Geek Roadtrips Through the Heartland

While researching a roadtrip which I'll be taking from St. Paul, Minnesota to Placerville, Ca I did what any geek would do, I checked out the t-mobile hotspots along the route (some), did various searching on wi-finder (some) and other sites and have been doing some googling around on the topic. I know that there must be some 802.11b access points along and inside the towns along I-80, but for the life of me I'm finding it difficult for me to find any of them. I of course have various wireless sniffing apps, but that is hardly an efficient way to find access. I don't mind paying a small fee, so....with that in mind, if you were to take a trip across the country, where would you stop for access? For specifics, Read More...

If you live along I-80, what are your favorite haunts with wireless? Specifically, I plan on stopping for meals or sleep in Des Moines, Lexington, Cheyanne, Rock Springs or thereabouts, Salt Lake City and maybe Reno and points along the long, bleak road between Reno and Salt Lake. But it's clear that the net needs a good reference for places to check your email through out middle america, so post here even if you want to talk about a great unknown spot in Oklahoma or something away from my route. If you own such an establishment, let us know!

On a side note, the futility of my search seems soemwhat silly, as there are clearly people who use the internet in these towns. Anyhow, I really look forward to seeing your responses! Also, any high quality, unique dining reccomendations would be really appreciated. Also, funny roadside attractions or must see geek spots are welcome, as I intend on blogging my cross country trip as it happens and would like to have something to talk about other than the state lines I cross and the number of retreads I dodge.

No one is saying it so I will:

[wirefarm]

AOL. ;-)
Cheers,
Jim

Slightly OT, but if I were you...

[norweigiantroll]

I'd see some geocaches [geocaching.com] along the trip. Not only are they fun, they often bring you to cool places to see that only locals would know about.

Re:Enjoy it

[Billly Gates]

I am from the midwest myself and glad I no longer live there.

I use to Live in New York and it feels like a prison. A really big prison. Maybe its because I didn't have a car but I never left manhattan for almost years on end. It just feels strange and condensed. I felt like I lived on a tomb almost and could never leave. I now live in the desert of the southwest and love it. Yes its alot more boring but I have huge mountains and mild winters and varied geography.

Last week I was bored and decided to drive up in the mountains to see some snow and walk around in the pine forests. After a few hours I got cold and drove back home in the warm desert. I am 30 minutes from 5 different climate zones. How cool is that? Even if its 70 degree's outside like today I can look out my window and see snow topped mountains. I love it out west and would never return to the dull plains again in my lifetime.

Re:Trips

[Megs]

Hey, who are you to judge? I like carrying my computer around with me and chilling on the internet from time to time. It's an ideal way to recharge my batteries (like about 25% percent of the population, I'm an introvert) so that I can "enjoy the world with my complete attention."

Although I do feel compelled to tell a lot of people on this thread to get the hell away from their computers and stop reading slashdot and whatever else is making you so damned unhappy. Maybe you need to keep an email address that you only give to people you care about hearing. Maybe you should do the same with a mobile, if you can afford it. No doubt you should tell your boss and your annoying ex-girlfriend or whoever that they won't be able to reach you until you get back from the vacation you so desperately need.

the upside to being plugged in

[RestiffBard]

last year I took a trip to the states local to Virginia. Never logged into anything till I got to Ohio and used a friend's link to acces my webmail to hook up with a friend I was going to drop in on in NC. Then we used the cell phone when we were close to Charlotte to get precise directions. But, dude, when you're in a bar you would look a little odd carrying along a laptop.

no the excitement comes from the hoop snakes

[wadiwood]

or just the plain brown snakes that cross the road, or just sunbake in the middle.

Not to mention the roos, when it is drought and there is more grass along the road sides and grain from passing trucks. Galahs and Cockatoos are fun windscreen smashers too.

And just when you think you can set and forget the cruise control and tie the steering wheel up, you come across herds of cattle or sheep using the road as a stock route or long grass paddock.

That's the Hay plains (NSW Sydney to Adelaide). And then there is the nullabour (Adelaide to Perth), where a passenger can go to sleep for five hours (550km), wake up and wonder if we've moved at all.

And not a wi-fi or even a mobile phone signal the whole way. But our capital city CBDs are full of free unprotected wi-fi. Just no good for road trips. If you don't count Canberra, the closest they get together is 800km (500miles).

Re:Trips

[mdlc]

I can't say that I agree with that sentiment. I work on a ship that thankfully is (un?)wired for internet access (I'm writing this from somewhere between Huahine and Raiatea) and have had a great time sending back pictures in real time from places like Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro, Easter Island, and the like. It becomes a real tool to share experiences with those close to you despite any real distance.

not so much "down on bringing gear..."

[linuxelf]

It's not so much that I'm down on bringing gear. There is a time and place. My day usually goes something like this. iPaq wakes me up, I go check email, VPN into the company servers and check things out. Grab a quick bite, and I'm off to work, sit in front of various systems all day. Most of the conversation revolves around work and the computers therein. I go home, get back on my computer and check email again, work on a website or a programming project and go to bed late. Often I get called in the middle of the night to fix problems.

I give myself one week [geeksinthewoods.com] to forget all of that. During that week, we bring no technology. Not because it's impossible to use technology for entertainment, but because it is easy to use technology for entertainment. If the laptop was there, I know I'd be doing the exact same thing you mentioned, sitting around playing StarCraft. I can do that at home. We go technology free because you definitely do enjoy the experience more if you don't have the temptation to revert back to your computer.

Anyway, this is just why I don't bring gear along on my trips, YMMV.