Canyon Lake in Autumn

Today is a good day to post more autumn photos...it's day 3 of 40 mph wind gusts and the first day of snowfall, UGH. Really it was just snow 'dust' blowing sideways and barely visible, seems to be gone now...if only the wind was too...word is somewhere above us in N Dakota there's 8" of snow on the ground...sigh... Anyway, on the 9th I took a drive over to Canyon Lake in W Rapid City, as someone had mentioned the autumn colors there...I have mixed feelings about using the lake as a photo op since it's a man-made one, but hey the trees and water fowl are still real...it was overcast so the colors didn't turn out the best...

The lake is surrounded by many different types of trees, including maples which we all know produce gorgeous colors, like deep coral and gold...

This tree had bright green leaves and shiny bright red berries...

Another tree with golden high-lights...

I was excited to find that American wigeons are visiting the lake, a migratory stop...here's a male and female couple snacking together...

Wood ducks are at the lake year-round, but this day all I saw were the females...

In the designated duck-feeding area, this lone sunflower was looking prime...

More bright shiny red berries...

The butterfly garden was looking pretty good considering it was October...

A scabious flower? Another blogger recently posted what appeared to be the same flower so I wrote down the name...Googled it, seems the same (of a variety)....

The cosmos were doing well, fucshia and white...

Another wigeon shot...looking pretty 'fluffy' there...

I went back to the lake days later, when the sun was out, to get better shots of the wigeons...this is one of them....

Looking at a snoozing mallard, from the bridge above...I liked the stepping stone pattern around the duck...

The Canada geese were at the lake, no surprise there....

Dark burgundy leaves...

A tree was covered in these pretty orange berries, it was amazing...

Trees along the lake shore, with a bench and two small piers in the distance. I had quite the enjoyable visit!

Spearfish Canyon

On the first day of October, I took a drive down Spearfish Canyon even though I knew I was a little late to view the autumn colors at their prime there, which is in late Sept. You might think, what difference does a few days make...us locals know, it does matter, because the prairie winds find their way into the canyon and give the dying leaves a good thrashing, pretty much daily...but I did find some color yet intact...

But first things first...I stopped at the N end of the canyon, at a spot I like to look around...the creek was bone dry, a surprise...some creeks in the Black Hills do tend to drop underground...last time I looked, the creek was running above ground here...anyway, I was able to walk in the creek bed, where I discovered a chipmunk busily stuffing ticklegrass into its cheeks...

...And the poison ivy was a pretty deep coral color...

And the Western virgin's bower was still in its fruit stage...heads of achenes with silky, feathery beaks...

...Further S., I made a feeble attempt to shoot Bridal Veil Falls, knowing the light was all wrong...

...And further still, patches of sumac could be seen, a brilliant red...

At the Roughlock Falls area, the Motherwort was in bloom...a mint...

The woodbine was pretty shades of wine...

And the forget-me-nots were scattered all over as usual...

Below Roughlock Falls from the bridge, looking further downstream...

Heading back, along the road to the Falls, which is in Little Spearfish Canyon.

Badlands National Park

Yesterday my friend Jayne and I hit the back road route, Hwy 44E, for a visit to the Badlands NP and Wall Drug...having NO clue it would turn out to be the most rewarding visit to date, excluding the hazy overcast weather. Near the town of Scenic, I took Forest Service Rd 590 (unpaved) N and then, entering the park, E along Sage Creek Rim Rd., which eventually connects with the paved loop road that travels W-E along the eastern half of the N Badlands area......all photos enlarge...click the photo, then click the back arrow to return to my blog...

We knew there are 'supposed' to be buffalo in the BNP, but had never come close to seeing any before Sun. Our first sightings, however, at the NW corner of the park along that dirt road, were in a landscape that did not have the Badlands formations...

We both thought, wouldn't it be fantastic to see buffalo IN the Badlands landscape? And we both thought it wouldn't happen...

However, it did! We came across this lone fellow amid the more yellow/pink mounds...

...Typical Badlands formations...I took a shot of the two guys walking out on a mound (bottom right) for perspective...

We came across female bighorn sheep and a lamb...

The youngster was just way too cute...it came towards me and I had to keep backing up to keep some distance between us...

I almost didn't see the sheep on top of the mounds across the road from where I parked...another female and her lamb...too far for great shots...

Moving along...The yellow mounds area...when these are wet they are brilliant...

...another perspective shot...see the tiny car in the upper center area?

...Tooling along, we suddenly came upon a coyote...at first it ran, but I knew that they always stop and look like deer do...

...But we sure didn't expect the coyote to stop and lay down! We think there must've been a good reason...nearby prey, carcass, young 'uns? 

...And more badass Badlands scenery...then it was on to Wall Drug for lunch and one of their 'famous' homemade badass donuts...mmmmm...

FYI...The Badlands NP loop road is approximately an hour's drive E from Rapid City, right off I-90.

Awesome Autumn

The autumn colors in the Black Hills are already fading, but there are still patches of brilliant golds and reds if one looks around...and you know me, I really enjoy looking around...recently I took a drive up Nemo Rd. and Vanocker Canyon...

First, a somber note...Heading out of W Rapid City on County Rd 234, there's an area known as the Westberry Trail Fire...autumn colors have returned here, but there are dead trees standing vigil over the eerie landscape as a reminder...

...And there's a rest spot with signs explaining the fire, which burned from July 26th to 31st, 1988, charring 3,840 acres and destroying 15 homes...the firefighters stopped the fire 500 feet from another 440 houses and outbuildings. Not a big wildfire, but due to the proximity to so many homes, it was a very frightening one nonetheless.

Moving north up Nemo Road, I made my usual stop along Box Elder Creek...gold is softly reflected on the water's surface...the swallows are all gone now from the canyon's rocky face above the creek..

This small Ponderosa pine on the other side of the creek looks like it's half quaking aspen...

Further along the creek I stopped to capture some brilliant red and gold...but first, a chippy was checking me out...

I couldn't get a photo of the creek and the colors due to angle...the creek is below that rock wall in the background...

Another usual stop at Steamboat Rock picnic area...deserted and silent...

Heading up Vanocker Canyon, the quaking aspen always look beautiful this time of year on the Meadow Bruch ('brook') property...

A closer look at a lovely aspen by the gate...

A single ox-eye daisy still holding on, by Elk Creek in Vanocker Canyon.