects. Occasionally two or three would squabble and take flight to show off their airborne acrobatics, the blue wings flashing like azure electricity in the early autumn air. The afternoon was quite warm, which made the insect activity abundant and the small stream where I parked a favorite pit stop.

It was cold again the next morning. Mist and low fog hung over the small lakes. Bismark Lake was particularly beautiful as dawn approached. Just enough frost clung to the small bushes and brush on the back side of the water that each leaf looked sugar coated.

Later in the day, I ventured to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. It was the middle of the week, but as busy as I’ve ever seen. Wanting a little more solitude, I traveled into the high country to discover some quieter autumn scenes. There is a place where the Tinton Road converges with both Wagon Canyon Road and Schoolhouse Gulch Road that offers an exquisite view of aspen and birch, and I had arrived in peak fall color. Later, as I returned to my cabin near Legion Lake, I saw three white-tailed bucks near the Badger Hole. The largest, a four-by-four, was just starting to gain girth in the shoulders and neck for the upcoming rut. For now, it simply grazed in the tall grass just north of the road and paid me little mind. I wonder if it understands how lucky it is to call this little corner of South Dakota home.

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fall’s Final Flourish

By Christian Begeman

The final leaves have fallen. The songbird migration has long ended, and the waterfowl migration is now in full force. The seasons of life have given way to the cold north wind and snowflakes that have danced once or twice across our windshields already. The harvest is wrapped, and our traditional season of thanks is beginning. It is November. And really, the month of November marks the end of autumn in our part of the world rather than the official first day of winter, December 21.

Rather than succumb to the dreary days of lessening light, I think it is a good time to reflect upon nature’s last flourish of color. Late August through mid-October provides vivid colors on the prairie and surrounding hills and this year was no exception. It seems that late summer and early autumn prefer vivid blues when it comes to wildflowers. From bottle gentians to great blue lobelia, the colors of the petals seem to be drawn straight from the hues of an early evening eastern blue sky.

Butterfly season is also on full display. Monarchs from South Dakota and points north gather and then fly south to Mexico. Other beautiful species are easily spotted if you have patience. I’m a fan of the regal fritillary that rivals the monarch in vivid orange and black beauty. The regal is a tall grass specialist so keeping our remnant tall grass prairie intact and healthy is key to keeping this butterfly around. A favorite place to spot them is the Nature Conservancy’s Aurora Prairie east of Brookings.

After the late summer blues diminish, brilliant oranges, reds and yellow begin to paint the landscape. The color usually begins to turn in the higher elevations first, and then it makes its way down to the valleys and towns. These colors of autumn grace the Black Hills and Badlands in late September and can go well into October along the Missouri River hills and eastward. Besides the well-known autumn vistas of Spearfish Canyon or Sica Hollow, Palisades State Park near Garretson is a favorite place to visit. The drama of Sioux quartzite rock and canyons are beautifully accentuated by autumn hues, particularly in the late afternoon light.

November marks the end to most of nature’s colorful beauty described above, but I also find that fall sunsets seem to be the most exquisite of the year. So, I can’t really say the season of color has left us for good. It can still be found way out there on the horizon, somewhere just beyond our reach, like the promise of new life coming next spring. The cycles of the seasons are felt maybe more acutely on the Northern Plains than anywhere else on the continent, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Winter has subtle and harsh beauties of its own, but more importantly, the cold reminds me not to take for granted the loveliness of the seasons of warmth and life.

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

All Things Pumpkin

By Fran Hill

I love autumn. The chill in the air, the smell of wood smoke drifting from chimneys, and the brilliant leaves are all cozy comforts for me. Of course, I can’t forget about the food of fall. Crisp, fresh apples, roasted winter squash, braised hunks of beef swimming with root vegetables, steaming pots of soup, herb stuffed chicken with the crispiest skin, and, of course, the quintessential pumpkin.

I love pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin seed salsa, and pumpkin and black bean soup; pumpkin in any shape or form is vying for my attention during the fall months. I gleaned the recipe for pumpkin cornmeal muffins from a magazine almost 20 years ago and blow the dust off it every autumn. It has become a staple of Thanksgiving morning served with a spicy chile relleno egg bake and fresh fruit, a sweeter side with soups, and a filling snack for chilly afternoons. The muffins are dense, moist and hearty. Serve warm and slather with butter for a perfect addition to fall.

Pumpkin cornmeal muffins are an autumn baking staple for Fran Hill.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins

(adapted from Real Simple)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (NOT pie filling)

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (AP flour will work and produce a muffin with a little less nuttiness and density)

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2-4 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly coat muffin tins with vegetable cooking spray or line cups with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

Spoon the batter into the muffin pans.

Sprinkle with pepitas.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. (12 muffins)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Autumn in the High Country

By Christian Begeman

Autumn always comes early to the high country. While late summer lingers across the rest of the land, the high coulees and upper draws seem to consistently show the first real signs of the season. The last week of September is normally the peak of fall color in places like Spearfish Canyon, the Slim Buttes and even Sica Hollow in the northeast corner of the state. For this reason, I regularly find myself wandering the back roads and trails of the high country every year about this time. It’s not that I welcome the end of summer, but it’s hard not to love autumn around here.

The beauty is fleeting, admittedly. When the weather patterns switch in this season of change, it brings strong winds that rob the trees of their dying leaves. That’s a lesson unto itself. There is beauty in endings. Sad though it is, it helps that there is promise of new life returning after the long winter.

This year I started around Sica Hollow during the golden hour on September 26. I was a bit early for fall color peak, but the color that was showing in the late afternoon and evening light seemed to accent the autumn beginnings quite wonderfully. A couple of days later I hit Badlands National Park, where the upper draws of Sage Creek were brilliant. One thing I learned is that yellow-leaved trees make for interesting visuals in a black and white image. They look nearly white.

After spending a day and half wandering around the Badlands, I made my way for Custer State Park. Needles Highway offers unique autumn color combined with winding roads and sweeping vistas. The fall foliage along the park’s creeks also offers colorful hues. From Custer State Park, I headed to the high country of Lawrence County by way of the Mystic and Rochford roads, finally ending up in Spearfish Canyon by late afternoon. This scenic byway is a must-drive in autumn. One extra perk this year was a small herd of mountain goats grazing near Bridal Veil Falls.

I finished up my tour of the high country in the first days of October by traveling north to the Slim Buttes and Cave Hills of Harding County. These areas are part of the Custer National Forest primarily for their stands of evergreens atop the buttes and hills, but they both offer great stands of deciduous trees along the draws and valleys. These places have become an autumn favorite for me. This year I missed the peak at the Slim Buttes as the color was nearly gone when I passed through, but the Cave Hills were nearly perfect. It goes to show just how fleeting fall’s beauty can be here on the high plains, even within a single county. Even so, the drive and views were worth every minute. The good news is that now the rest of the lower country as well as city and towns should be starting their autumn transformations. So, if you couldn’t make it to the high country, you still have a chance to get out and enjoy the rest of the season.

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