Sometimes spur of the moment road-trips are the best kind. This trip was a four day, sixteen-hundred mile whirlwind of a trip from Oklahoma to South Dakota. We had a wide range of travel from Pierre to the Black Hills. Stops at Myril Arch’s Cattleman’s Club Steakhouse in Pierre, the Murdo Pioneer Auto Museum, The Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Badlands highlighted the trip. Additionally there were plenty of back roads and exploring.
Trying to take in the Badlands in one shot. Much of it washed out, but the layers of color are amazing.
The state capital in Pierre. Though the weather was really good for the time of year, we did have overcast skies for most of the trip. There were those magic moments when the blues and greens just popped.
The boardwalk along the Missouri River in Pierre, SD. Fishing areas and picnic areas out upon the water. The park along the river banks was beautifully green and well maintained.
Plenty of back road pictures among the ghost towns and abandoned homesteads. The Bad River Trail offers considerable opportunities for capturing images.
The Black Hills National Cemetery. Those white stones lined up in nearly perfect rows are an incredible reminder of the cost of freedom. Remembering that this is but one National Cemetery helps to put things in perspective. How anyone can see a place like this and not be overwhelmed by the debt we own to the lives which were offered on what Lincoln called “the Alter of Freedom” is beyond my comprehension.
Iron Mountain Road is one of the most incredible drives I’ve ever experienced. When we finished the trail, there was a strong temptation to turn around and drive it all over again.
