Posted: Friday, October 23, 2009 at 4:27 pm
By: Jeff Hanson
Rage Against The Dying Of The Light
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas
Not ready to call the fall foliage season over yet, I ventured out at lunch and found some trees and bushes that were not ready to go quietly into that good night.
Having the sun begin to emerge for the first time in what seems like forever made finding these shots even more pleasurable. Now that the peak of the season has ended in many parts of the state, it really makes the colors stand out so much more.
The brilliant red bushes are easy to see just south of I-229 on Minnesota Avenue, and the rest are from Tut Hill, Yankton Trails and the Outdoor Campus.
Categories: Sioux Falls
Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 10:19 am
By: Jeff Hanson
Categories: Sioux Falls
Posted: Friday, October 9, 2009 at 5:22 pm
By: Jeff Hanson
Drove up to Brookings and Volga on Wednesday and had to stop by SDSU. There is something about fall on a college campus that is special. You get that whole homecoming, back to school feeling of breaking out the sweaters and sweatshirts, football games and settling into college life.
Saw this one of the iconic tower on campus and then took a drive to the other end and crutched into McCrory Gardens.
Thinking I’m going to have to make another trip up for a football game to see the leaves change even more.
Categories: Brookings
Posted: Friday, October 9, 2009 at 4:07 pm
By: Jeff Hanson
Had to go back and visit Palisades State Park again, and there is definitely some more change in fall colors. Again there were a surprising number of people out camping and hiking that it made me a little jealous I couldn’t jump out and enjoy the trails with them.
For those of you who have taken a look at some of the pics I’ve sent in, there’s probably something you should know. These shots were all taken out of the window of the family truckster. I broke my foot in a couple of places and am tethered to a pair of crutches for the next 6 months. The good news is that there are plenty of good fall foliage viewing right from the road. But I do have to admit that the sound of fall leaves crunching underfoot does lose a little of its appeal when it is accompanied by the clanking of crutches.
Categories: Palisades State Park
Posted: Friday, October 9, 2009 at 3:35 pm
By: Carrie Sedlacek
Beautiful colors can be found at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area near Yankton.
Memorial Park in Yankton also feautures some lovely fall foliage.
As does Hillcrest Golf Course.
Categories: Lewis & Clark Lake
Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 8:29 am
By: Julie Brazell
The Needles Highway is a drive that produces photo worthy views year round. Right now the color of the changing leaves will add a few extra stops to your trip. Entering from Highway 16A on the southern end of the Needles Highway travelers will first see burr oaks scattered within the ponderosa pines.
They are mostly green but some have changed to yellow and rusty orange. The next rich fall colors are from the paper birch and quaking aspen trees. For the first few miles many of the birches have bare tops having lost many leaves in the recent high winds. Not to worry, future sections will show the birches in full color. Besides the bright purples of the Redosier Dogwood and the soft green of the Russian Olive will keep the color seekers eyes occupied for a while.
Between miles five and nine get cameras ready. This is the best the Needle Highway has to offer. Aspen and birches are as common as the curves in the road. That is what makes this part fun.
Each corner is a mystery as to what type of tree will be next. The added bonus is that both the aspen and birches are in many different stages of color change. Each corner could show green unchanged canopy, sun soaked yellows, or bare tops with ready to drop leaves on the lower branches.
Once in the granite formations of the Cathedral Spires and the Needles the birches and aspens still speckle the landscape but are farther along in the fall change. Some nice views of many spires outlined with the yellow of birch leaves is possible, but not for long.
Categories: Custer State Park • Needles Highway
Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 8:28 am
By: Julie Brazell
The 34 mile loop is predominantly ponderosa pine forest and short grass prairie yet a leaf tour on the road can produce some nice photos. Starting at the Game Lodge campground green ash trees line Grace Coolidge creek and have turned yellow but have lost many leaves due to the recent high winds. The winds have sped up the dropping of leaves yet there are places were ash and other trees can be seen in full color. The burr oaks in this area are still dark green and glossy. To contrast the greens and yellow of the trees purple Woodbine vines have climbed high into many trees.
The next four miles of the loop road have scattered windblown cottonwoods and a few green ash trees by the airport. Watch for wildlife until reaching French Creek. This is a highlight for color. Many burr oaks have given in to the fall season while other are holding on to Summer, speckles of yellow are prominent in some trees while others are still quite green. The green ash trees have no doubt felt the fading summer light and present a vibrant yellow throughout the valley.
Farther down the road, a few American elm trees in various hues of green can be found in the drainages. Next, a stretch of prairie where good summer rains produced thick grasses that still have some spots of green under the golden seed heads. The buffalo corrals have received some wind so many trees are stripped yet the ashes still with leaves have, at least for now, a fiery orange tint.
Rounding the corner visitors may want to stop at the trailhead for the Prairie Trail. At this juncture the elms are a stark yellow contrast to the darker oaks. Plus some of the ash trees have the speckles of orange like sparks from a campfire.
Ahead the road will pass the Four Mile fire and a prairie dog town that is still ripe with activity. Eventually the loop mergers with Highway 87 where clumps of birch and aspen trees add new shades of green and yellow. Pass Mount Coolidge and connect with Highway 16A and notice the dry orange colors of the burr oaks as you finish the last miles of the drive.
Categories: Custer State Park • Wildlife Loop Road
Posted: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 3:45 pm
By: Jeff Hanson
I love autumn and the Black Hill and Tuesday I fell in love all over again. The drive from Rapid to Custer State Park is always one of my favorites. The sites, the smell of the pine and the relaxed pace were appreciated.
This time I came in from the North on Iron Mountain Road and saw some great fall scenes, even better was the number of people who were admiring the fall scenery from all over. I talked with people from Iowa, Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado and New York and to a person they were captivated by fall in the Black Hills.
Around the Peter Norbeck center there was a buffalo who was enjoying the sites as well.
Getting back on 16 I turned north on 89 to head up to Sylvan Lake. The drive up was stunning to say the least, it was one of the best fall foliage drives I have ever experienced. The pictures I took do not do the scenery justice. Coming back down from Lake Sylvan and into Custer the golden glow of the trees made me want to stick around the resort community.
If you are looking for a great fall foliage drive, I’d definitely put this drive on your itinerary. With cold weather coming in on Thursday and Friday, this weekend should be a banner time to visit the Black Hills as I’m guessing the Hills and the trees are going to really come alive.
Next time I’m bringing a video camera. If you head up to the Hills this weekend, please send your pics to uShare.
Categories: Black Hills • Custer State Park
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:25 pm
By: Carrie Sedlacek
Carrie Sedlacek with SESD Tourism captured these images of the changing leaves near Yankton.
Categories: Lewis & Clark Lake
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 11:32 am
By: Harley Noem
This is on the Mickelson Trail, just up from the Sugarloaf Trailhead. The colors are at their peak right now.
Categories: Mickelson Trail
