Thursday, October 15, 2015

Spearfish Canyon

After two days of driving, I'd made it to the Black Hills of South Dakota and my parent's house.  Let the fun begin!


Tall limestone cliffs

There's so many beautiful places to see in the Black Hills that for each of my yearly visits, I try and pick different destinations.  This time, Spearfish Canyon rose to the top of the list.  A scenic 22-mile drive between the towns of Spearfish and Lead, it's one of my favorite roads in the Hills.


Churning water

This scenic byway winds through a canyon lined by thousand foot high limestone palisades.  Lovely Spearfish Creek lines the canyon floor, while lush trees cover its walls.  Two waterfalls along this route provide worthwhile stops.  Spearfish Canyon is especially popular in late September, when changing leaves add a splash of color to the already gorgeous scenery.


Roughlock Falls

First up on my "must see" list was Roughlock Falls.  A lovely, tiered cascade, it's the most visited waterfall in the Black Hills.  Many years had passed since I'd laid eyes on this beauty, so I convinced my parents to drive me there (it was an easy sell!)


My parent's "senior" picture

Sadly, by the time we'd arrived, the mid-afternoon sun wasn't conducive to photography.  I tried a couple shots with my DLSR, but all my images were backlit and blown out.  (Ironically, the only decent shot I got was with my cell phone!)  But I did get a nice pic of my folks and that's better than any waterfall.  My mom joked it was their "senior picture."


A touch of fall colors

The canyon walls surrounding Roughlock Falls were especially scenic.  Tall pillars of limestone rose steeply from the creek.  I even captured a tiny bit of yellow - the autumn colors were just getting started.


Burbling brook

A mile or so from Roughlock Falls was the lovely Latchstring Restaurant.  A local favorite for many years, this cute inn was located in an idyllic spot.  Surrounded by more tall cliffs and green trees, it's the perfect place to enjoy a special dinner.  Although we didn't stop for a bite, my folks and I did stroll around the grounds, taking in all the spectacular scenery.


Latchstring Restaurant

Then we piled back into my mom's car for a leisurely drive down the rest of the highway.   The road itself was designed to be driven slowly to take in all the magnificent scenery.  And that's exactly what we did.


Bridal Veil Falls

I spied another waterfall tumbling down a nearby cliff and asked my dad to pull over. 


A closer look at the falls

It was Bridal Veil Falls, a tall, wispy cascade.  Although I didn't have my tripod, I braced my camera on a nearby handrail, and managed to get a couple of decent captures.


Old Homestake Mining Co. power plant

One hundred years ago, gold and silver mining were huge industries in the Black Hills.  The Homestake Mine, a large underground gold mine, extracted huge amounts of metal from the earth.  Sadly, the mine is now closed, but many buildings still remain.  We stopped by an old hydroelectric plant, a remnant of this bygone era.


Lovely drive home!

A lovely, sunny day - perfect for getting out and revisiting an old favorite place from my childhood.


Note to my readers:  Tomorrow I'm off on one final adventure for the year.  That means I'll be away from blogland for several days.  But that also means I'll be bringing back lots of photos to share with you all.  Stay tuned!


28 comments:

  1. It would be interesting to investigate the mine. It looks as if it is mothballed and not abandoned.

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  2. The beauty just goes and goes.
    Great captures... thanks for sharing!

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  3. Again, wonderful images of this beautiful country!

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  4. Que maravilha e belo local para se fazer umas caminhadas em comunhão com a natureza.
    Um abraço e bom fim de semana.
    http://andarilharar.blogspot.pt/

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  5. Looks like a great place for outdoor adventures!

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  6. Another nice series - very pretty area

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  7. Lucky you that your parents live in such a beautiful place for you to visit! I could easily visit that area every single year!

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  8. I think your pictures turned out quite nicely. Your mom is a good-looking woman, I must say. Love that "senior picture" you took. :-)

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  9. Linda, if only you had taken a video of the water so we could hear the sound of it rushing through the mountain. Great shots! Have a good weekend.

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  10. I thought your photos were great! Fun to revisit childhood places:)

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  11. Your parents live in a beautiful area. I can see why you get excited about your visits home.

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  12. Hello Linda, lovely images on the Canyons and the beautiful waterfalls. What a sweet photo of the Seniors. The restaurant is located in a pretty spot. Great collection of photos. Thanks for sharing your visit. Happy weekend and enjoy your trip!

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  13. The black Hills are not only beautiful but a very unique area. It's an underrated destination.

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  14. We haven't been to the Black Hills since 2006, when we were still a family of 6. Spearfish Canyon was among my favorite highlights! Our twins swam in the icy cold creek that turned my feet numb just dipping them in. You have me wanting to dig out old pictures of Bridal Veil Falls and the underground waterfall we visited through a mine tunnel. It's a great area, your native land, and I love the"senior pixie" of your parents!

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  15. *picture. Darn auto gadgets. Enjoy your next adventure, Linda!

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  16. Pretty outing, and wonderful photo of your parents!

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  17. Magnificent scenery indeed. Just stunning!

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  18. Absolutely gorgeous, Linda! I could see myself enjoying a nice long walk there! :)

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  19. What a wonderful way to spend a day! Gorgeous cliffs and waterfalls.

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  20. I'm learning a lot on this blog. Smashing area as I've just looked it up in detail. Didn't realize it had much more to offer than a collection of famous heads as that's all you usually see in any films of the Black Hills. Impressive cliff scenery.

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  21. I never think of South Dakota being a place for waterfalls...but of course the Black hills would have them! Funny how cell phones can sometimes do what our DSLRs don't.

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  22. You're off again - constantly moving and shooting incredible landscapes. I had the same experience with back-lighting when we hiked last week - my cell took much better photos than the Big Girl Camera. Love the falls.

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  23. Another beautiful place. Funny how cell phone pictures can be so good in certain situations. And I love that you got a senior picture of your folks!

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  24. What an enjoyable post. I love waterfalls so seeing these two falls here today was just delightful. Those rock cliffs were also quite amazing. I bet that was a nice place to dine and enjoy beautiful scenery and I loved your parents "Senior" photo. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

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  25. I'd love to try to hit this area next year. My daughter and I were just talking about Lead. I'll bookmark this.

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  26. Your parents sound SO neat! I think I would really like them:) Love the photo of Bridal Veil Falls--great capture! Hope you are having a great time on your "adventure"!
    Blessings, Aimee

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  27. Hi Linda, just letting you know that I miss you and am thinking of you, and hope you are enjoying your adventure. Sending you a hug.

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  28. Such gorgeous scenery and the water falls are lovely. Love your parents "senior picture". Looks like you have a great family. I had great times with my parents too, and treasure our travels and memories. Know you had a great time

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