Sunsets in Dakota
                                                                            By: Emily Currey

The dictionary describes a sunset as the descent of the sun below the horizon in the evening with the atmospheric and scenic phenomena that accompanies it. However, this is a general statement. Dakota sunsets are indescribable, but I have tried my best to explain how I view these picturesque settings. There are multiple descriptions of the sunsets in Dakota due to the beauty that surrounds them each night.

The occurrence of these natural phenomenas is breathtaking. Each one I witness is so different than the one before and leaves an important feeling inside me unlike any other. I have seen many sunsets across the states of North and South Dakota, most of them being in the eastern portions. I am fascinated by this luminous ball of fire every evening. The sky remains very different and mysterious throughout the state; filled with purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, and blues. This palette of color is incredible as it shines on tree tops, peaks through cave openings, casts shadows in the Badlands, sparkles on the Missouri, and takes its claim on the shortgrass prairie.

With every new season, Dakota sunsets are even more impressive. During the summer months the sun is beaming hot adding to the magical summer nights as it sets. I believe the fall sunsets are the most magnificent because of the array of color and brightness that is cast on the different waters, trees, and wildlife across the state. The winter brings bitter cold settings as it reflects a scenic view of white powder. As spring arrives, all is alive again, and the setting of the sun on the horizon creates new life; remaining just as powerful as it did in the seasons before.

The sun sets every evening; its uniqueness and beauty are seen all over the country at different times and places. I have watched in amazement as the sun disappears upon the horizon in various locations, some include: L.A., New York City, Red Lodge, Denver, Jackson Hole, and Brainerd, but as you may have guessed, none of these come close to the sunsets that can be seen across Dakota land. Witnessing the downward motion of the sun in South Dakota brings a sense of pride and excitement to my life. It makes me believe in the power that each day has. No matter where I am when the sun goes down, I am proud of who I am and where I am going, and that is the most important feeling that fills this Dakota girls’ heart.
The one thing I know for sure in this life is that sunsets in Dakota represent an ending to a hard day’s work, with the promise that it will rise again tomorrow to start a new day and create yet another majestic phenomenon.