Hunting for Internet in the Wild
Posted on | December 16, 2009 | 1 Comment
I recently moved, along with my sweetie, to a work-in-progress homestead eleven miles outside a small town in Alaska. Part of the
deal with my sweetie was, I NEED INTERNET. I write e-books, after all, but even if I didn’t need it for “work,” I need it to stay connected with the rest of the world. I’m the type that has my iPhone with me at all times, I’m on Twitter, FaceBook, so on and so forth. I can get used to a temporary lack of modern conveniences, but I need my Internet.
Well – the first shock was that my lovely iPhone has no data connection here! At our house, it’s just a phone. No email, no maps, no nothin’. The second shock: a waiting list for DSL. Direct quote: “could take weeks, could take years.” No cable service to be had this far out. Satellite was a ridiculously expensive last resort.
So what was an Internet junkie like me to do? It took three weeks, many frantic phone calls, and a wait for the kite-surfing season to end, but I am now the proud and relieved owner of a 20-foot mast that sticks up from our cabin like a giant, one-legged stork. Perched on top of the mast is a square, white receiver/transmitter that communicates by microwave with a tower owned by a guy named Tom, who kite-surfs when he’s not selling his own Internet service.
I can’t tell you how much I love that mast. It’s like a banner that says, “I’m here, world, you can talk to me!” It sways in the wind, it gets piled with snow, but it keeps on bringing in a signal. We’ve only lost service once so far this winter, after a three-foot snow dump. It was a rough night, what with the power outage and cooking by candlelight. But I did learn that I can go Internet-free for brief periods of time. Twitter will be fine without me for a night. I can last up to fifteen hours with no email.
As long as I have my mast, and I know my Internet will be back.
So as you read this blog, know that it’s thanks to a guy named Tom and a very tall pole. Let’s just hope the power doesn’t go out before I can post. 
Juniper Bell
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December 16th, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
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