Winter Sunset.
Our second day started out early. There isn’t anything quite like making coffee at the picnic table by flashlight at 4 a.m. It is a titch more involved than hitting a button on a Keurig machine. In case anyone is wondering…there isn’t a coffee shop anywhere close and open at that hour…not in Interior, SD. With full mugs we set out and secured our sunrise spot at Door, Window, Notch Overlook in Badlands National Park. The scene was shaping up nicely. It is always preferable to see some clouds aloft. It was a pleasant early morning sipping coffee while watching the light of the new intensify. Here are a few shots of the sunrise unfolding over the rugged landscape of the badlands.
Sunrise @ Door, Window, Notch Overlook in Badlands National Park.
September 7th 2014. Sunset @ Badlands Wilderness Overlook in Badlands National Park.
We had a full day of touring the park admiring the landscape and wildlife. The grand views and fresh air were relaxing. Time flies when you are on vacation. It was sunset time before we knew it. Badlands Wilderness Overlook was a great choice for sunset. It is situated West of the Pinnacles entrance to the park South of Wall, SD along Sage Creek Road. While shooting the sunset we heard a number of coyotes howling in the distance. A sunset serenade – a first for both of us. Here are some shot from our sunset shoot at Badlands Wilderness Overlook.
Interior, SD is approximately 550 miles from our doorstep. It wasn’t a bad drive at all and thankfully we had no major delays. You have a few choices for camping in close proximity to Badland National Park. Both Cedar Pass Campground and the White River KOA are very close. If you like trees and perhaps some shade, the latter is your better choice. White River KOA is only 8 miles south from Interior. Post Labor Day meant no crowds; we were fine with that. The campground had nice sites with shade and clean restroom/showers. A perfect base for our two-day stay.
After setting up camp we headed into the park to find a suitable sunset location; we decided on Pinnacles Overlook in Badlands National Park. Here are a few photos from that evening.
Sunset @ Pinnacles Overlook in Badlands National Park.
Back in late August of this year (2014), my wife and I were in the Duluth area to shoot a wedding. We stayed in Brule, WI at Brule River Classics the evening before. We had a little time to explore before sundown. County Road H north of Brule parallels the Brule River almost all the way to Lake Superior; Hwy 13 will take you the rest of the distance. To get to the rivers end, Brule River Road is a short jaunt just off of Hwy 13. We anticipate coming back this way. This area was quite nice with plenty of opportunities to explore – including kayaking.
The reddish water was a bit of a surprise. I had originally thought it was a muddy Brule flowing into the blue Superior, but that wasn’t the case. The shoreline on the big lake must have consisted of this red clay; steady waves on the clay produces the color. A beautiful location to take in a sunset.
