Last weekend I drove up to Chuckawalla Valley State Prison Sunday morning to visit my love. I left a little later than I anticipated but it took me about three and a half hours to get there.. The drive was actually peaceful and nice driving through the desert. I had worn the same attire that I had worn to Wasco and S.C.C. and for some reason forgot my change of clothes that is always necessary to bring to a prison. All I brought was my ID, money broken down into dollar bills with a few dollars in quarters, two keys, what I was wearing, and a water bottle to drink.
I wore a burgundy dress that hit an inch above the knee, an approved sports bra, my hair straightened, with some rings and hoop earrings. As soon as I entered the prison, I noticed how dry it was. Once you get past the first check-in point, your ID is checked and there are signs stating "No filming or photos beyond this point". The guard reminded me of this personally, and I drove off to go find where to check in to visit Richard at about 10:30am. Once I arrived in the visiting section, I walked inside and instantly felt eyes on me, from all the male C.O.s. I got checked in and as soon as I tried to go through the detectors, one male C.O. asked if I had a change of clothing since my dress was "too short". Keep in mind there are specs on the visiting doors, as this is my 4th facility I have visited and I know the rules like the back of my hand at this point. I definitely felt like I was being singled out or something. Also, I have Richard's location of Blythe California on my weather app so I know how hot it was going to be. That day the weather was over 100 degrees outside. Chuckawalla's visiting area was closed due to short staffing issues. So I was directed to go to the other prison facility, Ironwood, which was also on the same grounds. At this point, I could keep a panic attack starting. It was hot, I was walking around in the heat, and now I had to drive to the other side of the parking lot. I walked to the visiting section and it was the wrong building. From there I had to walk back to my vehicle, drive to the Friends and Family bungalow, and told the employee there of what happened. He took my ID and allowed me to pick out an outfit from loner clothes. The closet was mislabeled and very limited. I found the baggiest pair of brown pants that hung off my legs and a pink button-up that resembled something you'd wear to an interview. I got my ID, took my cute clothes to stash in the car, and drove back to the correct building. I had to sit in my AC for five minutes to cool down but finally got checked in for a visit.
By the time I got checked in, it was 11:30 am. I bought what are called Photo Duckets, which cost $2 apiece. An inmate photographer gets to take photos and will take your duckets. Richard and I love taking photos because we get to hug and touch each other even more. :)
Chuckawalla had an outside section to visit, we got to sit right next to each other instead of across a table. and we also got to walk around outside and even play ping pong.
As soon as I did arrive it was very scary to be there eat yet another new facility. Since I had issues checking in, I had to deal with a panic attack when I got there but Richard helped to calm me down. We had an amazing visit, holding hands most of the time, playing Connect4 and PingPong, and chatting the hours away.
I am excited to go back in the next few weeks for an actual family visit. I miss Richard so much!
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