RV Squid: Byways and an Old Prison

After leaving Cheyenne, we spent a week in Rawlins, Wyoming. Western Hills Campground was our base. The staff was nice, and we enjoyed our free game of putt-putt. The campground was essentially a gravel parking lot, so we didn't spend a lot of time outside there. Plus, the wind could rival South Dakota's wind. Then, there was the smoke from all the California, yes, California, wildfires creating a hazy sky for most of our visit.

Despite the haze, we took a scenic drive down the Battle Pass Scenic Byway. Our first stop was Aspen Alley. That will probably be really pretty in another month or so. The next stop was the Grand Encampment Museum. I'm not sure whether it was the exhibit of part of the tramway built for copper ore mining or the two-story outhouse that was the highest draw. We ended up skipping the hot springs at Saratoga, opting for some ice cream instead.

Once Harold heard that there was an old locomotive snowplow on display in Hanna, we had to drive out there and to Medicine Bow, where we went through the Medicine Bow Museum in the old depot.

Since we were in Rawlins, we felt like we should tour the Wyoming Frontier Prison. Ugh, I was just sort of creeped out. A mock-up of the Julian Gallows where the inmate hangs himself and the old gas chamber along with the stories the tour guide so enthusiastically shared made me quite glad the tour was only an hour.

Another day we took the Seminoe-Alcova Scenic Byway out past Seminoe State Park. Part of that road was gravel and they weren't kidding about there not being a lot of services out there. I'm glad we had enough gas in the tank. The area around the state park is quite scenic and the fishing is so good along the North Platte River, the area is known as the miracle mile. We don't fish though so we probably couldn't appreciate the location as much as an angler would.