Public Telephone Sighting!

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 November -0001 17:00

Written by Don Lohse

Considering that every other ad on TV seems to be for a new mobile phone, it is little surprise that the plain old public phone is a difficult thing to find anywhere these days. The assumption must be that since everyone has their own phone, there is no need for public phones.

Joyce and I were in Yellowstone Park last weekend, and quickly found out that there is virtually no mobile phone access in most of the park. So what option is there? That's right, pay phones. There was at least one in each of the developed areas (i.e. Fishing Bridge, West Thumb, Canyon, etc.), and they were often busy. It was a bit of a surprise to see them, but it sure made sense. The only place we found mobile coverage was at Old Faithful, and there were a lot of people talking on their phones – making up for lost time and that sense of being cut off from the world.

As we drove across Wyoming, we were also out of range of the cell towers, and if something happened, you weren't going to call AAA from the side of the road. Those white areas on the mobile phone coverage maps sure get bigger out here in the wide open West.

It was nice to be concentrate on enjoying our trip to the park (what a wonderful place) and sit around with our group of friends uninterrupted by the sound of phones ringing.