This Nature Call Was Actually Answered

If a phone rings in the middle of the desert, and there’s no one there to hear it, is it really ringing? Of course it is!

Computer programmer Godfrey Daniels proved this by continuously dialing an isolated phone booth in the Mojave Desert. Godfrey, who heard about the booth from a friend, called the desert number countless times each day for a month. In fact, he became so obsessed, he made friends call the booth when they visited his Arizona house. Finally, after a little more than 30 days, a woman answered the phone. Victory was his.

“I thought it would take years,” said Daniels, 35. “The whole thing is just so weird. The clash of technology with something in the middle of nowhere.”

To make matters even weirder, Daniels is asking folks to show up at the lonely booth Saturday. No particular reason, really, it’s just weird.

About 10 people showed up last year, and he’s hoping for more this year. The phone booth is 30 miles east of Baker, Calif., off the Interstate 15 Cima exit. Just follow the telephone poles down the dirt road.

Or if you can’t make it, you can call the booth after 3 p.m. Saturday. The number is (760) 733-9969. Last year, the booth received calls from all over the United States, Belgium and South Africa.

Hello?