I got up early and went outside.  It was totally silent in the desert.  No birds, no leaves rustling, nothing.  It was a little creepy, and beautiful too:

 

We drove up a side “road” to a trail that led to a rock face with Indian Petroglyphs:

 

The rock must pretty soft, because it had a very interesting erosion patterns.  A bird nest is on the rock face in the upper left:

 

We climbed up on top of the mesa:

 

We were quite alone out there:

 

Boar’s Tusk in the distance:

 

We packed up and got back on the interstate before 9am.  We drove east to Rawlins, Wyoming, where the state prison was located from 1901 to 1981.  The complex is now a privately run museum.  We took the tour, which was very sensationalistic and generally distasteful.  We felt some parts were not appropriate for children.  The guide asked us if we wanted to sit in the gas chamber.  Um, thanks no.

 

 

From Rawlins, we drove east to Laramie, Wyoming, site of the previous state prison, which operated from 1872 to 1901.  It’s a state-run facility, and was quite well done:

 

The guard “tower”, which overlooks the cell block below:

 

The prisoners made brooms to support the prison and to earn improved rations, etc.:

 

There are a number of other structures at the site, including a one room schoolhouse:

 

From Laramie, we continued East to North Platte, Nebraska, where we spent the night in the Walmart parking lot.

We drove about 500 miles today: