Winner Of Numerous Awards

Waking up in Rawlings Wyoming we had some time on our hands, and during last evenings stroll we found the Wyoming Penitentiary.

Wyoming Territorial Prison

The building opened in 1901 and closed in 1981.  During those years the city of Rawlings grew up to the prisons door, so that when it closed in 1981 it was like the neighborhood prison housing some of the worst offenders in Wyoming, and putting some of them to death in the gas chamber.

Paul Carroll Gassed In 1935

Leaving the big house of sorrows behind we headed north on red highway 287 spotting many antelope. Then a short grind on 25 before heading east again on 259.

Most of this country is native grass land, with rolling hills. It is a very nice ride, way nicer than grinding away on the interstate.

It is also coal mine country and we soon encounter the Black Thunder Coal mine…

Black Thunder Mine Loading Terminal

 

Huge dump trucks, haul coal to the mill and miles of rail cars are being loaded so the dirtiest fuel on the planet can be hauled away, by huge machines burning diesel and burned for power generation.

Humans will win this war on the environment, and soon when the battles are over everything that keeps us alive on this planet will be destroyed.

We ride in to Custer South Dakota to meet up with Sampson and his humans.

Sampson

We have a wonderful evening visiting with friends, and in the morning Sampson’s person chef fixes us a great breakfast. Thank you Lenny and Missy!

Another short grind on I 90 in the morning then at Wall we find red road 14. Into Huron for the night, and now we are within striking Distance of Saint Paul Minnesota.

In the morning we wake to heavy fog. NOAH weather radio is reporting 100 % humidity with ¼ mile visibility. We gear up and head out. Water runs off my rain pants, it is hard to see anything, luckily    there is no traffic or animals.

After about 70 miles or so the fog begins to lift. We are angling north then east on the red roads. We enter Minnesota at Dawson, and even though everyone along the way has been very nice, the first Minnesotan I meet is even nicer.

It is straight into Saint Paul now. We are going to make our first deadline of this trip. The July 4 live radio broadcast of a Prairie Home Companion Prairie Home Companion the second annual 40 anniversary show.  I never ever pay money to see people perform in fields, but this is the second time I have made an exception for Garrison Keillor.

Lake Wobegon

The show does not disappoint. An hour before the broadcast the cast all comes out and plays a few numbers. By the time Garrison sings “I hear that ol piano” the mostly public radio crowd is whipped into a frenzy wanting more.

The Jd McPherson band is awesome. If you want to add some new music to your play list check them out.

Joe Newberry is an amazing Banjo picker and vocalist and the  Steele sisters, strong voices It was a wonderful afternoon on the great lawn of Macalester Collage.

Back at our room just a block away we get drunk on our root beers and ready ourselves for our next trip deadline Oconomowoc Wisconsin.