Day 64, Rawlins, Wyoming

Touring the old Rawlins State Penitentiary.

The gas chamber. a place I would not want to have to go.

Let me out, let me out I tell you, I'm innocent!

Sanford's, they serve a great burger.

The water tower from inside the prison.

I was trying to figure how I would get over the wall.

The main entry to the prison.

The prison's dinning room. We were told if they got out of hand, they got shot.

The court yard. Prisoners get one hour to play a day.

A typical cell on the prison block.

It was strange to see an oriental market here in Rawlins.

In front of the prison, the sign read: "No Parking". We guess what? I did, and I got away with it.

I shot this on the way in. Cool, don't you think?

Lisa in the gas chamber. she was the only one willing to go in there.

Garrick, check this one out. The thing is huge.

Inside Sanford's. so much stuff to look at, it kept you occupied while waiting for your meal.

Lisa even found a Hawaii license plate on the wall near the restroom.

The infirmary on the right.

One of the many guard towers surrounding the prison.

Death row, a sobering place to visit.

Inside the prison walls.

Armed guards watch the prisoners every move.

Prison block B.

Prison block C.

Prison block A where our tour began.


Day 64, Rawlins, Wyoming. “Rest Day” 2.91 miles.

Tuesday, July 14. Rawlins is a windy town. When I say windy, I mean windy. On a normal day, wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour is a normal occurrence here. No one seems to bat an eye at this relentless situation. Everyone we asked, said it was nothing. I can imagine when it gets really bad. Upon assessing the situation, Lisa and I decided to change our plans of a 125 mile day tomorrow. We were hoping to by pass the town of Jeffery City, but because of the strong head winds, we decided best to stay there for the night, in spite of all the negative comments we’ve heard about the place.

Today is a rest day. We chose Rawlins because it is the last large town we will come across for a few days. We thought this would be a good place to unwind, take in a movie, see the sights, and maybe even take in a game of bowling………………… We slept in late this morning, and didn’t have breakfast until 9 o’clock. We then jumped on our bikes and headed down town to see what we could find. The lady at the restaurant told us about the old Rawlins State Penitentiary that was now a museum not far away that offered guided tours. We went inside, and decided to take the tour. It was very interesting indeed. I’ve never been in a jail cell other than the time I was arrested in Colorado while in the air force for smoking pot. This was different, these inmates spent more than just one night crammed into a four man cell with a dozen drunks and dope smokers. They spent a good part of their live here.

After our tour, we decided to have lunch somewhere. We rode to the business district and found Sanford's, a pub with a restaurant. I ordered a burger and fries with a cold drink. I was a very big burger, I couldn’t finish the whole thing. By then we were ready to head back to the motel to unwind. On the way back, we stopped at the Family Dollar store to stock up for tomorrow’s ride. There are no facilities in between. Tomorrow we try for Jeffery City. An old Uranium mining community that fell when the Chernobyl incident happened. Thanks for tuning in, we appreciate all the moral support. Ted.