Rapid City, SD — It’s a great feeling to arrive ahead of schedule at a job. So often we have to rush around after a move, unloading equipment as fast as we can to get to the field. We knew there would be a lull before harvest started here, but cool weather and rain showers have slowed down the ripening of the wheat more than anyone could have anticipated. The wheat’s fading color from green to gold has been agonizingly slow, but it’s ideal for two reasons. First, it’s helping to build a better yield; and second, it allowed us to take a mini weekend vacation to the Black Hills.
The crew loaded up in two vehicles and headed toward Rapid City. We expected to see some harvesting along our drive, but we saw only one field with combines running. The rolling prairie grasslands looked lush and green as we traveled west, that is until we suddenly found ourselves on the moon. The landscape of the Badlands National Park is otherworldly, and you can almost feel the rush of excitement an astronaut must experience during a lunar landing. The craggy rock formations with their pastel stripes look incredible, and we explored the rugged scenery under the blistering hot sun.
That evening we headed off to see Mount Rushmore in the dark to experience the nighttime lighting ceremony. The ability to carve faces into a mountain must have seemed nearly impossible, but not nearly as improbable as the sense of patriotism that rushed over the crowd as the faces were illuminated under the stars. We were reminded of the great adversity our nation has overcome to remain united, and we left the ceremony with a renewed feeling of pride to be harvesting the Heartland of America.
The following morning we boarded The 1880 Train for a historical railcar ride through the Black Hills. Later we wound our way through the granite spires of the Needles Highway, visited a glass blower’s studio and dipped our toes into the pristine waters of Sylvan Lake. Our final day was spent in Custer State Park, making the wildlife loop, where we successfully discovered a large buffalo herd. We concluded the trip panning for gold and touring a mine. Our dreams of gold rush riches didn’t materialize, but we jokingly concluded that digging holes into a mountain was a worse job than being a custom harvester…but just barely.
Alas, it’s time to move on from exploring gold mines and get back to harvesting golden wheat fields. After a two-week break, the crew is rested up and ready to go. It’s probably going to seem like a rush of excitement getting back to work, especially if the yields here live up to our expectations.
Brian Jones can be reached at [email protected].
Thank you to our 2024 All Aboard Wheat Harvest sponsors: High Plains Journal, Lumivia by Corteva Agriscience, Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., Merit Auctions, Kramer Seed Farms, Shelbourne Reynolds and U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.
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aawh, agriculture, All Aboard, harvest, High Plains Journal, HPJ, oklahoma, wheat
