Hello.
We are really enjoying the nice weather and we drive south. Nebraska was a wonderful 75 degrees. Here are some pics from this past week.
We stopped for lunch at Mt. Rushmore.
Drove through the Badlands on our way to Nebraska. They were pretty in a unique sort of way.
Also drove through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (home of the Oglala Lakota Nation). It was the most rural place I’ve ever seen. We drove on dirt roads for nearly thirty miles and didn’t see a single business the entire time we were on the Reservation.
We stopped at Wounded Knee to pay our respects and see the memorial to those who died in the massacre there.
It was interesting to see the grave of the US soldier who fought in WWII right in front of the Wounded Knee monument.
This is what Nebraska looks like.
In Lincoln we visited Pioneers Park. It was a beautiful place with lots of wildlife.
There were also bison, but we couldn’t get close enough for a good picture.
I’m from Nebraska – left there decades ago but I still like to see it looking beautiful. Thanks.
Such fascinating country and lovely photographs – love the sunset over the barn in Pioneer Park!
Great! I love all the photos. Each snaps were composed amazingly and beautifully.
Beautiful shots, such rugged terrain in parts of your trip. And the plains are gorgeous. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
It’s lovely to meet other places through your photographies.
Thank you very much!
Hugs from our PlaneT AsteroidS!
Gorgeous photos. I love the interesting shot of George Washington by himself. Since you went to Wounded Knee you might be interested in a post I wrote about the Battle of the Little Bighorn told from a Native American’s perspective: http://middleofthefreakinroad.com/2010/09/12/two-sides-to-the-story-of-custers-last-stand/
Beautiful shots:) Thanks for sharing!
Good pics.
Nothin like a good ole road trip
Beautiful… from a South Dakota girl. Glad you stopped through.
Yes, you are right. That is exactly what Nebraska looks like.
Thanks. http://calogeromiratraveland.wordpress.com
You have some amazing pictures! It’s pretty awesome when I can look at them and say “I’ve been there!” Great job!
Watch out for those deer. For some reason they love jumping in front of cars! I live in the Black Hills and I feel honored that pics from my area have been freshly pressed. I hope you enjoy the rest of your road trip! IN fact, I just had an epic weekend (http://crystalspins.com/2011/05/09/epic-weekend/) that had some of the same images your post includes. Thanks for sharing!
Crystal
I know Montana is “big sky country” but nebraska cannot be far behind! Stunning scenery- fabulous pics!
Love the photos, especially the wildlife in Pioneer Park. Did you know there’s also a very large wild horse sanctuary in Black Hills, SD? I’ve always wanted to go, but I’m all the way out in Colorado.
Nature can be so amazing…
I sure Miss S.D. Born there! Live in Maine now. Thanks for the memories! : )
I live on the very East side of South Dakota! You should definitely give this side of SD a visit sometime. We have some cool things too
Check out my blog http://www.letters2daniel.wordpress.com I’ll be putting some outdoor photos within the next couple days!
I love your pictures! Cute blog!
Whitney
Sioux Falls does have beautiful Falls Park and my kids enjoyed the Sertoma Butterfly House. Unfortunately, that was all the exploring we had time for on our trip out to the Black Hills.
You’re lucky you went through Nebraska when you did! It’s been in the 90s and humid this week. Lovely pictures!
I Made You A Mixtape is right. Nebraska is nothing but sky. That’s one of the reasons I like living here.
Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous photos. I drove through South Dakota last year. Did you notice that at Mount Rushmore you’re allowed to bring weapons, but you can’t bring pets!
It is so nice seeing different places in other countries. Nice pictures.
I’m from Iowa, but suprisingly enough have never visited South Dakota….you’ve inspired me. Thanks!
Beautiful post!
I’ve never made it to Rushmore but would love to see it some day.
Great pictures!
Joseph
LOVE the photos! They make me a little homesick–I’m from the Nebraska panhandle and I used to work at Pioneers Park.
Great pics. I grew up around there and traveled in those areas a lot. Not many people appreciate the beautiful scenery in Nebraska – thanks!
You captured the feel of the country well!
Some pretty amazing sights out there. Thank you for sharing.
Nice photos! These remind me of a road trip I took with my grandmother, mother, and sister from Michigan to Oregon when I was twelve. I had never traveled west of Texas, had never seen mountains, had never experienced the emptiness of the western United States. When we stopped in the middle of the Great Salt Desert, in Utah, I thought that the grey mountains rising from the blinding white sand were close by, maybe a mile off. Such was my naive sense of scale. I asked my grandmother how far away the mountains were, and she told me, “At least ten miles.” Road trips teach us something about scale.
Thanks for the photos!
Well, I was hoping you went to Mitchell too, though I must admit that the kind of pictures you took would not compare to most any of the typical tourist spots in Mitchell. Still, makes me want to head west and see what there is out there again.
Nice thoughts and photos. Congrats on being FP!
Spectacular photos; great shot of Mt. Rushmore. I appreciate the Pine Ridge photos, especially those of Wounded Knee. It is incredibly sacred place to the Lakota people, and powerfully poignant in reflecting on our history, as well as our relationships today. The Black Hills where Mt. Rushmore is the Lakota’s center and origin of creation. Did you get to see the monument to the great warrior, Crazy Horse? Thanks
I drive through Nebraska a few times a year back and forth from Colorado to Iowa and Illinois. I’m destination bound and don’t usually stop to small the roses–or take pictures. These are great.
Oh, you make me want to go back! Exactly 8 years ago this week, my best friend and I chose (ok, we threw a dart at a map) Nebraska for a 2 week road trip, and I fell in love with the place. I never thought I’d like a place with so few trees, but there’s no better way to see all that sky!
Happy travels!
Great time for a trip through the Great Plains!
The Mt. Rushmore and Badlands area is my favorite! The area is amazing…….I am Husker fan, so that area is close to my football heart.
So very lovely – and thanks, from a homesick Nebraska girl.
Hi…I’m headed to that area soon. I’ve never been to Mt. Rushmore or Nebraska, but am taking a year to travel the USA. I completed the East Coast and most of the west coast. Headed to the central (cold) state now. I’ve been blogging my trip at adventuresofacouchsurfer.wordpress.com. Take a look!
Great! I love all the photos. Each snaps were composed amazingly and beautifully.
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I married a Nebraska man, and I have been taken to some of those places. Not far from that wildlife park, there was a terrific museum with an exhibit of old planes. Perhaps it was not a permanent exhibit, but I felt lucky to have experienced it, either way.
One of my kids once called Mount Rushmore, “the head rock”.
Perhaps you’re thinking of the SAC museum by Omaha, NE? They house a lot of 20th century military planes.
Wildest lightning storm I ever saw was in South Dakota. Did you see any?
I grew up in Nebraska and South Dakota. These photos bring back fond memories of summers camping in the Black Hills and other state parks. Great photos.
These are two states I would love to travel to and see. I believe there is so much in our own country to see that I don’t really desire to go outside the US when I know there is so much to explore here. Except maybe to Australia or Italy. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic photos! I’m British and still can’t quite believe that Mount Rushmore is real…
Congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Amazing piece of photography.
Thanks so much for all of the fabulous comments! If you’d like to see all of our travel pics check out: http://sarajanecase.smugmug.com/Travel/American-Roadtrip
and come back every monday and Friday for my posts!
Those are some awesome photographs, waiting for more….
Really nice pics, would like to be there some day, but they would even be better if you clean the sensor of your camera.
i am from south africa and just looove this photos, always wanted to go on an american roadtrip! really great photos, thanks!
I wanna go on a road trip as well
Lovely photographs. Thanks for sharing..
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These pics are lovely, thank you for sharing! What a unique place and seeped in so much tragic history. Lovely! xx
Nice pics!
I have done road trips all across the U.S. and I have to say it is always amazing to take the drive. You get to see just how beautiful this country really can be. I’m glad you’re having a chance to enjoy it.
Stunning pics.
Amazing piece of photography
Does anyone know if North Dakota is that beautiful? We are going to a wedding there in July!
Breathtaking photos! I especially appreciated the monument at Wounded Knee. I’ve never been through there and your post surely makes me want to go.
Cheers on being Fresh Pressed as well .. MJ
Beautiful pictures.
Paying respect to those massacred at wounded knee : a graceful act
LOVE the photos! They make me a little homesick–I’m from the Nebraska panhandle and I used to work at Pioneers Park.
beautiful pics….
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Is it just me, or are Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse two of the most ridiculously disrespectful things we could have done to the American landscape? Those mountains were already national treasures, and no art will ever be as beautiful as what once stood there. That said though, I think your images are stunning. I really like the view of Rushmore from the drive in.
It’s not just you… They were also sacred to the people that had already been living there. Thanks for your comments.
Spectacular photos; great shot of Mt. Rushmore. I appreciate the Pine Ridge photos, especially those of Wounded Knee. It is incredibly sacred place to the Lakota people, and powerfully poignant in reflecting on our history, as well as our relationships today. The Black Hills where Mt. Rushmore is the Lakota’s center and origin of creation. Did you get to see the monument to the great warrior, Crazy Horse? Thanks
Sioux Falls does have beautiful Falls Park and my kids enjoyed the Sertoma Butterfly House. Unfortunately, that was all the exploring we had time for on our trip out to the Black Hills.
These are two states I would love to travel to and see. I believe there is so much in our own country to see that I don’t really desire to go outside the US when I know there is so much to explore here. Except maybe to Australia or Italy. Thanks for sharing.
Great! I love all the photos….