It’s just a cell phone photo, and I think the blog chunked up the quality a bit, but it’s still a decent shot. I was standing on a dirt double-track trail which is technically a county road when I took it, and it’s a great memory.

They say the best camera is the one you have with you. In this case, I also had a drone or two with me, so and maybe even a “real” camera…but I took this shot too, nonetheless.

On a photo jaunt last autumn, I came across this beautiful old home while on my way to a targeted photo location. I love finding surprises like this along the back roads of rural North Dakota, and this particular trip was especially fruitful.

Rules are made for a reason. I mentioned in a previous post that one of my rules is that I stop my photo roaming during deer (rifle) season. First, I don’t want to be one of those folks on the news who took a stray bullet through the door of my truck. Second, I don’t want to be out roaming section lines and gravel roads when there are plenty of idiots irritating landowners.

Let me clarify that previous comment: I don’t think hunters are idiots. Most of my friends hunt, and I did at one time, too. I can say with confidence that none of them are idiots. There are, however, a number of exceptional idiots whose foolishness and lack of consideration vastly outperform their number. It’s those who put landowners on edge, and the last thing they need is me poking around – even on the road – during the hunting season.

I did run into such a landowner recently. They told me I was on private property (something I work hard to avoid). I pointed out that no, I was on a section line, and was told “Well, if you keep going, you will end up on private property.” After assuring them that all I wanted to do was take a drone shot of an old farmstead, they were satisfied…but still quite leery of my presence. I took my photos and left the way I came, chastising myself for violating my rule.

Naturally I am sympathetic to Columbus’ position on the importance of rules in Zombieland. Since everything with me is a movie reference, song lyric, or meme, I pondered this on the drive back to town, thankful that I got the shot without getting shot.

Normally I don’t do any photo roaming during deer (rifle) season. It’s a good way to catch a stray bullet, and landowners are generally pretty edgy with all the randos out looking for a place to hunt – with or without permission. Naturally I’m sensitive to the landowners’ point of view, and one less vehicle ambling down the gravel road or section line can help enhance their calm. But today I opted to roam.

I couldn’t help but stop by this old house, because I haven’t taken a photo of it in years for no particular reason. It’s been twelve years, in fact. This photo is a prime example of why I mark all my photo spots in my handheld GPS so I can revisit them later:

This structure sits along Highway 1804 north of town, and it’s got a great view. The Square Buttes sit – well, squarely – to the west across the Missouri River. I happened to come by with my sweetie at a particularly beautiful time and was able to capture this photo of the moment.

I recently took a little road trip, and along the way I found a trio of really nice barns. I thought I’d take a moment to share photos of them here. Isn’t this one majestic? It was huge.

When it comes to finding points of photographic interest around North Dakota, I’ve got plenty of resources. I have maps. I have lists. I have online resources. I keep an eye out for interesting things posted by others, especially locals in certain places. The Randolph School showed up on one of my maps, so I followed my usual ritual: finding its precise GPS location; pixel-peeping it on The Google; determining if it’s still where it should be; determining if there’s still a road to it (especially in the Prairie Pothole areas); and plotting my way to visit it for myself. When I arrived at the location of the Randolph School, however, I was surprised to see that there were two of them.

I took a little photography road trip recently, setting up my pup tent at Graham’s Island, and generally roaming the area. it was fantastic. I keep a keen eye out for anything scenic as I roam our great state, and this little farmstead caught my attention.