Float the idea, to most folks, of a trip to South Dakota and you're likely to get a look that says..."yeah, no thanks".  Thankfully for me, friends who had visited the Black Hills and Badlands previously told of what a suprisingly amazing state it is, regardless what image others might have of it.  On a 10-day trip in 2011 I discovered for myself what they were talking about.  In these albums I wander the magnificently stark Badlands and the rugged Ponderosa Pine-covered stone peaks of the Black Hills.  Anyone with a love of nature and all things wild should definitely put South Dakota on their itinerary, trust me...