New SDDOT Tow Plows To Service Yankton – Rapid City – Hot Springs Roadways

 

SDDOT lead highway maintenance worker Tom Nowell from Rapid City maintenance unit 452 stands in front of the tow-plow he will be operating on the Interstate and highways around Rapid City. Photo: SDDOT

November 6, 2017

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Transportation has expanded its snowplow fleet by adding three new tow-plows for the 2017-2018 winter season.

The new plows will be used to clear roadways in Yankton, Rapid City and Hot Springs. The first tow plow was deployed last year in Sioux Falls with great success, according to SDDOT Secretary Darin Bergquist.

A tow-plow is pulled by a snowplow truck and, along with the front plow on the truck, can clear widths up to 25 feet by allowing the operator to remove snow from one lane and the shoulder in one pass.

“The tow plow has been proven to save wear and tear on equipment, and save on fuel and labor costs. It also allows crews to get the roadway cleared more quickly and efficiently,” Bergquist said.

When the driver deploys the bi-directional tow plow, the wheels turn as much as 30 degrees in either direction, which causes the tow-plow to steer to the right or left of the truck. The tow plow works similarly to a wing plow but with a much greater reach to clear more surface area.

The department’s tow plows will have different set-ups for material that can be used to more effectively treat road surfaces. The two different set-ups the SDDOT will be using can apply a direct liquid spray or a pre-wetting salt application.

To see the tow-plow in action and get more information from an interview with the Sioux Falls tow-plow driver, visit the SDDOT YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/SouthDakotaDOT.

For complete road construction information, visit www.safetravelusa.com/sd or dial 511.

 

Custer South Dakota Photographer Paul Horsted Announces New National Parks Book

 

Travel back in time and place to experience the grandeur and history of 24 of our most spectacular National Parks “then and now”. From the depths of the Grand Canyon to the Yosemite valley, from the shorelines of Acadia and Olympic to Yellowstone’s geysers, join photographer Paul Horsted in tracking down the sites where pioneering photographers set up their cameras long ago. In precisely-matched photo pairs you’ll see the beauty and history of our parks as they appear now and as they looked 75, 100, or even 150 years ago. GPS data is provided to guide you on your own National Park adventure! This beautiful, oversize 240-page book is an invaluable record of our parks for today, as well as a future reference for anyone who cares about these treasured landscapes. Available at PaulHorsted.com

CUSTER, SD – “Treasures of the National Parks Yesterday and Today” is the title of a new coffee-table book from Custer-area photographer Paul Horsted. Horsted is known regionally for his books about the 1874 Custer Expedition, as well as his earlier “re-photography” of historic photo sites around the Black Hills and Yellowstone.

The photographer has now taken his skills on a cross-country trip, visiting 24 National Parks over a period of five years. He researched and located historic photo sites in each park, then created a new photo that matches exactly the angle and view of the old ones. Some of the sites were along roads or at popular overlooks, while others were in the backcountry, requiring overnight stays at remote locations in the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and elsewhere.

“I really enjoy tracking down these old photo sites, each one is like a treasure hunt”, said Horsted, adding “I think these ‘then and now’ images will interest anyone who loves our National Parks. It’s fun to look for changes and similarities between past and present.” GPS data is provided with each photo pair so anyone can now locate these historic places at each National Park in the book.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. Photo:PaulHorsted.com

Horsted will give a free presentation about the project at the Custer County Library (in the Pine Room) on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. A book signing will follow, and there will also be door prizes. He’s also signing books at Art Expressions Gallery in downtown Custer on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 4-5:30 p.m.

The new book was designed by Horsted’s partner and wife, Camille Riner. It’s the fifth book of this type that the couple has produced in the past 15 years; with 240 pages in full color it retails at $45.00. It’s available at local art galleries and bookstores as well as at www.paulhorsted.com.

Shipping book orders at the Custer, S.D. post office loading dock. (L-R) Camille Riner, Postmaster Larry Stalder and Paul Horsted. Photo: Paul Horsted/www.paulhorsted.com

New Year – New Discoveries At Jewel Cave National Monument in Custer South Dakota

Experience Your America – The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. Volunteer caver Chris Pelczarski overlooks New Year’s Lake, discovered on January 1, 2017. NPS Photo / Dan Austin

Custer, SD – As the calendar welcomed another year, volunteer cavers at Jewel Cave National Monument realized that 2017 would be a year of great excitement. In what has become an annual tradition, explorers entered the cave on Friday, December 30, 2016 for a four-day trip. The cavers traveled to the recently established Deep Camp on the southwest edge of the known cave. While there, they mapped and surveyed an additional 9,777 feet of new passages. This extended the length of Jewel Cave beyond 185 miles.

When the team celebrated New Year’s Eve at base camp, no one could have been prepared for finding two new lakes on January 1, 2017. With water being rare and only found in less than 1% of the known cave, the discovery of additional lakes is exciting for the Monument’s future. The lakes were aptly named New Year’s Lake and Bonus Lake.

Superintendent Bonnie Schwartz states, “With the establishment of a third base camp in Jewel Cave, opportunities for discovery are quite literally waiting in the shadows of unexplored leads. With the dedication of specially trained volunteer cavers, more secrets of Jewel Cave will be revealed.”

Chief of Resource Management Mike Wiles comments, “Based on the geology and hydrology of the area, I predict that we’ll be seeing many more lakes to come. No one knows for sure what the new discoveries will reveal, but that’s my educated guess.” During this exploration trip, volunteer cavers also discovered the deepest known point in the cave, measuring 814.3 feet. When measuring cave depth, measurements are taken from the highest point to the lowest in the cave, not necessarily from the surface.

To experience your own Jewel Cave adventure, the Monument’s visitor center is open daily during the winter season from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tours are currently offered Friday through Sunday; the Scenic Tour is available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with accessible Discovery Talks at 9:05 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 3:45 p.m.

Scenic Tour and Discovery Talk tickets are available on a first come first serve basis; advanced ticket sales are not available during the winter months. For more information, contact the visitor center at (605) 673-8300 or visit the Monument online at http://www.nps.gov/jeca.