Going on vacation and won't have internet for two weeks

[Rickrock]

I will be leaving on vacation on Monday, July 31st and will be gone about two weeks and won't have access to the internet. Although I have a cell phone, it isn't a smart phone. Also, I won't be taking my laptop computer with me. We'll be driving I-90 to Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park and Salt Lake City and returning on I-80. It's about a four thousand mile trip. People tell me it should be an enjoyable trip. One more day on JUB and then I'll see you later.

 

[piano1]

Have a great vacation buddy.

 

[cityboy-stl]

Sounds fun. Have a great trip. We'll see you in two weeks.

 

[Cormac135]

Sounds like you have a great trip ahead of you, have a wonderful time.

 

[ronboy]

Rick, you're going to love it. I did that exact trip with my parents years ago, one of the best vacations ever! I-90 has so much to see! You'll go through the Ohio Turnpike to the Indiana Toll Road, to Chicago. Then on to Madison Wisconsin, and into Minnesota (that stretch was kind of boring) In South Dakota, you drive through the Badlands (make sure the A/C is working on the vehicle, it gets hot!). When you get to Rapid City, SD, make that your base to see Mt. Rushmore. Also make side trips to Deadwood, and to the Crazy Horse Monument (which is still a work in progress). When you get into Wyoming you will eventually have to get off of I-90 and I think it's US 26 that you take into Yellowstone. Cody, Wyoming is the town before you get into the park. It's a nice stop. If you stay in the park, I highly recommend the Yellowstone Lake area as your base. It's central to the whole park (which is HUGE!).

 

[BillyT]

Enjoy your vacation and safe travels.

 

[eastofeden]

I hope you have a great trip! Sounds like fun!

 

[Daximus]

Have fun!! I was born in SLC.

 

[Yooper]

Have a great trip. Watch out for the crowds in the National Parks. They're maddening this time of year. We liked the Grand Tetons better than Yellowstone, they're adjacent if you get a chance. The Jackson Lake Lodge looked interesting, modern and retro at the same time.

I'm taking off in a week or so and will also have limited interweb for the time I'm at Mom's. It's refreshing.

The Partner is staying home to tend to his Tomatoes and watch Baby Bunny that lives in the back yard grow up. In case any of you's get any ideas while I'm gone.

 

[Thad1527]

Rick, enjoy your trip! I hope to get highlights after your return.

 

[medic1]

I hope you have a wonderful time, it sounds fantastic...........

 

[dpnice]

The first thing I check on organising my holidays is whether I will have WiFi.

Have a great trip.

 

[frankfrank]

When you get into Wyoming you will eventually have to get off of I-90 and I think it's US 26 that you take into Yellowstone. Cody, Wyoming is the town before you get into the park. It's a nice stop.

Yeah, Cody is a pretty fucking cool tourist town. Try to route your way via Devils Tower on the way across, though (not hard to do, and perhaps even "automatic" considering your route). The northeastern entry into Jellystone, though, is the most scenic - that's the one that's on the Montana side of the border and dips into Wyoming before entering the Park.

Also try to set some time aside to enjoy Salt Lake City. It's quite a bit nicer than one would imagine that "Mormon city" to be, and in fact it's probably one of the least-Mormon places in Utah because it's the only part of Utah that is really drawing people in from elsewhere to live.

Have a great trip. Watch out for the crowds in the National Parks. They're maddening this time of year.

I'm taking off in a week or so and will also have limited interweb for the time I'm at Mom's. It's refreshing.

The typical crowds may be dampered-down a *LITTLE* this year, because some people who would ordinarily go this time of year might be traveling out there a little bit later to catch the solar eclipse instead.

I can't imagine 14 or 17 days with NO internet at all. I know at least 10 or 15 people/friends WHO WOULD GET SCARED if I suddenly disappeared for that long, literally they would think that I was killed or something. I also intermittently get business-related emails, even now in the DEEP "off-season" for me, that can't go two and three weeks without answering.

 

[Rickrock]

Thank you guys for your well wishes and information. We will be bypassing Chicago and stopping in Murdo, SD because there is an 1880's town nearby. We will be going through the Badlands and then staying in Keystone, SD near Mt. Rushmore. Then we will go to Deadwood, SD and on to the Custer Battlefield in Montana, which I think is where Custer had his last stand. Then to Cooke City, Montana which is just north of Yellowstone park, and is the northeastern entry, and then to West Yellowstone which is just west of the park. We couldn't get reasonable accommodations in the park, but will stay just outside of it. I'll have to look up Crazy Horse Monument. We may have limited time in some areas because we have some motel reservations to keep. Then we will go to Salt Lake City, UT and eventually make our way home.

 

[Yooper]

Murdo.

Carry bottled water. DO NOT DRINK THE LOCAL WATER.

If I ever see Murdo again, it will be too soon.

That's all for tonight.

Have a good trip!

 

[dpnice]

Don't motels have WiFi for their guests?

 

[peeonme]

Have a great trip!

 

[Kahaih]

Don't motels have WiFi for their guests?

Somewhere, I believe, the thread's author said he wouldn't be bringing his laptop, and his phone doesn't have Internet access capability/software.

Going without Internet isn't a problem to be solved; it's his choice to do so.

 

[Kahaih]

BTW, these days, cheep smartphones can be found on sale everywhere. And they can be activated anytime, anywhere, for less than $20.00 American – should any traveler suddenly find him/herself in need of an Internet fix.

 

[Rickrock]

We put 4767 miles on my car and paid from $2.14 to $2.85 per gallon for gas. My car got 24.1 miles to the gallon on the trip. The 1880's town near Murdo wasn't worth seeing. The Badlands were good and so was Mt. Rushmore. The Little Bighorn Battlefield of Custer's last stand would have been boring, but a park ranger gave a talk before we saw it and he made it so interesting that it was worth it. We didn't know that Harley Davidson motorcyclists have a two week meet-up in nearby Sturgis, Wyoming in August and there were at least 200 motorcycles parked on the street in Keystone, near Mt. Rushmore, and at least 400 more in Deadwood, which wasn't worth seeing for us, and more motorcycles on the roads. They were mostly middle-aged or older men with salt and pepper hair and their women were often a little heavy with bandanas on their heads. I guess that young people can't afford Harley Davidson motorcycles. We came to Yellowstone National Park from the northeast and had to climb over a mountain. The road was narrow and winding and didn't have much berm nor often no guard rails and scared the daylights out of me. I am a little afraid of heights to begin with. Even in the northern and southern parts of Yellowstone the roads were narrow without a berm and sometimes dropped down ten or twenty stories below without a guard rail and I was white knuckled, whether driving or a passenger holding on, and had trouble enjoying the scenery about a third of the time. The scenery was pretty good though. There wasn't any cell phone reception in Yellowstone Park nor in one of the mountain towns we stayed in a couple of nights.

In Iowa on the way home we saw a cop pick up a hitch hiker on the road and take him to the next rest area and his sign said Ohio. We got off at that rest area to use the restroom and he saw our Ohio license plate and said that he was trying to get to his father's funeral and asked if he could ride with us. We hadn't intended to pick up any hitch hikers but we couldn't refuse him.

We enjoyed the trip but were glad to get back home.