36 Nebraskaland • March 2019
East Ash Road
Story and Photos by Erik Johnson
he fi rst time I laid eyes on this corkscrew turn nestled
in the Pine Ridge of the Panhandle, I couldn't help
but question if I had stepped outside the borders of
Nebraska. Such a far cry from the familiar geography
of the Plains, the Pine Ridge is an area that has continually
captivated me and keeps me coming back to discover more.
As the seasons pass, the rugged buttes take on drastically
diff erent appearances and personalities. During the last year
and a half I've embarked on a project to capture these changes,
as seen from one specifi c vantage: a scenic overlook off East
Ash Road between the towns of Crawford and Chadron.
I fi rst photographed the road in late May of 2017. The
bright green shrubs and undergrowth provided a striking
contrast to the blackened tree trunks – remnants of a fi re that
scorched the hills in 2012. As I waited for the soft evening
light to cover the landscape, I found myself beneath a fast
moving, isolated rain shower that swept over the hills. The
precipitation cast a veil over the land and glistened against
the rays of the setting sun. It was then that I realized my
desire to experience these beautiful surroundings at all times
of the year.
My next visit to East Ash was during a late season snow
shower during the fi nal days of March. I found myself
standing at the same vantage as wet snowfl akes dropped
to the ground, accentuating the twisting road. Once again
the thick atmosphere created a haze that concealed the
surrounding buttes. After I returned home I converted the
image to black and white, emphasizing the contrasting tones
between the snow-lined road and barren vegetation.
It wasn't until late July that I had another chance to visit
the Pine Ridge. I made the drive during the last week of
the month, hoping to capture the region under a dramatic
midsummer storm. As night fell on East Ash, I could see
distant lightning fl ashes on the horizon. As I waited, the
fl ashes became brighter and brighter as the storm followed a
direct path toward me. Ultimately, I was forced to retreat as
T
