Folsom prison views

When I woke up this morning, my injured finger felt a bit better. At least it doesn't hurt unless I apply pressure. Even typing is no problem...if I don't press on the key too hard! Needless to say, I'm VERY careful opening my Blazer's rear window now!

I was planning to visit two caverns today, but when I got to the first one... Black Chasm Cavern National Natural Landmark...I was told by the guy working there that the other one... Sutter Gold Mine...was closed today. Oh, well...I just go to another museum instead then! I arrived at Black Chasm well before the start of the first tour at 10:00 am. But, when that time rolled around...no one else had shown up! So...I got a private tour of the caves! Cool! This particular caverns is most famous for their extensive display of rare helictite crystals...the main reason it was awarded National Nature Landmark status by the National Park Service. And, those crystals ARE impressive!

As many past mornings on my road trip, I skipped breakfast so I was good and hungry after the cave tour. I was on my way to two museums in Folsom when I passed through the town of Placerville...and spotted an In N Out Burger! I had been planning to just eat the other half of my Subway sandwich, but I forgot all about that. Instead, I was envisioning a double double! I made a quick decision and...well, you know what I did! I beat the lunch crowd by just 5 minutes. As I was walking to my Blazer with my takeout burger, the vehicles started streaming into the parking lot! It was pretty amazing. And, yes...that double double tasted damn good!

I immediately felt a bit apprehensive as I turned into Prison Road in Folsom. There were signs along the sides of the road saying "No stopping or parking." My destination was the Folsom Prison Museum, but this attraction was located adjacent to Folsom State Prison. The prison is infamous for Johnny Cash's two performances there in 1966 and 1968. This was dramatized in the Joaquin Phoenix film, Walk The Line. I parked in the same lot that prison visitors use, which felt a bit weird. Actually, this is not the first time I've been near prisons. When I had a temporary job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers back in the early 80s, at least a couple of times I went to the main office and drove past Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Then, while working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in New Jersey, I occasionally passed by East Jersey State Prison...originally known as Rahway State Prison. Most prisons look the same...high walls and guard towers. The prison museum was extremely interesting. There were exhibits with prison memorabilia, including weapons and contraband constructed and confiscated from prisoners. The nice lady working there took a photo of me standing in front of the prison's East Gate. I prefer staying outside, thank you very much!

Next, I drove a short distance to the Folsom History Museum. I got a lot of information on local history from this museum. Since I didn't have a second cave visit today, I added the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento to my itinerary. I'm not the biggest fan of trains, but I was pleasantly surprised on how well done the exhibits were at this museum. The history of the big railroad companies in the West, railroad construction, and descriptions on railroad life. I spent a good 1 1/2 hours absorbing it all. Oh, and the trains were pretty nice, too.

Tomorrow, more museums and a historical park...did I ever say I love museums? Four more days till my journey ends...