Crazy. Yep, this summer has been one crazy ride. I just got back from a week’s long journey to South and North Dakota, with the same ladies I went to Iceland with. We had a great time and took lots of wonderful images. Though, I am still working through images I took at Glacier National Park in July before all the fires and now I have a ton more images to go through. I guess I will have plenty to do this winter when I can’t get out as much.

                One of our ladies had never been out to South Dakota before so of course we had to do all the funny touristy stuff along the way. Our first stop was in Pipestone, MN. We stopped at the Pipestone National Monument. It’s a cute little park with a nice waterfall, it made for a great first stop on our photographic adventure.

Pipestone National MonumentOver the Boulders

For more images from Pipestone visit: PipestoneMN

                Next stop the world’s only Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Mitchell is also known for pheasant hunting, though we didn’t get a chance to “shoot” any with our cameras. The corn palace is pretty cool when you look closely at its construction. Constructed of colored corn, grains and native grasses, and redesigned each year with a different theme. No small feat when you consider the first corn palace was constructed in 1882 and has been a Mitchell South Dakota tradition ever since.  

         From Mitchell, we traveled to Chamberlain South Dakota where we stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive & Keelboat Center. This is a beautiful rest stop, that with a short walk behind the center, there are breathtaking views of the river below. This is also the home of the Native American statue, Dignity. Fifty feet tall, only a year old and designed by sculptor Dale Lamphere, to honor the Lakota and Dakota people. He used three Native American models of varying ages to perfect her face. Which I find very cool. Dignity is truly a work of art that will be a welcome addition to Chamberlain and all of her visitors.

Dignity

Dignity: Chamberlain SD

                We still had a way to go, since we were staying in Keystone, but we couldn’t pass up Wall, South Dakota, the infamous home of Wall Drug. It’s kinda like a rite of passage to all first timers and weary travelers. Besides everyone needs a picture of themselves astride a giant jack-a-lope.  A bit of homemade ice cream to sustain us and a walk around the shops in order to look at all the trinkets and we were off to our final destination and the adventure that awaited us.

To view more images from my trip please visit: pipestonemn or southdakota-chamberlain

Thank you for stopping. Adventure on!!