Historic Sylvan Lake

By request from reader Lesa Jarding, here is the original hotel at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota.



This Victorian style lodge opened in 1895. It was one of the showpieces of the tourist trade in the Black Hills and hosted many famous visitors. It burned in 1935 and was replaced with a more modern hotel on a hill overlooking the lake in 1937.

I was amazed one day while flipping through TV channels to come across a very old black and white movie of a cowboy wrestling with a Native American warrior on the shore of a lake that looked familiar. As I watched, I realized it was Sylvan Lake and the "fight" was taking place on the shoreline directly in front of this old hotel. I could just imagine the director sitting on the porch with an iced tea in his hand overseeing the filming. I have no idea what movie it was or any more about it, but it was interesting.

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park is one of those places that is so beautiful people have a hard time believing it's man-made. As a matter-of-fact, there are no natural lakes in the Black Hills, so any body of water is man-made.

The small lake is located in the northwestern chunk of the park that also contains the Needles rock formations and is connected to the rest of the park by the Needles Highway, SD Highway 87.

By far the most obvious spot to photograph Sylvan Lake from is the drive along the east edge of the lake. With spectacular rock formations forming a great backdrop and often times reflected in the water, you can't beat sunrise here.



As you can see, I love using trees that aren't being lit by the morning sun yet to frame the brightly-illuminated rocks.



As the sun rises higher and loses it's golden hue, the reflections really pop on a calm day.



If you saw the 2007 Disney film "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," this is the lake that Nicolas Cage and company discovered an ancient temple underneath. No, there is not really a secret temple under the lake, no it's not immediately behind Mount Rushmore as it appeared in the film, and I really doubt you will find eagles carved into the rock by pouring water on the rocks, but feel free to try.

As you can probably guess, Sylvan Lake is popular with hikers, boaters, bicyclists, campers and sightseers. Paddleboats and canoes are available for rent.




The road along the east side of the lake leads to a parking area for one of the more popular hiking trailheads to Harney Peak, highest point between the Rocky Mountains and the Swiss Alps.

A hiking trail also circles the lake, winding over and around the large rocks along the water.

R.I.P. Killer

These were my local tour guides for shooting the pasque flowers near Ree Heights in my last post - Buster Deuter and "Killer," who I called the "Poodle on the Prairie."



Killer got comfortable enough with me to ride in my lap back from the Ree Hills in Buster's Kawasaki Mule.

I just learned that over the weekend Killer was run over by a truck and died. I'm sorry, Buster. I know he was a good friend.

South Dakota state flower - the Pasque Flower

The pasque flower is the official state flower of South Dakota. In part, it was designated that because it is one of the first flowers to bloom each spring in this part of the country.

Finding pasque flowers to photograph has proven to be a challenge some years. Not only are they early to bloom, but they don't last for more than about two weeks. So if you don't catch them right away, you probably aren't going to.

I'm sorry I don't have surefire advice for finding pasques, but late April is the time to start the search. They seem to grow best on areas where the soil has never been tilled, which on the prairie tends to be rocky ridges. My best luck in the past has been in the Black Hills near Pactola Lake and on the southern end of Iron Mountain Road. I've heard that the prairies around Sica Hollow can be a good spot as well.

With help from a co-worker who's originally from Ree Heights in the central part of the state and a local guide there, I found these last Monday.






They are dainty little things, only about four or five inches tall. The purple coloring can be very faint, almost white at times.

Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary

If you are a fan of horses, great western landscapes, or the Old West you will love the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary.

Located 12 miles south of Hot Springs off South Dakota Highway 71 at the crossing with the Cheyenne River, the sanctuary would attract photographers for it's terrain alone. Add in a herd of over 500 wild horses, a western movie set, abundant other wildlife, and authentic Native American and pioneer cliff carvings and you have quite the mix.



Tours are given year-round in small busses. Much of the tour will be shooting photos out the windows of the bus. I've found the tour guides to be knowledgeable about what photographers want and agreeable to stop when needed or to allow people to get outside of the bus for picture taking if practical at that particular point. I wouldn't expect them to put up with shooting every picture off a tripod and the time that takes, but they will work with you. A zoom lens in the 80-400mm range is very handy when shooting out the window, but at times the horses are too close for that.

The stars of the show, of course, are the horses. They are quite often easy to line up with spectacular backdrops.



Wild horses seem all the more "wild" if they are running and kicking. Unfortunately that can't be guaranteed at every visit, but it's a lot of fun when it happens.




Springtime, of course, means babies, and lots of them. The pictures below were taken at the end of April 2008. The variations in colors between individual animals, even mares and foals, is amazing.





This area was originally several ranches, and remnants are found everywhere. This stone and wood corral is so authentic and rustic looking that Marlboro cigarettes once used it for advertising photography.



Several movies have taken advantage of the sanctuary's landscape as well. Disney's "Hidalgo" filmed opening sequences here, including a reenactment of the Wounded Knee massacre. Here is a production still from the movie featuring Viggo Mortenson and the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in the background.



No, I did not take the picture above. It is a Disney publicity photo I found on Google. I was there and watched an afternoon of filming, including this scene, but was not allowed to take pictures.

TNT Films recreated Fort Robinson, Nebraska here for the made-for-tv movie "Crazy Horse." The set still stands and looks really great until you get too close.



A cliff near the "Hidalgo" filming sites is covered with petroglyphs of varying ages. Native Americans etched drawings into the soft stone, and pioneers followed the tradition. Many of the names carved on the cliff face in the late 1800s and early 1900s can be easily traced to families that still live in the area.





These petroglyphs are very similar to ones found on the Koller Ranch, which is in a canyon to the west, near Edgemont. If you are interested in this kind of thing, I would suggest checking out Rock and Pine Adventure Tours. See my earlier post for more info: http://dakotagraph.blogspot.com/2008/02/petroglyphs-and-more.html

Turkeys, deer and prairie dogs are almost hard not to see on the tours. I've spotted bighorn sheep and the sanctuary staff tells me that mountain lions and coyotes also roam the area.

The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary has one cabin that sleeps four for overnight accomodations, or Hot Springs has many hotels and there are numerous campgrounds in the area.

Learn more about the horses, the sanctuary and it's very interesting founder Dayton Hyde, and check current tour schedules and fees at www.wildmustangs.com.

On the way to the sanctuary from Hot Springs, you will pass the Cascade Springs and Cascade Falls picnic areas. Both are great places for a short stop to enjoy the warm bubbling brook and Cascade Falls includes a good old-fashioned swimming hole.

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Okay here's my first attempt at a photo idea guide for the infamous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It may not be the last because there are so many different aspects to the rally.

This is by far South Dakota's largest tourism event/festival/convention/party. Traditionally held on the first full week of August, the Rally builds for at least a week before and dwindles off rather abruptly at the end of the week.

Upwards of 500,000 motorcycle enthusiasts attend. Keep in mind, this is in a town with a year-round population just over 6,000. For that one week each summer, Sturgis is the largest city in either of the Dakotas. Think of it this way - the entire state of South Dakota's population is only around 780,000 and North Dakota's is 635,000 according the US Census Bureau.

My theory is that there is no event anywhere in the United States where the impact can be seen and felt in a larger radius around the central point. Not Mardi Gras, not the Super Bowl, not the Daytona 500. In early August if you are anywhere within 600 miles of Sturgis I bet you will notice a large amount of motorcycle traffic and Sturgis t-shirts and trinkets for sale in many convenience stores.

I also like to say as you travel around the Black Hills during the rally it feels as if there can't be a motorcycle anywhere else on the planet. It seems that they are ALL here.

So, with that in mind, the photographic opportunities are endless. Where and what do you choose to shoot?

Epicenter for the rally is Main Street Sturgis. Over six blocks are reserved for motorcycle parking only, with two rows down the curbs and two rows down the center of the street. It's more chrome, rubber and leather than you will see in any other place.

Towers are stationed at each end of the street, and a small fee charged to climb to the top for picture taking. You can see one of the towers under the Jack Daniels banner in this shot. A 600mm telephoto lens compresses the mass of humanity and motorcycles into even more congested chaos here.



And the opposite extreme of lens, a fisheye from the top of the tower gives an overall view of Main Street.



A more conventional 24mm wide angle emphasizes the absurd length of this chopper.



You never know what's going to show up next on Main street, from custom bikes to crazy costumes.







As the rally has grown over the years, it has expanded far beyond the boundaries of Sturgis proper. Bikers traveling the highways of the Black Hills make great photos anywhere. Simply choosing a scenic spot and waiting for motorcycles to come by works pretty well.

This is Boulder Canyon, or Highway 14a, between Sturgis and Deadwood. Again, shot with a 600mm lens.



And Highway 79, east of Sturgis with Bear Butte in the background. This was shot out of the back of a moving min-van with the rear hatch open. Not the safest of camera platforms, but it worked.



Here is Highway 87 between Hill City and Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.



Badlands National Park is a favorite cruise for many rally attendees.



For a little variety from the hordes of bikers, check into special events during the rally. Many motorcycle races and stunt performances are held, some in towns, some at the various campgrounds surrounding Sturgis.

Kaptain Robbie Knievel has successfully completed three spectacular jumps in recent years at the Buffalo Chip Campground. Here he is in 2003 leaping over 100 Harley-Davidson motorcycles parked between his ramps.



This wheelie show was performed in downtown Custer during the 2005 rally.



Freestyle motorcycle jumping shows have grown in popularity and are offered at several venues during rally week. This one was outside the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.



Concerts, don't forget the concerts! Sometimes I think all the hard rock bands from the '70s and '80s must feel like the Sturgis Rally is actually a family reunion for them. The Glencoe and Buffalo Chip campgrounds east of Sturgis are the leaders in musical entertainment, but there are bands playing all over the Black Hills during that week. Recent performances have included ZZ Top, Tom Petty, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Poison, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Lynrd Skynrd, Def Leppard, etc, etc.

Here are Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick at the Glencoe's "Rock'n' the Rally" event.






This has been a very brief overview of what you can find at Sturgis. The amount of costumed characters, custom vehicles of all kinds, and outrageous behavior is legendary. Bike building competitions, celebrity appearances, art exhibits, and even machine-gun shoots and professional wrestling have all been part of the rally. There's no way I could cover it all in one post, and probably not in a blog dedicated solely to that.

For more information on specific events and locations check out these links:

www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com
www.buffalochip.com
www.glencoecamp.com

Weather during the rally is usually hot - into the 90s or higher. A thunderstorm or two is also not unusual during rally week. A few years ago I remember creeping up Boulder Canyon in a blinding hailstorm as bikers took any refuge they could under trees alongside the road. We actually stopped and offered to let some in our van, but they said it was too late for that and toughed it out in the hail.

Cottonwood ghost town

Cottonwood is a ghost town, but not completely. According to the highway sign, the population here is 12. Located on US Highway 14 approximately 12 miles east of the town of Wall, Cottonwood contains no businesses, but people do live here.







As most unoccupied buildings deteriorate over time, the town of Cottonwood is slowly fading back into the prairie from which it sprang. These pictures were taken over the last 10 years or so. As I drove by in April 2008, I noticed that many of the signs and facades have broken, fallen down or just plain faded.

As rustic as it appears here, this antique store has not been operating for many years and does not look this nice at the present time.











Many of Cottonwood's buildings do still stand proudly, though, as if waiting for new residents to move in.