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South Dakota posts
Video: Milky Way from the plains
Jul 1st, 2011 at 3:00PM:
Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo, dakotalapse.com
I'm a sucker for a beautiful time-lapse video. Advancing technology has made the time-lapse approach to film-making accessible to more people. And as these visually-minded people try to hone their skills with the camera, Randy Halverson might as well consider his skills honed--as far as I'm concerned. This time-lapse video by ...
Video: South Dakota winter time-lapse
May 30th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Sub Zero - winter night timelapse from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.
I've been hypnotized by many a nature time-lapse video this year, but this film capturing South Dakota winter is one of my new favorites. Shot back in February, the artist behind the piece says that most nights were subzero with a -25F wind chill. Using the Dynamic Perception Stage Zero dolly and the Milapse mount on most ...
Top North American rodeos to check out this summer
May 12th, 2011 at 1:00PM: In honor of the approaching National Day of the American Cowboy, which I wrote about earlier in the week, I wanted to highlight some of the best rodeos North America has to offer.
Even city slickers can enjoy a rodeo; it is, after all, a sporting event. With a lot of beer. And grilled meat. And a lack of giant foam fingers and face-painting (not a bad thing, I might add).
In all seriousness, ...Photo of the Day (1.2.11)
Jan 2nd, 2011 at 6:00PM:
I like the optimism of today's photo, courtesy of Flickr user JasonBechtel. It's a great way to kick off a brand new year. Jason snapped this photo out in South Dakota - a land you can imagine inhabited by limitless blue skies and crisp grasslands, gently swaying in the breeze. What really pulls the image together is the framing of the wide-open gate. The open door seems to beckon the viewer ...The 10 snowiest cities in America ... bundle up!
Dec 17th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
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I spend all summer fantasizing about winter. From the end of May to the beginning of October, I wind up drenched in sweat, wishing I could peel off my own skin and running from one air conditioned environment to another. It's miserable. When the biting cold of the winter ...Photo of the day (11.12.10)
Nov 12th, 2010 at 6:30PM:
As a kid, I listened to my grandparents talk about the desolate beauty of the Badlands. The place with the simple, slightly confusing name had to be beautiful and special, I reasoned with myself, or its name wouldn't provoke such wistful reverence on the part of the Robertsons of Boulder Creek. Flash forward a bunch of years, and despite having visited many countries and 48 states, I still ...Photo of the Day (11.08.10)
Nov 8th, 2010 at 6:00PM:
My earliest travel memories are of my first trip to Disney World. I remember waking up before sunrise to go to the airport. I remember sharing a hotel room with my sister and thinking that we were very cool for doing so. And I remember the breakfast buffet at the hotel. Breakfast at my house as a kid consisted of cereal, bagels, eggs and, on special occasions, pancakes with bacon. I've loved ...Five states where you're most likely to hit a deer this fall
Oct 4th, 2010 at 3:30PM:
Leaf-peepers are about to hit the road in force – as they always do this time of year. While soaking in the burning foliage colors with your eyes, it's only too easy to forget you're behind the wheel, a situation that can lead to disastrous consequences. There are some states where beautiful foliage and deer prancing on the streets just seem to go together, according to a study by insurance ...Photo of the Day (8.10.10)
Aug 10th, 2010 at 5:00PM:
Badlands National Park; if the name alone doesn't inspire you to visit, then perhaps this frame from photographer Theodore Scott will.
Inspired to get out and travel immediately after completing his college courses, Scott chose to skip his own graduation for a weeklong tour of the park. His takeaway? "..I crawled out of my tent most mornings to see bison scattered around the landscape. It ...Corn Palace to the Jolly Green Giant: 10 Midwest roadside attractions you must see
Jun 9th, 2010 at 12:00PM: America's heartland is home to plentiful crops, rolling hills and orange sunsets. You can find a Dairy Queen next to a cherry tree and park yourself in front of a drive-in movie on a hot summer night. There's also the world's largest bottle of ketchup, and enchanted highway and the Jolly Green Giant.... wait, what?
It's true, travelers. The Midwest is home to many quirky attractions that might ...39 of America's best drives
Jun 1st, 2010 at 10:00AM:
Summer is upon us, and that means it's time for road trips. Even with gasoline prices nudging the three dollar mark, there's no better way to spend a summer day or weekend than taking part in the American tradition of a great drive. With that in mind, Gadling has put together 39 great drives across the U.S. you'll want to check out. So grab your keys and get out on the open road!
Duluth, ...Fat Tire Festival comes to the Black Hills
May 1st, 2010 at 12:00PM: Mountain biking fans looking for a new destination to ride should set their sights on the Black HIlls of South Dakota at the end of May. The scenic, and historic, Rapid City area will serve as the host of a unique and action filled weekend, running the 28th through the 31st, which will include a variety of races, live music, barbecue, and much more.
The 4th annual Black Hills Fat Tire Festival ...5 reasons why you should try a Bed & Breakfast
Apr 20th, 2010 at 1:00PM:
We'll just come right out and say it: far too many travelers and vacationers give far too little thought to where they're staying. Maybe we've just been trained to assume a nondescript hotel is the only option when it comes to spending a night away from home, but whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, things get a lot more interesting when you deviate from the norm. Not that we've any ...Road Trip Tips: make lodging part of the journey, not just a place to stay
Apr 20th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
Spring's upon us, and those summer months you've been desperately waiting for are nearly here (in this hemisphere, anyway). We can't help but say that anytime is a perfect time for a road trip, but the prime months for hitting the highway are just ahead, and that leaves you precious little time to prepare. In haste, many road trippers tend to overlook, or simply brush aside, one critical aspect ...Photo of the Day 4.14.10
Apr 14th, 2010 at 6:30PM:
Sometimes taking the road less traveled will lead you to some of the best kept secrets. This photo from boo*radley was captured somewhere in South Dakota. Boo writes, "Sometimes an unnamed stretch of road in the middle of nowhere (this time, South Dakota) can be just as lovely as a famous landmark."
Well put, Boo. Great shot on the road to nowhere!
Have a travel related picture or two for ...Get a "vacation makeover" and visit Mt. Rushmore this summer
Apr 10th, 2010 at 8:00AM: The Black Hills Visitor Industry and Kodak are joining forces to give five lucky travelers a "vacation makeover" this summer, sending them on a South Dakota adventure. All they have to do to win, is share their best vacation story ever, and we all know we have great travel tales to tell.
The Vacation Makeover: Destination Mt. Rushmore contest is designed to bring out the travel writer that is ...Winter fun in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Dec 31st, 2009 at 1:00PM: The blizzard that blew through the Midwest last week may have disrupted travel for the holidays, but it was just what outdoor enthusiasts were looking for in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Snow had been quite sparse up until the blizzard hit, but some areas received as much as four feet of the white stuff, making the area the perfect winter playground for skiers and snowmobilers. Awhile back we ...Goin' straight to the Wild, Wild West
Nov 16th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Certain kinds of scenery soothe the soul, and for some, whether they're a cowboy or cowgirl at heart, or they just like to ride horses, or they long for that wide-open imagery so unique to America, watching old westerns over and over again doesn't really scratch the itch.
One company that specializes in touring cowboy-worthy destinations is Wild West Vacations & Travel. They lead tours ...Photos of the Lakota: a lesson in culture and inclusion
Oct 20th, 2009 at 1:30PM: In Mike's post on he brought up the conflict one can experience in cultural tourism. He was prompted to write down his thoughts after visiting the Tiwi Islands in Australia. In the photo essay and interview in the New York Times, "Behind the Scenes and Still Wounded" Aaron Huey, who found himself drawn into the terrible beauty of the Lakota tribe of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, Huey ...Adventure Destination: South Dakota
Aug 28th, 2009 at 8:00AM: When adventure travelers think about exotic locations to visit they seldom mention South Dakota. There are plenty of mountain states in the western U.S. that get more attention, thanks in no small part to the higher elevations in the Rockies. But South Dakota can hold its own in terms of rugged backcountry and beat most other locations with the diversity of its terrain. Make no mistake, the ...
