South Dakota

This collection is a quiet ode to a road trip carved by curiosity, laughter, and a little bit of roadside chaos. Captured through my camera (and the wide-eyed wonder of two best friends), these photos trace our path through South Dakota—a place that surprised us in all the best ways.
We found ourselves beneath the jagged silhouettes of Badlands National Park, where the stars blinked above us… and a flat tire became part of the story. We wandered the kitschy wonderland that is Wall Drug, full of neon signs and odd treasures.
We made a stop at Mount Rushmore—and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t exactly blown away. It’s one of those landmarks that feels bigger in the photos than it does in person. However, I will say that the attractive park ranger and Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream stand (which claims to serve the original recipe, and honestly? it slapped) were easily the highlights. 10/10 would return for a cone and a smile.
Later, we drifted through the dappled greens of the Black Hills National Forest, where the road curled gently through the trees and time seemed to stretch a little longer.
Every photo in this series is a soft memory pressed into pixels—quiet moments, shared smiles, and the kind of freedom only found on the open road.