By Scott Shephard
When I finally get my drone-mounted camera (Deb, are you reading this?), I might finally be able to give you an idea of the immense scale of Lake Oahe. I might also be able to give you a better impression of the Mission Creek/Little Bend area of the Missouri River. It's a place I have often referred to as "one of my favorite places on earth."
I just returned from spending the better part of three days here and during those days, I saw two other boats - one fishing boat and one pontoon boat. That's it. At the end of August, vacations end, school starts and the fish stop biting. That's when this stretch of the Missouri River becomes an especially perfect place to get away from it all.
I am in flyover country in many places when I travel across South Dakota. Does that mean that I am in the "middle of nowhere?" I don't think so. And even if it is, it's where I want to be. Consider this: New Jersey has 1,110 people per square mile; South Dakota has 11. And on the day I took this photo, I'm guessing I had about 30 square miles all to myself.
And in South Dakota, I'm always in the middle of Somewhere.
Olympus TG-4 1/250s f/8.0 ISO100 4.5mm (35mm eq:25mm)