Fall Sights in Siouxland, Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

When Fall comes around, I like to visit some familiar haunts in Siouxland just because they are beautiful places and relaxing to hang out at. One of those places is the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve. It was a family homestead begun in the 1800’s. A sign posted at this South Dakota park states: “For over 100 years, three generations of Stephen Searls James Adams worked, nurtured and respected this land. It is the wish of Maud and Mary Adams to share this natural bounty will all people. Their generous donation of land for this nature area is a fitting memorial to the Adams family. In their words it is a ‘Place for admiration of the earth….A place for inner renewal'”. Maud and Mary Adams were the last descendants of the Adams family. There are different trails that link together of various lengths that people can follow, one of which takes them along the Missouri River for a time. I find it fun to photograph at the Preserve in the Fall because of the color and the quality of light one gets this time of year. The playing shadows on the barn wall, the surround stillness except for birds and another occasional hiker. The park is used throughout the years. Walking, biking and running during the Fall, Spring and Summer months, and groomed trails for cross country skiers in the winter. With enough snow, one can wear snow shoes to traverse the area, which is what I do. So the day I visited I played with the light, and photographed the area to show off its beauty. Sometimes photographing one thing leads to another. I got low on the ground to photograph the leaves and the tree shadow in the foreground, and when I looked up, saw the juxtaposition of the tree on the left and the top of the barn for an inverted look, something I had never explored before and it was fun. And on some of the scenes I put a polarizer filter on my lens to enhance the colors and darken the sky. At times I will employ techniques that I know will enhance my photographs. I will admit that technically I don’t always understand why it works, it just does. But then again, I don’t stay away at night trying to figure out how my truck operates other than starting it and keeping it maintained. The same is true for my photography. For my many years in journalism, I would sparingly use a polarizer and other “techniques” because it may skew the “normal” look of a scene. But for art and my own personal usage, I employ these. So I hope you enjoy them, and if in the area and have never visited, it will be worth the trip. Bring comfortable shoes and water and snacks and spend some time. Reprints of the Adams Homestead can be found here.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa