South Dakota Pictures (Rapid City, Huron, Spearfish: earthquakes, estate, cars)

[sd2ca]

The last spring that I spent on my parents farm (just outside of Lemmon SD) helping to plant the wheat, my dad finally bought a "comfort cover" for our John Deere. All the cover consisted of was some simple framework, a plastic windshield that was about as high as you head, and the pieces of canvas that stretched from the front of the engine back to the center of the rear fender. It worked fairly well as long as you were traveling into the wind. Pretty much useless when the wind was at you back. But I will admit, it was better than nothing! Good old days...now that those days are gone, I'd go back in a heartbeat and do it all over again.

[stingray427]

Originally Posted by sd2ca

The last spring that I spent on my parents farm (just outside of Lemmon SD) helping to plant the wheat, my dad finally bought a "comfort cover" for our John Deere. All the cover consisted of was some simple framework, a plastic windshield that was about as high as you head, and the pieces of canvas that stretched from the front of the engine back to the center of the rear fender. It worked fairly well as long as you were traveling into the wind. Pretty much useless when the wind was at you back. But I will admit, it was better than nothing! Good old days...now that those days are gone, I'd go back in a heartbeat and do it all over again.

All the good things have been taken. I'd go back too everything was better back then.

[sd2ca]

Originally Posted by stingray427

All the good things have been taken. I'd go back too everything was better back then.

Way Better!

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by sd2ca

Way Better!

The work was harder and I liked that, You also got what you paid for back then and everything was worth it's value.

[stingray427]

Originally Posted by sd2ca

Way Better!

I concur with you and the people were better. People took more pride in their work at least in the USA.

[stingray427]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

The work was harder, But you got what you paid for and everything was worth it's value.

Yes so very true. Back then you could buy a home with a car with only one income provider and have kids. Today it takes more than one income in most cases and the inflation and prices have gone up on everything beyond the true value of what they are worth.

[Jammie]

Moderator cut: Pictures, please. Thanks.

[kbat]

Pulling some more pics out of the vault....

Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Canyon, Fall 2009



Autumn foliage over a rushing stream near Roughlock Falls



Lichen in a rushing stream near Sheridan Lake. I'm easily amused by the little stuff, and always wonder how it gets a chance to get established and grow on those rocks without getting washed away.



Rock formation near Sheridan Lake. Looks like a mixture of quartz, granite and mica with some moss thrown in for good measure. Note the grasshopper intruding into the picture. It was a banner year for grasshoppers in western South Dakota. Those suckers were everywhere. I couldn't take a step on our property in New Underwood without dozens of them leaping up around my feet. It was rather like walking through a giant popcorn popper.



Birch trees, Spearfish Canyon. I thought they looked like they were hugging.



Trouble brewing over west Rapid City, Summer 2009



Central States Fair, Summer 2009. The second and third pics were taken from the Ferris wheel. I am scared to death of heights and thought I was going to throw up and/or die the whole time I was on that blasted thing, but I really wanted to get the photos.







The Central States Fair offered plenty of dubious eats such as deep-fried Oreos (didn't try) and alligator sausage (did try--very tasty). The stuffed alligator head at La Cajun Connection has a name. He is Alphonse.





Pics from the horse show and Range Days Rodeo at the Central States Fair. I have a slight fixation with horses, if the last bunch of photos didn't tip y'all off.









Timber wolf looking for something tasty to eat under a stump, Bear Country USA.



Baby bighorn sheep, if memory serves.



Another New Underwood scene



Doppler radar along New Underwood Road



More recent pic from Sheridan Lake Road in west Rapid City. Every year these people go slightly more bonkers than they did the last. It's like they're trying to one-up themselves.

[stingray427]

Very nice pictures but one of those pics looks like a storm or could it be just before a tornado? Does SD/ND get tornadoes

[kbat]

Originally Posted by stingray427

Very nice pictures but one of those pics looks like a storm or could it be just before a tornado? Does SD/ND get tornadoes

I believe that's a rotating wall cloud, from which tornadoes are often born (weather weenies, please feel free to correct me if that's wrong). It never came to anything but for a while it looked like it might. SD and ND do occasionally get tornadoes. They aren't as common out west as they are in the east, and they aren't common in Rapid City. But the further east you go onto the prairie, the more likely you are to encounter one. It's something to bear in mind, but I certainly wouldn't panic about it.

This is from our property north of New Underwood (July 2009). This tornado was kind of a sad, anemic little thing. One could almost feel sorry for it. It didn't stay on the ground very long.



And these (excuse the cruddy image quality... it was pitch black, hailing and the camera wasn't the best) were taken from the Pilot truck stop at Deadwood Avenue and I-90 in Rapid City one afternoon in August 2007, not two hours after the real estate agent reassured me that we NEVER get tornadoes in this area and that it was absolutely NOT necessary to have a house with an underground basement or storm cellar in western South Dakota. It dissipated before it did any damage, but some cars on I-90 took baseball-sized hail from the thunderstorm that spawned it. I stood there taking pictures because I'm dumb.