AT&T Sucks

Back in the day I used to love AT&T. They were my buddies. I could count on them for the finest products and the best service in the world, I was happy, loyal customer. Then they changed to Cingular and decided to discontinue my pre-paid calling plan and shift me to a pre-paid plan with far less cellular coverage. Considering what I was paying for minutes I deserved premium coverage. I was so upset I stopped using AT&T for years. Then I reluctantly came back to AT&T to use the iPhone for the moblog. I figured maybe they had evolved back into the AT&T of yesteryear that I loved so much, NOT! What ever happened AT&T? AT&T sucks, it turned into a selfish, heartless telecommunications giant, that limits me.

How does AT&T limit me? I have an AT&T mobile broadband setup and it has a 5GB monthly cap on it. Well, as a blogging technomad on the move I can tell AT&T 5GB per month is not enough for me to do this photo/video moblog on the road and work on my websites too. I wish I had signed up for the mobile broadband with AT&T early on when the unlimited plan was truly unlimited usage. Of course I missed that window of opportunity and hopped on the mobile broadband wagon too late. Now I reach my usage limit in like 2 weeks and that's trying to conserve bandwidth. What am I supposed to do till next month when I get my 5GB allotment of bandwidth? Twiddle my thumbs? Whatever... In the mean time, my friends and family that were grandfathered in with their early unlimited bandwidth plans rub it in.

Do you own an iPhone? Don't you dare lose it, because it may take a week and a half to 2 weeks to replace it. We lost our iPhone and thought we'd just swing into an AT&T store and replace it with the new iPhone 4. They laughed at us, seriously they had these smug looks on their faces and laughed at us, like we were crazy, expecting to just walk in and replace our lost iPhone. We stopped in like 4 AT&T stores and it was the same story at each store, they are not in stock,  which means you must order one and then purchase a cheap phone in the mean time if you want to get any calls. That's right, if you lose your iPhone you buy 2 phones. Plus if you're roving technomad's like us, where do we have it shipped to? AT&T has no exact date for shipping so who knows where we'll be 11/2 to 2 weeks out. We'll just have to have it shipped to our post box in Tahoe and have them express it to us but that adds even more expense and time till we get the iPhone back up and running.

Long Haul

Trip Log 15,000 miles. We have just crossed the halfway point for our goal of the summer of driving over 30,000 miles in a summer. Leaving Telluride last night right after the show was the only way to make it to Deer Creek in time to get a good spot on Shakedown.  From downtown Telluride, it's 1,402 miles and about a 26 hour drive. We have driven non-stop except for gas and food all the way across most of the country today. We have about 460 miles to go before we make it all the way to Noblesville Indiana. Deer Creek has always been a very chill scene and there is a camp-ground that is off the hook for the late night partying in between the two nights coming up tomorrow and Friday. We are driving through Iowa and there is a lot of flooding. I have never seen houses and barns flooded like that.

It was a crazy thunderstorm last year for the Deer Creek Phish show. The lightning was exploding into the sky at what almost seemed like they somehow timed the strikes with the music. The storm got so intense they told everyone that was not under the Pavilion to go seek shelter in their cars for set-break.  It ended up being almost two hours later when they let everyone go back in the show.

I am excited to have 2 nights in Deer Creek this year. It should be even more fun than last year with the campground party in-between the shows.

Phish Telluride

Downtown Telluride

Jack had fast fingers and we got really lucky on the day tickets went on sale for the Telluride Phish shows and scored two tickets from Ticket Horse along with camping in Telluride Town Park. We pulled into town after a long drive from the Phish Concerts in Berkeley, CA. Last time I was in Telluride it was for the Grateful Dead in 1987!

Telluride Town Park Camping Space

We pulled into the Telluride Town Park campground and we were given 45 minutes to find a spot, unload our gear and park the van off-site. I found a nice pull in camping spot and nestled in for the 2-day Telluride Phish fest. We went over and got our wrist bands. Right before the concert started we found a note on the van that we would be towed at our expense if we didn't move the van. We left a nice note asking for forgiveness. Apparently it worked because we were fine all weekend, actually the camp hosts at the Telluride Town Park Campground were very nice considering the sheer number of fans attending the concerts. Phish concert began at 6:30pm. I sparked up the Weber grill and cooked up some cheese hotdogs and Bushes Best Baked Beans and got in line early for a good spot for tonight's Phish concert in Telluride Town Park.

Phish Telluride Gate Line

First thing we did when the gates opened is head for the event merchandise tent to get our Phish Merit Badge. Then we got a good spot for the concert. Hope you enjoy the photos from Telluride.

 

 

Telluride Campground Waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenic View from Telluride Phish Concert

Trey Anastasio at Telluride

Mike Gordon of Phish at Telluride

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page McConnell Telluride Town Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Fishman at Telluride 2010

 

 

 

 

Close-Up Mike Gordon

 

 

 

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• Phish | 08.09.10 | Telluride | Photos (jambase.com)

Loneliest Road in America US 50

We decided to take US Route 50 across Nevada and Utah most of the way to Telluride, CO for the Phish shows. US 50 has been called "The Loneliest Road in America" and for good reason too. Service facilities and fuel stations are few and far between so most travelers have the good sense to avoid this stretch of highway if for no other reason that if you break down it's a huge hassle out in the middle of BFE. The reward is breathtaking desert scenery. We camped in the National Forest along the way.

Our National Forest Campsite

May The Fleas of a Thousand Camels Infest Their Crotch

Image via WikipediaUNBELIEVABLE - The tool we use to post to the photo blog (our iPhone) has been lost. We are not sure, but Jack thinks he had it on his lap when he got out of the van and it may have fallen on the ground. We went back and looked for it but it was no where to be found. Then it gets a little interesting when a Nevada State Patrol rolls up and hits Jack with the spotlight, all I remember thinking is this could be heaven or this could be hell, he was rather nice and called the number for us, but no answer and no ring in the van or on the road and so officer friendly went on his way and so did we.

So of course the lost iPhone had several blog posts in progress that were totally lost along with well over 2000 photos and videos. Most of the pictures had been loaded to the computer but the last couple of weeks have been so crazy that recent media including pictures and video were not backed up yet.

We need to stop into an AT&T store and replace the iPhone, I was happy with the other phone but since we apparently need a new one I may as well get the new iPhone with 5mp photos and HD video.

May person whom found our lost iPhone, and made no attempt to return it, be infested in the groin with the fleas of a thousand camels.

Phish Greek Berkeley

We are in Berkeley, CA for the Phish concert at the Greek Theatre. We had so much to do in Tahoe we got out of town later than we wanted to. We arrived in Berkeley just in the nick of time for the 6:30 Phish concert. We paid $20 to park quick and rode to the venue on our bikes. Jack hooked up Dwight with his ticket so he and I went in to see Phish.

The concert was good. Apparently Trey got a new guitar and tonight was the first gig he played it at.

-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Phish Berkeley Here We Come

We stopped in our home town of South Lake Tahoe. Grabbed our mail, and our friend Dwight, dropped a few things off and left to go to the Phish Berkeley show coming up the next three nights.

I'm glad it's only 4 hours or so to Berkeley from South Tahoe. Otherwise we would have had zero time for anything. We are barely gonna make it in time as it goes right now. We are about half an hour away from the venue right now and the show I supposed to start in an hour at 6:30.

Jack and Dwight are playing football on our giant tv to occupy some time while Flowski drives down to the venue.





This is Dwight.






Here's our TV. It is really awesome.






-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Eagle Lake California

We are driving down highway 139 in California on our way home. We passed Eagle Lake and had to stop and take a few pictures.






Nice reflections of the mountains on the calm surface of Eagle Lake.


-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Modoc National Forest

Last night we camped in the Modoc National Forest.


It was peaceful and quiet on the small dirt road we pulled off highway 139 on Adin Pass. I love camping in the National Forest.



We watched a movie with our nice system. We watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I liked the alien theme.


The mules ears and arrow-leaved balsam root carpeted the forest floor, but they had already finished blooming for the season.

I would definitely stop here again. Free camping, beautiful scenery and really nice smells. A good spot to park for a night.
-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Odell Lake

This is Odell Lake in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.



We are driving down highway 58 South towards Lake Tahoe California.

-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Wilamette Pass

This is the top of Wilamette Pass on highway 58 in the Wilamette National Forest. It's a very beautiful drive along a nice tree lined highway with lots of pullovers for scenic views.


-- photo blog post from my iPhone

Terwiliger Hot Springs

Following an epic weekend at Hornings Hideout with String Cheese Incident, we have stopped for a relaxing soak in Terwilliger Hot Springs at Cougar Res. just outside of Eugene Oregon.



Cougar Res. lake


Hoodoo, a local group has taken over running Cougar hotsprings in the recent years. They made a number of improvements to the trail and the hotspring pools.






There are four pools at the hot spring. The lower pools are cooler and for cleaning off before going into the hotter, more clean pools. There is also a really cool cave right at the top where all the hot water is coming from. You can climb up into the cave it is really cool. There is a strong sulfur smell, but cool water drips from the ceiling so it doesn't get too hot.

This is one of the best hotsprings in the US. It does cost $5 but it is well worth it. Here's the information they had up on the sign telling about Cougar Hotsprings.





-- photo blog post from my iPhone