44.6/11 Looking for the Internet Part II

Mom & Pop’s RV Park, Farmington, with model train layout

Leaving the southwest corner of Colorado, we headed south into New Mexico, planning to photograph Shiprock. As Bill drove through the 50 m.p.h. dry gale near Four Corners, there was so much dust in the air that Shiprock had disappeared from view. Instead, we turned east on Highway 64, to our reservation at Mom & Pop’s RV Park in Farmington, advertised as having full hooks and WiFi at only $17.00 a night

Model trains, Farmington NM

‘Pop’, Dennis Ryan offered friendly advice about nearby eating places and enjoyed showing us his model railroad with the lead, hand-painted figures which he designs and manufactures.

Bill settled down happily to catching up on blogs. The next day, Jean got the laundry done at a commercial site, next to a 7-11 a block away. It was heavily patronaged by drive-in customers, mostly women with a young children, talking all the while on cell-phones. An elderly, wizened Navajo woman in traditional dress who was helping her adult daughter sort out 3 loads of laundry, plopped down next to me and said, “Oh, but my knees hurt today!”

Prairie dog by highway

Winds having died down, we planned to go back to “do” Shiprock the next afternoon and stay for sunset shots. Jean decided to walk toward town, over the river bridge and to a book store—all well marked on the little xeroxed map given to us. She got to the river which turned out to be about a mile away, sauntered a bit along the landscaped boardwalk and turned back, it was already much too hot.

Prairie dog

A small colony of prairie dogs took fright and scampered back to their burrows, the leader uttering a bird-like squeaking sound of warning.

Bill now had Shiprock photos to sort and process. With Wi-Fi going well, and comfortable with the roof-top air-conditioner running, we extended our stay another day. Around one o’clock, both of our laptops gave us the nasty message “You are not connected to the Internet.” But the Airport program said we were on the Mom-Pop site and the signal was strong. We each tried again a few times, no luck. Bill went over to the office to have Pop tell him “I don’t use a computer myself, just hired a man to install the system, I can't do anything about it.”

We were annoyed and frustrated, trying every few hours to “get on”. A whole afternoon and evening wasted!

We drove off in a disappointed huff early the next morning and headed for Taos.

Chama Visitor Information—

free — free — free Internet

The sky began to look stormy as we arrived at Chama ready for a late lunch.

It worked; we could access the net from our RV. Bill had several blogs nearly ready to publish and got right to work. Jean photographed the quilts clothes-pinned to the Visitor Information, flapping in the wind. Learning there was a display of award winning quilts across the highway, she took that in, too.





Chama, quilt on display

It kept getting darker, a few splatters of rain— Taos was still 93 miles away. We learned the Center closed at 6 p.m., but they turned off the Internet at 5:45. Bill almost finished the last blog when they shut down.

It was not quite dark when we reached a rest-stop 10 miles from Taos, the Rio Grande Gorge State Park. Signs proclaimed “Staying more than 24 hours not allowed.” We were home for the night.

Rio Grande Bridge, Highway 64, 650 feet above the river

Rio Grande Gorge State Park

Taos Visitor Information Center

after heavy rain

The next morning, we entered Taos and located the library. It did not open until 10 a.m., so we went down the highway a couple of miles to the Visitor’s Center where we got a better town map on which the clerk showed Bill, and marked, internet sites. They did offer free 20 minutes on their own computer, no printing, no Wi-Fi.


Taos library,
hours 10 - 6, Monday. through Saturday

Back up to the library, now open, to learn they had internet on their computers, but no Wi-Fi, but they gave us a list of "hot spots" in the town.

The next preferred site was Coronado Hall on Civic Plaza Drive. We were early enough to get a parking spot right in front, metered at 25¢ for 30 min. We fed the meter 4 quarters and got to work. After 1-1/2 hours the site shut us out and wouldn’t let us on again.

Sustaining Cultures (wireless cafe)
on Guadalupe Plaza

A couple of blocks away was the main Taos Plaza which advertised free wireless provide by the local merchants. Bill tried the adjacent Guadalupe plaza, next to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and found a strong signal. More quarters into the meter. But after 5 minutes, the town cut you off. Re-register and get the ads every 5 minutes. That quickly got tiresome.

We planned to stay at the Wal*Mart down the highway, and decided to try the “Wireless Café on the way. Eureka! They do have Wi-Fi free. And if you park close-up, you should get a signal. The Café had a wonderful coffee aroma, a garden area front and rear, and the waitresses were friendly. Finding out they were open until 7, Bill bought their biggest cup of coffee and got to work. Jean photographed a bit of their garden, then browsed the shopping center: Ralph’s, Burger King, Penny’s catalog shop, Sears small appliances, and looked for any new weeds.


Wired Café, Taos

On site at Wired Café

Leaving at 7 p.m., Bill was euphoric about all the blogs he had manage to publish. After we settled in at Wal*Mart, Bill tried the Internet, only to discover that he had a stronger and faster free signal than he had found all day!

C‘est la vie!