Since starting this area of the website, I've done a significant amount of traveling and have discovered several additional places to look for internet access.
Drove into El Centro, California in December, 1999 to do some shopping and look for an internet connection. Tried the public library and they were like many others I'd seen -- there was a 2-hour wait to get on for 30 minutes and they didn't allow any floppies or other type of media. I went downtown and looked for an Internet Service Provider sign. Found one on Randy's TV & Electronics on Main Street and was pleased to find they had a real nice phone setup for $4 for 30 minutes. Got on through the local Mindspring number, answered 30 or so emails, downloaded my latest log chapters, and was out in about an hour. After that, I added ISPs to my list of where to look for a connection when you're traveling.
A real spectacular find happened in Las Vegas, Nevada. I forget who told me about it, but I learned that the several of the Kinko's stores there provide a FREE phone connection to use as long as nobody else comes in to use it. I was able to spend several hours there over a period of several days. I used the connections at two Kinko's stores there, but don't know how many others there and elsewhere provide the same services. One was on 4th just North of Charleston Boulevard and the other was on Maryland Parkway.
Another location I found was the Mailing Outpost in Quartzsite, Arizona. This is one of those mailbox stores that provide mailing services, fax, etc., as well as mailboxes. I learned they have a phone connection they rent for $3 per 15 minutes. Although somewhat costly, it was about the only connection available in the area, so I was glad to have it. I expect any store that provides fax services probably has a little-used phone line they might be willing to rent. Certainly worth checking out when you're having trouble getting online. Seems like the best advice is to just use your imagination when looking for a connection.
