June 23, 2026 (Tue.) - a Windy 'work' day.
Today was a “work” day. Lynn was up at 6:00 a.m. to a chilly 48°, while Kirk didn’t roll out of bed until 9:45. There was plenty to tackle: Kirk needed to dig into the water‑leak mystery and the nonstop sensor alarms, while Lynn spent the morning helping her kids and handling some of her mom’s affairs — a steady stream of calls to friends, banks, doctors, and everyone in between.
By 2 p.m., we were finally done with the day’s “work.” Kirk discovered a single small spot of water directly under the sensor, but nothing anywhere else. Baffling. More investigating will have to take place but at least no major water leaks.
Even though the chores were technically done, Lynn continued helping her kids until about 5 p.m. Meanwhile, Kirk handled a few RV reservation tasks and decided to rewatch House of the Dragon from season one, since we’d forgotten half the characters and storylines. We tried jumping into season three and were completely lost.
The forecast called for a warm, dry day with light wind, but around 5 p.m. everything changed. The wind suddenly roared to at least 40 mph, rain started hammering down, and thunder and lightning rolled in. Unfortunately, we had all the windows and doors open — and dirt blew in everywhere. Of course, it also happened to be one of the rare days Lynn hadn’t made the bed, so dirt ended up all over the sheets. Ugh. Most of our windows open on a slant, so usually wind isn’t an issue, but this storm didn’t care.
The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up the dirt. Not many pics today.
Weather – High 82*, Low 48*. Winds 2-14 mph with 25 mph gusts (actual were at least 40 mph!). Rain and slightly humid.
Traffic – None. Didn’t go anywhere.
Food – Nothing to report. Ate in the RV all day.
Notable – Water issues, Wind.
Screen time – House of the Dragon (Season 1).
June 24, 2026 (Wed.) - Prison Stops, Strange Sights & Snowy Range Views.
Today’s plan was simple: drive a whole lot and look at things. We were headed north to explore the larger town of Rawlins (about 40 minutes north) where Lynn had a few quirky roadside oddities she was determined to check off her list. Then we’d swing two hours south to the Snowy Range Scenic Drive in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest — which meant literally driving back through Saratoga. It was going to be a full day of driving.
Lynn was up early at 5:30, greeted by a beautiful pink/yellow sunrise. With the temperature sitting at 47°, she decided to skip stepping outside for a photo. Kirk was up around 8, and we planned to start the day with breakfast at Hen & Harvest before heading out. When we walked to the truck, we discovered our milk crate — the one that holds our water filtration system — had blown clear across the road into someone else’s RV site. Yesterday’s winds must have launched it. Kirk initially thought it was just gone by who knows what means, but then glad to have found it with the wind being the culprit.
Breakfast at Hen & Harvest was excellent. Lynn ordered the country fried steak, and Kirk went with his usual pancakes. Both meals were great… and of course we forgot to take pictures.
We left for Rawlins around 9:30 a.m. and headed straight to the Wyoming State Penitentiary aka the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum. We opted for the guided tour — one hour, $27 total ($15 for Lynn, $12 for Kirk’s senior discount, which he pretends not to enjoy but absolutely does). The tour takes you through the fully intact state penitentiary: cell blocks, solitary confinement, the gallows, and even the gas chamber. It operated from 1901 to 1981, and the castle‑like building was surprisingly impressive.
As a bonus bit of Wyoming trivia, the prison was also the filming location for the 1987 horror movie Prison. You can still spot remnants from the production — fake blood stains on the walls, blown‑out holes, and other cinematic “decor.” According to our guide, the movie was such a box‑office flop that the production company went bankrupt and never returned to clean up their mess. Hollywood glamour at its finest.
Overall, the tour was fun, informative, and perfectly uncrowded — just about ten people total, which is exactly our pace.
After the tour, you can walk to the prison cemetery behind the grounds, but it was locked when we got there. Oddly enough, there’s a disc golf course on the museum property. Because nothing says “historic penitentiary” like tossing frisbees near a gas chamber. Painted rocks lined the walking trail, a charming little surprise and souvenir.
Next, we headed to the Carbon County Museum because Lynn had found another roadside attraction: shoes made from Big Nose George’s skin. Yes, you read that correctly. George was an outlaw who committed murder and train robberies before being lynched in 1881. A doctor studying his body tanned his skin and made shoes, bags, and a mask. And yes — he really did have a big nose. It was macabre, creepy, and exactly the kind of thing Lynn insists on seeing. The museum doesn’t allow photos, but… let’s just say a few “accidental” ones happened. The museum was small but interesting, and conveniently just a few blocks from the prison.
We then found a car with two front ends, another roadside oddity. Since it was parked next to Cappy’s Restaurant, we stopped for lunch. It was… fine. Very Denny’s‑like. We drove around town a bit before heading south toward the Snowy Range Scenic Drive.
The Snowy Range Scenic Drive (Wyoming Highway 130) crosses Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest and climbs above 10,800 feet, passing glacier‑carved lakes, wildflower meadows, and the jagged Snowy Range peaks. It’s a 29‑mile alpine highway, one of America’s earliest designated scenic byways (1988), and only open seasonally due to deep snowpack. We started the drive around 3 p.m. The views were spectacular, and there was still snow on the ground — in late June, almost July!!
There are countless overlooks and lakes to stop at, and we took tons of photos. The weather changed constantly: sunshine one moment, then rain, hail, and even snow the next. The storms blew through quickly, so we just sat in the car and waited them out before hopping out to check one of the overlooks. And since the scenic road isn’t a loop, the whole adventure is a simple in‑and‑out: you drive up into the mountains, soak in the views, then turn around and retrace your tracks back the same way.
By 6 p.m., we were back at the RV. Rain, thunder, and lightning rolled through briefly, then cleared, ending the day with a beautiful orange sunset.
Weather – High 85*, Low 47*. Winds 3-18 mph with 31 mph gusts. No rain forecasted (but it rained). No humidity.
Food – Nothing notable to report.
Traffic – None.
Notable – Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum, shoes from Big George’s Nose, Snowy Range Scenic Drive, Sunset.
