More from the Badlands....

While we were in the Badlands, we made a trip to Scenic, SD where Gary's dad Ed grew up, and where Gary's grandparents are buried. We had a true "small world" experience there. An older couple pulled up behind us at the Scenic Cemetery, which is remote and seems out in the middle of nowhere. They both grew up in Scenic, and both knew Gary's dad. In fact, the woman Viginia Bessette, was 83 years old, and said she recalled that her older sister Alyce Bessette had dated Ed Swindler! She said the Swindlers were a "wild bunch" but because her sister was older than Ed, it must have been her who lead him astray, not the other way around! :-)

Then the man gave us a tour of the cemetery, and pointed out the Skinner family graves who were good friends with the Swindlers (Gary remembers them from family reunions), and he also pointed out the grave of Gary's aunt who was married to Howard Swindler, Ed's brother. The man was Marlowe Jurisch who had designed and built the beautiful new gate at the cemetery, and many of the headstones; he also had relatives who worked on Mount Rushmore (the Jurisch name was included in the list of those who helped carve Rushmore). It was an amazing coincidence and lucky timing that we were able to meet them. Just before we left the cemetery, another woman pulled in who was an 8th grade teacher in Scenic from long ago. Gary was introduced and she said, "I remember Ed Swindler!" So here was another person who knew Gary's dad. Truly a small world!

Here are pictures of a 13-lined ground squirrel, prairie dog, Gary hiking the Yellow Mounds area, and a bighorn sheep: