South Dakota Day #2
Monday, October 18, 2021
On a hill in the middle of Rapid City is Dinosaur Park where they have built several life-size replicas of the dinosaurs which previously roamed these areas.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 160
Right in downtown Rapid City is Canyon Lake Park. This park is very nice and has walking and biking paths throughout. The locals really take advantage of this beautiful green space and it is always hopping with activity.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/210 sec, f/10, ISO 160
Where Canyon Lake empties into Rapid Creek there are a couple of small waterfalls.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 3 seconds, f/10, ISO 160, 8-stop ND filter.
One last shot of Canyon Lake Park, just because it really is that beautiful.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 160
Soon after leaving the park we came across this over-the-top Halloween display on S. Canyon Road. Check out the bird drinking from the beer mug on the bar.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/140 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
Sturgis, SD in October is all but shut down. However, for two weeks in August, it is host to the largest and most famous motorcycle rally in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to this little town in the black hills of South Dakota. The next series of photos are some of the bars in town. They are absolutely huge with multiple stories and decks which, during the rally, are packed to capacity. Today, they all stand empty until next season. This is The Knuckle Saloon on Lazelle Street.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
Outside The Knuckle Saloon is this sign which reads “All Roads Lead to Sturgis!” The closest city listed is Denver at 395 miles and the furthest is Sydney at 8,501 miles.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
The Iron Horse Saloon, also on Lazelle Street is absolutely HUGE! The deck extending from the right side of this photo goes on an entire city block and has several different levels. To imagine this with a packed crowd is just incredible.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
Yet another huge establishment, this is One-Eyed Jack’s Saloon on Main Street in Sturgis. Once again, there is an entire multi-level deck attached to the main building.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/150 sec, f/7.1, ISO 160
This Sturgis sign is located on a hill that overlooks downtown. This sign is visible from I-90 as you drive by. This photo was taken from Lazelle Street and 3rd St.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/320 sec, f/9, ISO 160
Leaving Sturgis take highway 85 - a curvy and very scenic drive - to Deadwood. Deadwood is now a main street with many bars, casinos, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Admittedly, it is now a serious tourist trap, but the town does have some interesting wild-west history from the early days of this country.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/2400 sec, f/4, ISO 160
Chainsaw art is a very big thing out here! You can buy one of these for your yard if you would like. They will be happy to arrange for shipping - rider not included.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 160
Here is the website address in case you wish to order one of your very own!
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
Pam’s Purple Door Brothel, closed by the FBI on 5/21/1980. Once again the FBI ruins it for everyone!
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
This is the original site of Saloon Number 10 where Wild Bill was shot on 8/2/1876. The current Saloon Number 10 is located across Main Street - see photo below.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
Just two blocks away from the original Saloon Number 10 is the site where Jack McCall, the man who shot Wild Bill, was captured.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
The Franklin Hotel on Main Street in Deadwood, SD.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
The Homestake Mine in Lead, SD was a gold mine that closed in 2002. They have a very nice and informative visitor center.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/300 sec, f/9, ISO 160
Sedrick & Lisa pose in front of an old mining artifact from the Homestake Gold Mine.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/300 sec, f/9, ISO 160
On July 10, 2020, an EF 1 tornado hit Spearfish Canyon. This photo shows the devastation that it did to the trees. There are several miles in the canyon where you can see this kind of destruction. Over one year later they are making progress on cleaning up some of the dead trees, but there is still a long way to go.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/9, ISO 200
Spearfish Creek runs alongside highway 14A through Spearfish Canyon. This creek is filled with trout and just standing on the banks you can see a large number of them swimming by.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/9, ISO 200
Roughlock Falls is a great hike when the weather cooperates. However, if you don’t care to make the hike you can drive up to the falls on a dirt road and there are walkways and decks to view the falls.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1.9 seconds, f/16, ISO 3200, 8-stop ND filter.
These sheer cliffs make up the walls of Spearfish Canyon and are simply incredible. This view is from the Roughlock Falls trail.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/170 sec, f/5.6, ISO 160
These smaller cascading falls are located downstream from the main falls seen in the background.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 13 seconds, f/9, ISO 160, 8-stop ND filter.
On the other side of Highway 14A is Spearfish Falls.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 10 seconds, f/6.4, ISO 160
The DC Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery is both a history museum and a working fish hatchery. The grounds are spectacular to just walk around and appreciate the fall colors. Such a peaceful place!
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/4, ISO 400
The Yellowstone Boat.
“A long journey ended on August 6, 1996, when the boat known as the Yellowstone boat was ‘docked’ here.”
Quote from the informative sign at the site.
The boat was used to make annual trips to Yellowstone to collect trout eggs.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/4, ISO 500
In the early 1900s train cars like the one shown here were used to transport fish eggs and young fish to their final destinations across the country to stock the rivers and streams.
The ice house in the foreground is a replica of the original 1899 ice house. Ice cut from a Hatchery pond was stored in the ice house and used to cool the water in the cans used to carry young trout on railroad cars and trucks.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/6.4, ISO 2500
