Silence!

“Silence!”

I suppose that you should come prepared when entering a place where you experience electronic and communication silence.

Jacki and I have taken cruises for that very reason. When you board the ship, and it leaves port, fading into the distance, you’re suddenly surrounded by water. Your cell service drops away, and nobody can get ahold of you. We take these journeys specifically to get away. But you prepare yourself for the time away. Anticipate it.

I’ve even participated in ‘silent retreats’—time spent apart. Once, with a spiritual director at Bon Secours named Sister Joan, when I arrived, she asked if I had brought any books with me. I said I did. To which she said, “Don't read them.” Instead, I was told to sleep when I was tired, go for a walk if I wanted to—there were no expectations placed upon me, which was very welcoming at the time. I was participating with a novice nun who wasn't very good at staying silent, often greeting me and starting conversations outside our designated dinner hour. Silence, even when anticipated, is difficult to maintain.

We came ill-prepared for our entrance into Yellowstone. We found out that there is limited cell service here in this area. We watched as our 5G service dropped to ‘No bars’ in no time, and we suddenly realized that even our GPS signal disappeared, and routes became grey, unnamed paths. Thank God and the Park Service for the maps provided, because otherwise, we were at the mercy of signs posted at intersections (which is fine if you know where you need to go). Each day was an electronic silence.

There were respites from the silence when we stayed in hotels or cabins along the way. But on Tuesday and Wednesday, we stayed at a cabin at Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins on Yellowstone Lake. The hotel is grand, with a piano bar, open windows, and rocking chairs on the porch. It was also dreadfully electronically silent—which would not have been a problem, except we didn’t know it was going to be so. You spend a large amount of money for a place without contemporary amenities.

I would have booked another location a day out so that we knew exactly where we would land the next day (rather than it becoming my daily ritual).

If I had known, I would have been able to prepare our family that we were going “off the grid.” When we returned to having a signal, we found panicked text messages and voicemails from family worried about our lack of responses. We also returned to a ton of well wishes on our anniversary.

And right now, you’re probably saying that this is exactly what we needed, to which I say, “I need what I am prepared to experience.”

All is well, and I'm not complaining (well, maybe a little), but this little “forced escape” from all things electronic has also alerted us to what may come, and I should be a little more prepared.

The scenery in the national parks is beautiful. We took in all the sights that seem to be the draw for the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Park. I'm posting photos of our time there. These aren't all-inclusive, because, you know, you really should put this place on your bucket list, visit, and come prepared for ...