I spent Day 2 of this State Vacation at the Wyoming Territorial Prison Museum, outside Laramie. As I’ve said before, I don’t generally take photos at museums, so I left my camera at the hotel. Afterwards, I realized I should have at least gotten a few pictures of the building’s exterior – it’s a pretty cool looking old place. When visiting this museum, you have the option of taking a guided tour, wandering around on your own, or both. I started with a guided tour. It was not yet 11 A.M., but it was already unusually hot out. The tour begins outdoors before walking to the prison building, and I was a little afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Luckily, I ended up being the only one on the tour, so we went at my pace. I was a little disappointed to learn that my guide had only lived in the area for two weeks, but she had learned the prison’s history well in that short time, and kept things interesting.

After the tour, I popped out for lunch. I drove the couple of miles into downtown Laramie, where I had lunch at Born In A Barn. I ordered Big Al’s Chili Dog. This was by far the best wiener I’ve had in my mouth in a very long time. Why are you laughing? Seriously, I highly recommend Big Al’s Chili Dog at Born In A Barn. It’s worth a stop if you’re ever passing through Laramie.

After lunch, I went back to prison. There is plenty to see and read, so I spent a few more hours there. Some basics for ya: The prison was built by the federal government in 1873, before Wyoming became a state. It was in use until 1903. During its early years, this prison was seriously under-funded and thus short-staffed. Partly because of this, escapes were common. Prisoners had to wash their own laundry, and share their bath water! In 1901, the state of Wyoming built a new state penitentiary at the town of Rawlins, and phased out this here Laramie facility. The land here was given to the University of Wyoming, and served as an agricultural research facility until the 1980’s.

By about 4:00, the excessive daytime sleepiness and general physical fatigue that come with my Parkinson’s Disease (PD) were combining with the heat of the day to wear me down. I tried sitting on a bench while looking at some of the exhibits, but then I started nodding off. So, I left a little before closing time, went back to the hotel, and had a much-needed nap in the much-appreciated air conditioning. That night I got dinner from the local Taco John’s. It was just as good as I always expect from Taco John’s – which is pretty good. Much more to come – including pictures next time!