South Dakota?

[j_robinson2]

If one looks in South Dakota, other than the Badlands or Black Hills what is

there to photograph?

Do we have to watch out when on or near the Indian reservations? Any problems

with them? Was at a town just outside the Rosebud reservation last summer and

there were at least 100 drunk Indians and Indian panhandlers there. Didn't want

to stop with that mob hanging around.

 

Is South Dakota mainly flat outside of the Black Hills?

[Two23]

The state is quite varied. My favorite parts are the Glacial Lakes in the northeast and the Missouri River Breaks. The northwestern most 4 counties have big areas of BLM full of surprises. The northeast is glacial moraine and my favorite to photo.

 

Main danger around reservations are drunk drivers. They can appear at any time, any place. I would guess that something like 3/4 drivers has an alcohol problem, although they might not be drunk at the time. There is petty theft but violence is actually rare. There are parts of Pine Ridge that are really different and remote. Don't go around snapping photos of the people willy nilly as if they were animals in a zoo and you won't attract too much attention. While I've seen people sitting around on the ground drinking beer at 7 AM, there are also some good people if you look for them.

 

As a salesrep, I've been on just about every paved road in the state and most of the other ones too. I've been in every town big enough to have a drugstore and quite a few of the others as well. Every day I head out, I see something different.

 

I've been getting some nice fall shots in the Big Sioux River Valley south of Canton lately.

 

 

Kent in SD<div></div>

[stemked]

Obviously Kent would be the best person to answer this. I used to live in Western Minnesota 7 years ago and have driven across the state, so I am hardly the best person to point out the strengths of areas outside the Badlands and the Black Hills.

 

J., I don't know what you like to photograpgh, but the imaginative person can find great images all around him/her. I suspect from your answer you are talkng about landscapes. No, Eastern North Dakota isn't all one flat pancake.

 

Some examples: The Missouri river runs through the middle of the State and has many fantastic bluffs.

 

The eastern part of the state has praire potholes, absoutely great places to photograpgh water fowl. Actually I went with a bunch of birders to 'Salt pond' which borders s. Dakota and Minnesota. We saw close to 90 species in one day, but being that I was with serious birders my crew wasn't especially willing to waite for me to get good images.

 

And frankly, there is a lot of beauty in an open prarie. They are quite beautiful actually, with some fascinatinng wildlife. I take it you've never photograghed a Prairie Chicken; it has to be one of the most unusual birds to watch from a hide when they do their courtship dances.

 

The area you visited is one of the poorest places in the nation with high unemployment and a certain amount of hopelessness in many of the residence. I think of them as tragic figures, largely the victims of circumstance. Personally I but wouldn't characterize S. Dakota in the fashion you've projected.

 

Going to see the Corn Palace is always kind of interesting (obviously, it's not going to fit in the nature catagory). And for those who must stop, there is always Wall Drug, right?

[stemked]

I should have guessed; Kent got off his reply just before I sent mine.

[stephen hazelton]

We drove up there once long ago. One place we went was Jewel Cave, as I recall out west or NW of Rapid City. It was nice, don't know that it's that much different from other caves. It does have elevator access if you're not into climbing.

 

Seems like the drive up from the south, we saw mainly rolling pasture land- I don't recall it being exactly wilderness-looking.

[tim_knight]

South Dakota has variety but you need to look for it. There are river bottoms that have great fall foliage colors, abandon farms with old windmills, houses, barns, abandon thrashing machines and other farming equipment from the past. In the spring we have wild prairie flowers, farmers working the soil and planting their crops, pastures full of cattle with baby calves kicking up their hooves. Wild life abounding with migration of birds of all types on small ponds and prairie lakes along with the song birds (the Meadow Lark being my favorite). I almost forgot, the view we have when late night thunder storms roll through with lightning putting on a wonderful light show. Then there are our sunsets with miles of color. The small towns offer their own street photography that have long been lost in other parts of the country. The first thing I recommend is not to drive through South Dakota on I90 but use the two lane highways that cross the state. The biggest division we have is the Missouri River that divides the state in half. The eastern half is more agriculture, commerce and manufacturing, and the western half ranching, mining, and tourism. I have always said South Dakota is the best kept secret in the nation but you have to live here awhile to find that secret. If you are in a hurry follow the tourist signs and take the same pictures everyone else does. I recommend the highways that go through small towns and spend an extra day or two. Come with an open mind and realize in this small world we have everything you have, but you might not have what we have and that is a big part of our secret.

[christian deichert]

I thought the ride up US 85 was interesting when I went to SD...what, 9 years ago? Time flies. Rolling grasslands and buttes. And a little further north, in ND, you get to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (think Badlands NP + river, or Petrified Forest NP + grass).