Prairie Highway

Imagining the Prairie

kellyfuller — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:43:08 +0000

Driving through Iowa and South Dakota always makes me wonder what the prairie must have looked like 150 years ago.

The photo is one guess – it’s buffalo munching grass outside Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park.

It always takes an effort of will to remember that what now looks most “natural,” especially in Iowa, isn’t necessarily. Yep, that’s the trees.

America’s Lost Landscape

kellyfuller — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:52:03 +0000

Need a break from looking at snow?

Curbside Recyclers are Tough Honchos

kellyfuller — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:25:19 +0000

Curbside recycling worker in Vermillion, SD

On a morning so cold the door to my office was frozen shut, the Vermillion curbside recycling workers were still making the rounds.

Thank you for your dedicated service!

Making Snow in South Dakota

kellyfuller — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:41:07 +0000

Subzero temps + boiling water = homemade snow. Temp was between -15 and -19 F.

Cleaning Up at the Community Garden

kellyfuller — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:19:17 +0000

Yesterday, under a sky more suited for November, volunteers cleaned up the Vermillion Community Garden. And they built a new tool shed!

Readying the plots for next year

Hammering duo

A young crew boss supervises

The Vermillion Garden Club came and tidied up the native flower beds.

Cleaning up around the native flower beds

Racing the rain spatters to build the tool shed

Ad hoc lumber mill

Vermillion Gets a New Weather Station

kellyfuller — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:00:14 +0000

Vermillion's newest weather station

As of yesterday, there is a new source on the Internet for real-time Vermillion, SD weather data.

The pic shows the weather station, which is located near Vermillion’s historic downtown. We’ve had it up a few days and started sending live data to Weather Underground yesterday.

Like all weather stations, it has accuracy limitations due to its physical placement. On really sunny days, the recorded temps may be slightly higher than actual air temperature. Because we couldn’t get it fully above the roofline, recorded wind speeds may be a little lower than reality.

We’re using a three-year-old La Crosse wireless weather station to collect the data.

Pumpkins Take over Downtown Rapid City

kellyfuller — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:05:27 +0000

Pictures of last weekend’s Pumpkin Festival in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Painting a Celtic pumpkin

The finished product -- the legendary "Green Man"

Pumpkin loadin' in Rapid City

Who gave the bat signal?

Love child of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow

Halloween bison sighting

Not a tagger, "just some person"?

Early Fall Comes to the Prairie

kellyfuller — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:56:14 +0000

It was beautiful today out on the (restored) prairie.

A good day for wildflowers

Spirit Mound Prairie Trail

I tend to forget that Spirit Mound, a major landmark in these parts, is only few miles away from town. Funny, when I lived in a huge megalopolis, I had no problem driving 20 minutes nearly every day so I could hike up a somewhat larger hill. It’s easy to take natural beauty for granted here, without so much concrete and asphalt around.

Spirit Mound

No evidence of 18 inch devils today at the mound although at the nearby park a young man with a throwing disc certainly put a devilish spin on some of his tosses to his mother.

Sometimes the Grocery Store Frightens Me

kellyfuller — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:53:39 +0000

Natural pest control

Hedge balls (osage orange) are said to repel spiders and crickets

Natural food special?

Made with real sugar!

The South Dakota Time Machine Runs on Horse Power

kellyfuller — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:51 +0000

Went on Saturday to the Humboldt Threshing Show in the countryside near Sioux Falls. Missed most of the antique farm machinery demos, but got there in time to buy fantastic dill pickles and watch the horse pull.

The second place team

During a horse pull, a team of horses and its driver attempt to move a sled laden with heavy concrete blocks. The pull tests the team’s strength, training, and temperment. It can be dangerous.

Another contender - with a representative bystander

The winning team pulled more than 4,000 pounds

Better shot of the young woman who drove the winning team

A driver and his team await their next chance to pull

A well-deserved rest after the show

A machine from the old days

Some of South Dakota's immense sea of corn

P.S. I’ve finally figured out how to describe the size and population of South Dakota to west coasters. Here it is: South Dakota is about half the size of California, with the population of greater Bakersfield.