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USA: Midwest favorites: IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD

89 images Created 31 Mar 2011

Favorite Midwest USA photos by Tom Dempsey include:
- Indiana (IN): Parke County, the "covered bridge capital of the world" (Burr Arch Truss, Mecca, Narrows, and Bridgeton Covered Bridges, Turkey Run State Park); Cataract Falls State Recreation Area & its 1876 Covered Bridge; Indianapolis Zoo animals
- Michigan (MI): Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising Falls, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Presque Isle River potholes, spinning foam cake, birch bark patterns.
- Minnesota (MN): snow and water drops on orange, red, and yellow maple leaf color.

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  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. Additional sculptures have been erected in the Car Art Reserve, where Reinders' "Ford Seasons" is comprised of four Fords, inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Also, 29-year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst sculpted a spawning salmon. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1865-1870-Pano.jpg
  • An orange sunrise lights rock formations near Ben Reifel Visitor Center in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0732.jpg
  • Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, Gateway Arch is the world's tallest arch (630 feet high), the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, and officially dedicated to the American people, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947. It was built 1963-1965 at the site of St. Louis' founding on the west bank of the Mississippi River and opened to the public in 1967. (Although built to last for ages, it is eventually susceptible to a tornado impact which could rip off the upper two-thirds.)
    1709US1-2191_Gateway-Arch_MO.jpg
  • Vajen-Bader smoke helmet for firefighters displayed at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, USA. The round eyes have mica for fireproof viewing and even condensation wipers! Made in Indiana in the 1890s, the helmet let firemen carry their own oxygen supply (in an attached compression tank) and protected them from smoke and falling debris. The technology would later be applied to high-altitude flight. This museum focuses on aircraft and nuclear missiles of the United States Air Force during the Cold War. The US Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) served 1965-1992 as nuclear air defense during the Cold War. (In 1992, SAC was ended, by reorganization into other units.) The museum's imposing aircraft and various war exhibits are a sobering reminder of the ongoing nuclear era, of which the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was the scariest event. Also included are space exhibits.
    20210908_125901.jpg
  • The giant short-faced bear (Arctodus sumus) was the largest land carnivore in North America during the Ice Age. See this full-scale skeleton in the the Mammoth Site, a fascinating museum and active paleontological site in the town of Hot Springs, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. Sheltered within the building is an ongoing excavation of a prehistoric sinkhole filled with the remains of animals and plants preserved by entrapment and burial around 140,000 years ago, in the Late Pleistocene. The Pleistocene, often referred to as the Ice Age, is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. The most recent glaciation period reached peak conditions some 18,000 years ago before yielding to the interglacial Holocene epoch 11,700 years ago.
    2109SD-078.jpg
  • The Presque Isle River carves round potholes in Nonesuch Shale rock before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    03MI-G0079.jpg
  • Dock at sunset reflects in Lake Mitchell, at Lakeside Charlies restaurant, near Sun-N-Snow Motel, Cadillac, Michigan, USA.
    1610MI-070.jpg
  • Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota, USA. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed and oversaw the project 1927–1941, with help from his son, Lincoln Borglum. Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). South Dakota historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills in order to promote tourism. Robinson's initial idea of sculpting the Needles was rejected by Gutzon Borglum due to poor granite quality and strong opposition from Native American groups. They settled on Mount Rushmore, and Borglum decided on the four presidents. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding ended construction in late October 1941. Mount Rushmore is a batholith (massive intrusive igneous rock) rising to 5725 feet elevation in the Black Hills.
    1709US1-2881_Mount-Rushmore-SD.jpg
  • Little Spearfish Creek plunges over Spearfish Falls to meet the main Spearfish Creek. Walk the trail to Spearfish Falls for 1.5 miles round trip within Spearfish Canyon Nature Area, managed by South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. Multiple overlapping photos were stitched to make this panorama.
    20.10US1-0897-98-Pano.jpg
  • Prairie emigrants used covered farm wagons like this (but not heavy boat-shaped Conestoga wagons), on display at Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Bayard, Nebraska,  USA. At Chimney Rock, a slender rock spire rises 325 feet from a conical base, serving as an impressive natural landmark along the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail during the mid-1800s. Modern travelers can see it along U.S. Route 26 and Nebraska Highway 92. At 4228 feet above sea level, the distinctive formation towers 480 feet above the adjacent North Platte River Valley. Its layers of volcanic ash and brule clay date to the Oligocene Age (34 million to 23 million years ago).
    2109NE-23.jpg
  • Moonrise at sunset near Ben Reifel Visitor Center in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0677.jpg
  • At Carhenge, 29-year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst sculpted this spawning salmon, seen at sunset. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013.
    1909US1-1768.jpg
  • Sunset illuminates the Badlands Wall above cracked mud near Ben Reifel Visitor Center in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0623.jpg
  • Mecca Covered Bridge (150 feet long) was built in Burr Arch style over Big Raccoon Creek in 1873 by J.J. Daniels in historic Parke County, Indiana, USA. Golden sunset light beckons at the far opening. Puffy white clouds decorate the blue sky. The traditional "Cross this bridge at a walk" sign required slow vehicle speed, but traffic is now diverted to an adjacent modern bridge.
    10IND-154-p1.jpg
  • A juvenile mountain goat crosses the road in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota, USA. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, or Rocky Mountain Goat) is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. It is an even-toed ungulate in the family Bovidae, in subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), in the Oreamnos genus, but is NOT a true "goat."
    20.10US1-0921.jpg
  • Windows distort the reflection of another building in downtown St Louis, Missouri, USA.
    1709US1-2246.jpg
  • Sinbad is a life-sized replica skeleton of a Columbian mammoth at the Mammoth Site, a fascinating museum and active paleontological site in the town of Hot Springs, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. The Mammoth Site is the largest collection of in-situ mammoth remains in the world. Sheltered within the building is an ongoing excavation of a prehistoric sinkhole filled with the remains of animals and plants preserved by entrapment and burial around 140,000 years ago, in the Late Pleistocene. Since mammoth bones were found here accidentally in 1974, the remains of 61 mammoths have been recovered (including 58 North American Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths as of 2021). Due to geological conditions after the animals were trapped, the excavated "fossil" bones are not petrified or turned to stone, so are very brittle, requiring professional handling.
    2109SD-035.jpg
  • Cathedral Spires Area, Custer State Park, South Dakota, USA. Completed in 1922, the Needles Highway includes sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires along the northern 14 miles of South Dakota Highway 87 (SD 87). The road lies within Custer State Park, 30 miles south of Rapid City, in South Dakota, USA. Needles Highway is part of the figure-eight route of Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
    1709US1-3243_Custer-SP-SD.jpg
  • Water drops collect like beads on a maple leaf in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0034.jpg
  • A full-sized skeleton diorama of the Agate waterhole 20 million years ago shows two entelodont mammals and a small beardog scavenging a chalicothere carcass (related to horse and rhino), at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Harrison, Nebraska, USA. The entelodont (Dinohyus hollandi) was a hoofed mammal 6-8 feet tall at the shoulder, with powerful jaws and teeth for eating both carrion and plants. The smaller skeleton in the foreground  is a beardog (Daphoenodon superbus, the most common carnivore at the Agate waterhole site), which preyed upon juvenile rhinos, camels, and oreodonts. The chalicothere (Moropus elatus) was related to the horse and rhino, standing 6 feet tall at the shoulder and having 3-toed, claw-like hooves. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument boasts some of the most well-preserved Miocene fossils in the world. The park is near Harrison, Nebraska, USA. Agate’s grass-covered plains and flat-top buttes represent 20 million years of natural history. This valley of the Niobrara River contains important fossils found on Carnegie Hill and University Hill.
    2109NE-69.jpg
  • NCAA Hall of Champions, on the Indiana Central Canal, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Indiana Central Canal was dug in the early 1800s to facilitate interstate commerce, but the project was cut short due to financial problems. Today, the refurbished Canal Walk (stretching north through White River State Park to 11th Street) serves the downtown community as a waterside promenade for walkers, runners, bikers, and sightseers.
    20200925_101035.jpg
  • The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is also known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin. Inside the Dolphin Pavilion, enter the 30-foot-diameter underwater viewing dome in the center of the main performance pool, wheelchair-accessible. Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
    1409IN-039_zoo.jpg
  • "The Twins" (a 2017 ceramic work by artist Susan Folwell, born 1970 in Santa Clara Pueblo) feminizes imagery from Ernest Martin Hennings' masculine 1923 painting of the same name, seen in the background. Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
    20200925_111050.jpg
  • A moth on a prairie sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris), also known as the lesser sunflower, in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. We walked up the eroded Saddle Pass Trail then east on the flatter Castle Trail (3 miles round trip) in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA.
    20.10US1-0573.jpg
  • Sunset on rock formations near Ben Reifel Visitor Center in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0653.jpg
  • Reddish twilight illuminates clouds in darkening blue sky over layers of ancient sediments on the Loop Road near the Interior Entrance of Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. This park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.
    1709US1-2673-77-Edit_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • A Burr Arch Truss supports McAllister Covered Bridge (126 feet long), built in 1914 by J.A. Britton over Little Raccoon Creek, on County Road 400S, Parke County, Indiana, USA.
    10IND-018.jpg
  • Dock reflects in Lake Mitchell at sunset, at Lakeside Charlies restaurant, near Sun-N-Snow Motel, Cadillac, Michigan, USA.
    1610MI-086.jpg
  • A modern vehicle pulls a covered wagon in Deadwood, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA. After the discovery of large placer gold deposits in Deadwood Gulch in 1875, thousands of gold-seekers flocked to the new town of Deadwood from 1876 to 1879, leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush, despite the land being owned by the Sioux. At its height, the city had a population of 25,000, and attracted larger-than-life Old West figures including Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok (who was killed there). The entire city is now designated as a National Historic Landmark District, for its well-preserved Gold Rush-era architecture.
    20.10US1-0809.jpg
  • The 148-foot wooden Cataract Falls Covered Bridge was built in 1876 at the Upper Falls of Mill Creek (formerly known as Eel River) and was open to automobile traffic until 1988. The bridge now serves pedestrians and was extensively repaired starting in 2000. It is the only remaining covered bridge in Owen County. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. The bridge was designed with a Smith's High Double Wood Truss (Smith Type 4), prefabricated in Toledo, Ohio and shipped disassembled for reassembly. Vibrant autumn foliage colors glowed for this panorama stitched from 5 overlapping photos captured October 21, 2015.
    1510SE-11058-62pan_Cataract-Falls-Co...jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5243_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1846-Pano.jpg
  • Snow dusts maple trees in late September, in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA
    03MN-G0072_snow-maple-yellow-orange-...jpg
  • Lake Michigan waves have tumbled and smoothed colorful pebbles into rounded shapes at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The scenic park includes the hilly shoreline between Munising and Grand Marais, Michigan. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    03MI-G0014_pebble-pattern_Pictured-R...jpg
  • Reddish twilight illuminates clouds in darkening blue sky over layers of ancient sediments on the Loop Road near the Interior Entrance of Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. This park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-2643-62-pan_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Young women in 1800s costume design a scarecrow. Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Fishers, Indiana, USA. Conner Prairie provides family-friendly fun for all ages. Founded by pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly in the 1930s, Conner Prairie living history museum now recreates life in Indiana in the 1800s on the White River and preserves the William Conner home (listed on the National Register of Historic Places). For licensing options, please inquire.
    1610IND-187.jpg
  • A pattern of windows distorts reflections of buildings in downtown St Louis, Missouri, USA.
    1709US1-2244.jpg
  • Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments in this corner of South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2293_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5247_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Fresh snow falls on tree foliage changing from green to yellow, orange and red in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0021_snow-maple-yellow-orange-...jpg
  • A foam layer cake spins in a pothole eroded into Nonesuch Shale rock on the Presque Isle River before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. Tannins leached from Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock trees color the water amber and brownish green. Churned soft water (having low mineral content) creates much foam.
    03MI-G0086_Presque-Isle-River_foam-c...jpg
  • Orange fall color leaves by pond. Cadillac Heritage Nature Study Area, William Mitchell State Park, Cadillac, Michigan, USA. Walk the pleasant 2.5-mile Heritage Nature Trail on boardwalks and packed limestone starting from Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, through old-growth hardwood forest then around an old dike system which retains rich wetlands.
    1610MI-024-Edit.jpg
  • Vibrant fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, near Cloverdale, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, in Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo October 21, 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-11236-42pan_Cataract-Falls_In...jpg
  • Fresh snow falls on tree foliage changing from green to yellow, orange and red in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0019_snow-maple-yellow-orange-...jpg
  • The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is also known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin. Inside the Dolphin Pavilion, see dolphins from the intimate underwater viewing dome in the center of the main performance pool. Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
    1409IN-046_zoo.jpg
  • Dark clouds highlighted with sunset orange contrast with blue sky above a somber silhouette of a bare tree in Parke County, Indiana.
    10IND-179.jpg
  • Water drops collect like beads on a maple leaf in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0033.jpg
  • Three white swans reflect in Manistee River, Mesick, Michigan, USA.
    1610MI-095.jpg
  • Bridgeton Historic District, Indiana: Bridgeton Covered Bridge (245 feet long) was rebuilt in historically accurate Burr Arch style in 2006 over Big Raccoon Creek (replacing 1868 bridge burnt by arson in 2005) on Bridgeton Road, Parke County, Indiana, USA. Bridgeton Mill was established 1823, rebuilt 1870, and is the oldest continuously operating mill west of the Allegheny Mountains. The mill grinds wheat into flour and corn into meal with 200 year-old French Buhr stones. Red and white painted wood. Dam and spillway. Panorama stitched from 5 photos.
    10IND-036-40pan_Bridgeton-Mill+Cover...jpg
  • Munising Falls drops 50 feet over a limey sandstone cliff (the Northern Michigan cuesta or escarpment) in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Alger County, Michigan, USA. Tannins color the water amber and brownish green, leached from Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock trees.
    03MI-G0035_Munising-Falls_Pictured-R...jpg
  • A maple leaf turns from yellow green to bright orange red in late September, in Michigan, USA. Published by Trees For Tomorrow (Treesfortomorrow.com) Natural Resource Specialty School in Eagle River, Wisconsin, on a forest trail interpretive sign.
    03MI-G0011.jpg
  • Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, Gateway Arch is the world's tallest arch (630 feet high), the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, and officially dedicated to the American people, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947. It was built 1963-1965 at the site of St. Louis' founding on the west bank of the Mississippi River and opened to the public in 1967. (Although built to last for ages, it is eventually susceptible to a tornado impact which could rip off the upper two-thirds.)
    1709US1-2201_Gateway-Arch_MO.jpg
  • Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, Indiana, USA. Cataract Falls, where two sets of falls on Mill Creek create a cascade that drops 86 feet, is the largest waterfall in Indiana. The upper falls plunges 20 feet; and the lower falls - a half a mile downstream - drops 18 feet. A 140-foot Smith Type 3 covered bridge was built at the upper falls in 1876 and was open to traffic until 1988. Cataract Bridge was restored in 1995.
    1510SE-5175_yellow-fall-color.jpg
  • A fallen birch log peels and decomposes in Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan, USA.
    03MI-G0006.jpg
  • East African Crowned Crane (or Crested Crane, Balearica regulorum gibbericeps), Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. This bird species is about 1 meter tall, weighs 3.5 kg, and has a wingspan of 2 m. Body plumage is mainly grey, with predominantly white wings. The head has a showy crown of stiff golden feathers, white sides of the face, and bright red inflatable throat pouch. Their long legs help wade through grasses.
    1409IN-085_zoo.jpg
  • The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is native to Africa. Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
    1409IN-019_zoo.jpg
  • Narrows Covered Bridge was built in 1882 in Burr Arch style by J.A. Britton. Walk across this bridge in Turkey Run State Park, in historic Parke County, Indiana, USA. Sugar Creek reflects the covered bridge plus the concrete arch of the modern highway bridge seen behind.
    10IND-194_Narrows-Covered-Bridge_Tur...jpg
  • One of several beautiful falls tumble over "Nonesuch Shale" rock on the Presque Isle River in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA.
    03MI-G0061_Presque-Isle-River_Porcup...jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-5255-56pan-Edit_Cataract-Fall...jpg
  • One of several beautiful falls tumble over "Nonesuch Shale" rock on the Presque Isle River in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA.
    03MI-G0064_Presque-Isle-River_Porcup...jpg
  • A fallen birch log peels and decomposes in Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan, USA.
    03MI-G0004.jpg
  • Lower Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-2069_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • The Presque Isle River carves round potholes in Nonesuch Shale rock before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA.
    03MI-G0076.jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed from compressed layers of calcium-rich shells of sea life from millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Vibrant autumn foliage colors glowed for this panorama stitched from 15 overlapping photos captured October 21, 2015.
    1510SE-11146-60pan_Cataract-Falls_In...jpg
  • Fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean.
    1510SE-11213_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo October 21, 2015. The park's limestone bedrock formed millions of years ago from skeletal remains of marine organisms (such as coral, forams and molluscs) when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. This panorama was stitched from 23 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-2001-23pan-Cataract-Falls_Ind...jpg
  • A foam layer cake spins in a pothole eroded into Nonesuch Shale rock on the Presque Isle River before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. Tannins leached from Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock trees color the water amber and brownish green. Churned soft water (having low mineral content) creates much foam.
    03MI-G0081_Presque-Isle-River_foam-c...jpg
  • Cathedral Spires Area, Custer State Park, South Dakota, USA. Completed in 1922, the Needles Highway includes sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires along the northern 14 miles of South Dakota Highway 87 (SD 87). The road lies within Custer State Park, 30 miles south of Rapid City, in South Dakota, USA. Needles Highway is part of the figure-eight route of Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-3259-62-Pano_Custer-SP-SD.jpg
  • Lower Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5307_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5237_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Path through orange fall color leaves by white tree trunks. Cadillac Heritage Nature Study Area, William Mitchell State Park, Cadillac, Michigan, USA. Walk the pleasant 2.5-mile Heritage Nature Trail on boardwalks and packed limestone starting from Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, through old-growth hardwood forest then around an old dike system which retains rich wetlands.
    1610MI-007.jpg
  • Blacksmith demonstration. Conner Prairie Interactive History Park provides family-friendly fun for all ages in Fishers, Indiana, USA. Founded by pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly in the 1930s, Conner Prairie living history museum now recreates life in Indiana in the 1800s on the White River and preserves the William Conner home (listed on the National Register of Historic Places).
    1610IND-078.jpg
  • Two worlds: trees reflect on water surface with lily pads. Cadillac Heritage Nature Study Area, William Mitchell State Park, Cadillac, Michigan, USA. Walk the pleasant 2.5-mile Heritage Nature Trail on boardwalks and packed limestone starting from Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, through old-growth hardwood forest then around an old dike system which retains rich wetlands.
    1610MI-005.jpg
  • Mecca Covered Bridge (150 feet long) was built in Burr Arch style over Big Raccoon Creek in 1873 by J.J. Daniels in historic Parke County, Indiana, USA. Golden sunset light beckons at the far opening. Puffy white clouds decorate the blue sky. The traditional "Cross this bridge at a walk" sign required slow vehicle speed, but traffic is now diverted to an adjacent modern bridge. Panorama stitched from 2 photos.
    10IND-154-155pan_Mecca-Bridge-Indian...jpg
  • Golden sunset illuminates layers of ancient sediments on the Loop Road near the Interior Entrance of Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. This park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.
    1709US1-2603-p1_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Yellow Mounds Overlook. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2753_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit, in the Great Plains along Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota, USA.
    03ND-G0006_Badlands_Theodore-Rooseve...jpg
  • Sylvan Lake sunrise. Custer State Park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota, USA. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-3041-44-pan-Edit_Custer-SP-S...jpg
  • Yellow fall colors at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota, USA. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed and oversaw the project 1927–1941, with help from his son, Lincoln Borglum. Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). South Dakota historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills in order to promote tourism. Robinson's initial idea of sculpting the Needles was rejected by Gutzon Borglum due to poor granite quality and strong opposition from Native American groups. They settled on Mount Rushmore, and Borglum decided on the four presidents. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding ended construction in late October 1941. Mount Rushmore is a batholith (massive intrusive igneous rock) rising to 5725 feet elevation in the Black Hills.
    1709US1-2950_Mount-Rushmore-SD.jpg
  • Cathedral Spires Area, Custer State Park, South Dakota, USA. Completed in 1922, the Needles Highway includes sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires along the northern 14 miles of South Dakota Highway 87 (SD 87). The road lies within Custer State Park, 30 miles south of Rapid City, in South Dakota, USA. Needles Highway is part of the figure-eight route of Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-3201-25-Pano_Custer-SP-SD.jpg
  • Yellow fall colors at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota, USA. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed and oversaw the project 1927–1941, with help from his son, Lincoln Borglum. Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). South Dakota historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills in order to promote tourism. Robinson's initial idea of sculpting the Needles was rejected by Gutzon Borglum due to poor granite quality and strong opposition from Native American groups. They settled on Mount Rushmore, and Borglum decided on the four presidents. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding ended construction in late October 1941. Mount Rushmore is a batholith (massive intrusive igneous rock) rising to 5725 feet elevation in the Black Hills.
    1709US1-2944_Mount-Rushmore-SD.jpg
  • Sunset over the 1962 Cadillac "heel stone" of Carhenge. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. Additional sculptures have been erected in the Car Art Reserve, where Reinders' "Ford Seasons" is made of four Fords, inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Also, 29-year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst sculpted a spawning salmon.
    1909US1-1755.jpg
  • South Stockade and Twin Mounds. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site preserves the largest prehistoric Native American city north of Mexico. Cahokia existed circa 1050–1350 CE, in what is now southern Illinois between East St. Louis and Collinsville, across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The present park contains about 80 manmade earthen mounds, but at its apex around 1100 CE, Cahokia included about about 120 mounds and covered 6 square miles (16 km2) with a population briefly greater than contemporaneous London. Cahokia was the largest and most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, which developed advanced societies across much of what is now the central and southeastern United States, beginning 1,000+ years before European contact. Cahokia Mounds is one of 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within the United States, and is the largest archaeological site north of the great pre-Columbian cities in Mexico. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-2319-33-Pano.jpg
  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. Additional sculptures have been erected in the Car Art Reserve, where Reinders' "Ford Seasons" is comprised of four Fords, inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Also, 29-year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst sculpted a spawning salmon.
    1909US1-1874.jpg
  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. Additional sculptures have been erected in the Car Art Reserve, where Reinders' "Ford Seasons" is comprised of four Fords, inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Also, 29-year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst sculpted a spawning salmon. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1915-28-Pano.jpg
  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013.
    1909US1-2062.jpg
  • Carhenge sunrise. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-2012-24-Pano.jpg
  • Carhenge sunset. Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region, USA. After studying Stonehenge in England, years later, Jim Reinders recreated the physical size and placement of Stonehenge's standing stones in summer 1987, helped by 35 family members. Reinders said, "It took a lot of blood, sweat, and beers." Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father. 39 automobiles were arranged in the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring a slightly smaller 96 feet (29m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while other cars are placed to form the arches and welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Cadillac. Reinders donated Carhenge to the Friends of Carhenge, who gifted it to the Citizens of Alliance in 2013. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1734-36-Pano.jpg
  • The Mammoth Site is a fascinating museum and active paleontological site in the town of Hot Springs, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. It is the largest collection of in-situ mammoth remains in the world. Sheltered within the building is an ongoing excavation of a prehistoric sinkhole filled with the remains of animals and plants preserved by entrapment and burial around 140,000 years ago, in the Late Pleistocene. Since mammoth bones were found here accidentally in 1974, the remains of 61 mammoths have been recovered (including 58 North American Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths as of 2021). Due to geological conditions after the animals were trapped, the excavated "fossil" bones are not petrified or turned to stone, so are very brittle, requiring professional handling. The Pleistocene, often referred to as the Ice Age, is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. The most recent glaciation period reached peak conditions some 18,000 years ago before yielding to the interglacial Holocene epoch 11,700 years ago.
    2109SD-015.jpg
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