In the late fall and early winter, love is in the air, in the badlands. This is the time when the rut begins for the bighorn sheep, and if you’ve watched any wildlife documentary on the sheep, you have no doubt seen the big rams battling it out for dominance. They skull crushing, head on … Read more
“I think over again my small adventures
My fears, those small ones that seemed so big
For all the vital things I had to get and reach
And yet there is only one great thing
The only thing
To live to see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.” – Intuit Elder
I have made 3 or 4 trips now to Badlands National Park in South Dakota and while there’s no question, you can see some amazing things from driving through there, the truth is the real beauty lies in getting out of the car and walking, exploring, and discovering formations that you could never see well from the road.
I have shot most of the iconic spots, Ancient Hunter’s Overlook, Panorama Point, or Cedar Pass…and have enjoyed them all, and will likely stop at all of them again down the road, but the greatest appeal for me now is to simply see what else is out there.
This image was a result of walking a bit. Not terribly far, but as you traverse the ridges and mounds, you come to find views like this. It shows the beautiful etched lines in the mud where water has cut into it…and the striations of color in the land is something to behold…they get particularly colorful when the ground is wet from rains…although I’d suggest not going out too far following rain or snow melt…you’ll bring a lot of the land back with you in the form of mud caked to your shoes.
In the late fall and early winter, in the mountain west, Bighorn sheep, most notably the rams, start getting down to business. Nearly everyone has watched the head butting battles on film over the years, and I can imagine it’s quite a sight to see. Hopefully if my timing is right, I will one day witness it first hand.
In this image, this ram has already established his place as the leader among a group of around 20 sheep. This included ewes as well as young rams, some of whom will one day make a challenge for his dominant position. I have a feeling, even in his golden years, they’ll have a fight on their hands.
Badlands National Park – South Dakota.
Badlands National Park is a terrific place to take the family. During the summer months it’s pretty busy but certainly not anything compared to a place like Yellowstone. That park simply get’s overloaded with tourists. The Badlands in comparison, is a retreat. The scenic overlooks are quite spectacular, as are the various peaks and formations. … Read more
