Along Sage Ridge Road
Badlands National Park, SD
Colors, light, shadows, hills, ridges, and valleys … they are all here in the Badlands. The late afternoon sun pops out the colors, shapes, and textures from a rather grey-brown scene at midday. This image is not as sharp as I would like it to be, but it still captures the feeling of awe I had gazing over the vast landscape.
‘Purple and Yellow Mounds’
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
It was late in the afternoon and the sun had gone behind the clouds. It felt like rain was coming. There were few cars passing along the adjacent road. No one was stopping to enjoy the beauty of the colorful hills. Alone, I had this wonderful panorama in front of me. I felt at peace in one of nature’s wonderlands.
The Badlands National Park, South Dakota
The Badlands were formed by a series of depositions and then erosion. Seventy-five million years ago, the area what is now the Badlands was a part of an inland sea extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Pole. The lowest levels are sea bed depositions. From 75 to 45million years ago, plate movement gradually forced up the Rocky Mountains and created a depression which is now the Badlands. During this period, erosion from the raising mountains and volcanic action deposited various layers of material in the depression. Starting about 500,000 years ago the Cheyenne and White Rivers carved out the deep valleys through the area. Torrential rain storms and wind have been eroding the area at a rate of one inch per year.
“The Badlands”
Wall, South Dakota
I’ve been laid up for the last couple of weeks and have not been able to get out and do any photographing. As such, I have been catching up on various photography topics. Jason O’Dell just put out a webcast on the Badlands that caught my eye. Jason, thanks for the stimulus. I was there for just a few hours as I drove across country from Philadelphia to Washighton. The day wasn’t the best for photography, but I was able to come up with a few that had potential. My visit was more of a scouting trip, hopefully for a return visit when I can spend the time to explore. I look back to my short visit. I look forward to when I will return.