We settled into our reserved site at Page-Lake Powell RV Campground around 3:30 on Thursday, May 24th. Bill opened his laptop, expecting to immediately log on to the Internet to enter the new blogs he had ready. What? No signal! At the office, they explained their advertised internet service was only dial-up by phone. But they suggested that some people were able to access Days Inn free service while parked across the highway at Wal*Mart.
On to Wal*Mart, about 3 miles away. Bill parked as near to the highway in view of Days Inn motel as he could. Yes, there was a faint signal. He moved the Dream Machine several times, checking out the signal. Not good enough.
We drove across the highway to the Jack-In-The-Box next door to Days Inn. The first spot seemed promising. Bill walked around with his laptop to find the best signal and parked there. He would enter a bit of data and the signal strength would drop from 5 to 1 and the work would be lost. After trying unsuccessfully for a while, he parked right at the Days Inn Motel back door. After more minutes of frustration, he said “Let’s look for an Internet Cafe.”
Bill stopped at outside telephone booths of a gas station to look at the yellow pages, standing in full sun at 100°. Finding nothing, he enquired inside. A helpful clerk suggested that maybe the Coffee Bean Cafe would have Internet, but it closed at 5 p.m.; she even stepped outside to point out its location a block away. It was already 4:45 so we drove around the shopping center. Another stop to ask for information. This man doubted Coffee Bean’s service, told Bill about some sort of computer games place around the corner. I spotted the Chamber of Commerce offices nearby; "We should be able to get verification there." Bill walked over to find the office had just closed at 5 p.m.
Remember we are in Page AZ , near to Lake Powell, and it is hot! Around 100°. We were not about to stroll to the next shop.
Back in the Dream Machine to cruise the shopping center. “Computer Sales” Let’s ask them. Bill parked again and went to inquire. Yes, he could use their Internet access for $6.00/hr. They were just closing, but would open at 8 a.m. They had a very comfortable chair Bill could use.
Back in the RV, turning the last corner for the circuit of the shopping center and there was DigitalLands.
Parking once more, Bill went to inquire. On weekends they were open until 12 am. Even though Memorial Day was a Holiday, they would be open until 10. The first $15.00 would purchase a membership and 3 hours of use. After that, Internet access would cost $3.00 an hour. Bill drove around the last corner to find a level parking place in front of the Coffee Bean Cafe where I could study plants or read in the comfort of our generator air-cooled RV. He went right in to start setting up the blogs he had ready.
DigitalLands had about 15 computers, most rented by noisy pre-teens who were playing games. When I came in to scope out the situation, one boy shouted across the room to another “I can kill off all of your men. Watch!” The environment was enhanced by an occasional young female’s presence draped over the back of, or sitting on the lap of a client. If things got too noisy, the attendant would say a word. Although cell phones were prohibited, the in-charge at his desk spent all of his time with one glued to his ear, and with an eye on the customers. An occasional phone call, apparently to find an errant son, would send a young man scurrying out the door.Located next to the only theater in town, which was playing the “Pirates of the Caribbean”, also produced a good deal of ambient rumble, shaking the walls and floor.
Bill claimed the most quiet corner, the second computer space by the door, and somehow managed to focus his attention on blogs on his lap-top until midnight.
We extended our RV Park reservation for a fourth day, having spent one day at Horseshoe Bend, another seeing nearby Glenn Dam and Lake Powell, and then Bill’s long anticipated photo shoot at Antelope Slot Canyon on Monday. The RV roof-top air conditioner kept us comfortable. The spare day-time hours we set up blogs, then Bill would return to DigitalLands for the evening, parking the RV and me at the back of the shopping center so no one would be bothered by the generator running.
We wanted more time for blogging, so we moved to Wal*Mart for two more nights, joining a few other RV visitors. Most had moved on by 7 a.m. when I took this photo.
We were at the edge of town, with miles of desert to the south, only two miles from Horseshoe Bend. I had a wonderful time looking for plants before it got too hot. The most beautiful was Penstemon ambiguus.
On Tuesday, Bill dropped me off at the library in the late afternoon, and I was to walk down hill to DigitalLands by 5:30 p.m. Guess what? The library offers free Internet access (but it’s only open to 8 during week days). Now we know where to try first!
Six blogs were done, for the service charge of $43 for 14 hours.
