Do You Remember When?

One of my friends talked about the satellite technology that made cell phone service possible. I assured her that even though I was much younger, I did remember the first cell phones that came as a big metal box you had to lug around in your hand. Of course that sort of phone didn't last long, and we quicky moved into the world of smaller, faster and better.

Do you remember dial-up? Oddly enough, I still go to places during my travels that don't have Internet service. And MANY hotels claim to have wi-fi, but the signal strength always shows up on the meter as poor to low. I've maintained a dialup service connection as back up for that very reason, and have used it in hotels time and again. Just recently at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park I sat in my hotel suite wishing I could check my email. I guess when you have bears outside the door scavenging for food, you have to put this technology into perspective and realize that not everybody in the world expects to be connected to their business 24/7.. or even 7.

If you think you remember when something was slower, older and less high-tech, listen to this. Last year I visited Columbia State Historic Park in California Gold Country. I stayed at the Fallon Hotel and was shocked to discover that I had to carry my heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs. When I got to my room and looked around, the shock became even greater. There was no TV, no shower and pretty much just a bed, sink, toilet and old fashioned balcony overlooking the highway. Did anyone say prison? The hotel was absolutely, beautifully decorated to historic standards, but had no cell service, no Internet, no phone, no TV, and the town was so tiny, there was nothing to do. No store, no movies, no shops, no liquor markets, no nothing.

It proves that you really don't have to remember when times were simpler. Sometimes you just need to get out and travel to recognize that if you didn't have all your high tech gadgets you would 1. be out of business as you know it, and 2. be forced to acquire skills with only electricity as your friend. Can you imagine such a place actually exists? It's true.