Roosevelt's Badlands
THOR09D-62_pano
July 11, 2009
The badlands are really a generic term, merely reserved for the scraps of land in the Dakotas that didn't fit the ideals of settlers heading west. They did not have the gentle undulations of the prairie, they were not the beautiful forests of the east (or those soon to be encountered in the Rockies). Instead they were blasted rock, worn canyons of burnt hues that were as gashes in the land. While these areas look like mountains while hiking through them, they are actually just barely above the level of the surrounding grasslands. From a far you cannot tell you're approaching them, they jump upon you quickly. But they are distinct, like nothing I've seen yet. The badlands of North Dakota, found in Roosevelt National Park, look old. You see their rounded forms, partially covered in short grass and vegetation, and they just appear to be weathered, beaten down from years of conflict with the rivers and rain and snow. But they are magnificent, and they helped inspire and craft one of our greatest conservationists. Enjoy.
Technical notes:
Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal length: 35 mm
Exposure: 1/80 @ f/16, ISO 100
Post-processing: Assembled from 6 images into a panoramic in PS4, cropped down with slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4
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