Road Trip 2007

Where I hit the 4,000-mile mark in the middle of Zion National Park, the scenery, like this sandstone and shale cliff face, was stunning.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah--I've been on Road Trip 2007 long enough now that I've reached 4,000 miles of driving. And while the actual spots where I hit 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 were nothing to speak about, that was certainly not the case when the odometer rolled over from 3,999.9 to 4,000.0.

That's because I was in the middle of this incredible national park when all those zeroes appeared, with gorgeous sandstone and shale cliff faces surrounding me.

Now, to be perfectly honest, when I hit 4,000 miles on the dot, I wasn't at a pull-out. I was on the road, with a place to get off the road literally a tenth of a mile in front of me. But thanks to the fact that a giant tour bus was snarling traffic behind me, there was no traffic at my rear. So, I stopped the car in the road and snapped a few pictures. Full disclosure, you know.

Anyway, I am pretty close to home now--that is to say, fewer than 1,000 miles--so I don't think there will be a blog entry at 5,000 miles. But hey, maybe I'll be forced to make a lengthy detour somewhere.

I hit 4,000 miles on the dot in Zion National Park, though I didn't quite reach a pull-out at the exact moment

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

I pulled over in the Infiniti QX56 I'm driving to call my dad and let him know which road I was taking in case something went wrong.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

TEEC NOS POS, Ariz.--I had just left the Four Corners monument and was on my way to the Canyon de Chelly.

The map showed me two different routes. First, the main roads, a 93-mile route. Not bad, but longer than I wanted to go, since I had much farther to travel after visiting the canyon.

The other route was on a dirt road over some mountains. It looked far shorter. And it was all on roads that were on my AAA map. How hard could it be?

Plus, I had a brand new 4-wheel-drive SUV (an Infiniti QX56), gallons and gallons of water, a full tank of gas, three car navigation systems, plenty of food, warm clothes and on and on.

I felt pretty safe heading out on the back roads.

Iridium 9505A satellite phone

(Credit: Iridium)

So, I started driving. At first, it wasn't so bad. But then I noticed that the road had a lot of washes, and they were all wet. And I looked into the sky, and it was menacingly dark. And it occurred to me that those washes could well get hit by flash floods if it started to storm.

I stopped the car, and thought about it. I finally decided to continue, but I wanted someone to know where I was going, just in case. Only problem? I was far away from a cell phone signal.

Luckily, I had a satellite phone, an Iridium 9505A that I had brought along as one of the many gadgets I've been carrying with me on Road Trip 2007.

So I pulled out the sat phone and called my father. I just wanted to let him know what road I had taken. I told him I would call back later to assure him all was well. But if he didn't hear back, maybe he should call someone.

The signal was crystal clear. It was better than any cell signal. I've used these phones before, but I am still amazed that out in the middle of the mountains, or the desert, or wherever, you can get a great signal with one of these devices.

Anyway, the road actually turned out to be too much. I got to a point where the car really didn't want to climb a particular hill. I probably could have done it if I had tried several times, but then again, I might have gotten stuck. I didn't want to try that badly. So I turned back.

Still, in the end, the jaunt was worth it because it gave me a chance to head into a totally wild, out-of-the-way place, feeling safe that I had all the bases covered. And that's worth a lot.

I used the Iridium 9505A satellite phone to let my dad know that I was heading into the mountains on this poorly maintained road.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

The Altec Lansing iM600 is an attractive, high-quality, affordable iPod speaker system.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

FARMINGTON, N.M.--One of the many gadgets I've been carting around with me on Road Trip 2007 is Altec Lansing's iM600 iPod speaker system.

I personally own a much earlier iPod speaker from Altec Lansing, and I've enjoyed it for a long time, though I've often wished it had a little more oomph.

Well, the iM600 has answered that desire, and for a remarkably affordable price: only $150 gets you this sweet compact little device.

Here's what it has: an easy-to-fit iPod dock (with plug-ins for iPod Nanos and older models), as well as an antenna for the built-in AM/FM radio.

The iM600 has wonderful, rich sound. I hesitate to turn it up all the way since I'm in a motel and it's kind of late, and I know that I would have no trouble waking up the neighbors with this little machine. Yet, at high volume, the sound doesn't lose any of its richness, something that wasn't true with my earlier model.

It also has a little remote control that lets you change songs, the input source (iPod, radio or auxiliary device) and more.

Even better, the iM600 has a rechargeable battery instead of using AAs. And while I haven't put this thing through endless testing, my sense is that it lasts a good long while. So far, at least, I've not really had to worry about it going dead. And, of course, when it's plugged in, it charges the docked iPod. Which is nice when you're on the road.

I suppose my only complaint is that it's difficult to search for songs on the iPod while it's docked, because it's hard to spin your fingers around the click wheel. Over time, I think that would be a significant annoyance, but so far, it hasn't bothered me too much.

All in all, though, I am pretty happy with the iM600, and I would think that most others would be, as well. There are, of course, many options to choose from, some cheaper, some more expensive. But when I learned that the iM600 was only $150, I was shocked. It's worth that much and far more.

A desert rest stop just a few miles into New Mexico seemed as good a place as any to test wireless printing.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

LORDSBURG, N.M.--Sometimes, as in climbing Mount Everest, you have to do something just because you can.

For more than a week now, I've been carting a box full of high-tech gear with me on Road Trip 2007, my sojourn around the Southwest.

Using the Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 460 wbt, I printed a Word document easily and entirely wirelessly in the middle of a desert rest stop.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

One of the gadgets in that box is the Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 460 wbt, a mobile, Bluetooth-enabled printer designed for the road warrior. I guess I count as one of those.

That's why, in the middle of my drive from Tucson, Ariz., to White Sands National Monument near Las Cruces, N.M., I decided to pull off at a rest stop and test out this device.

I took out my computer, got online via Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, and then unpacked the printer.

The first thing I tried was printing a Word document. I hit print, and seconds later, a clean, fresh piece of paper spat out of the printer, struggling against the wind to not blow away.

The HP 460 Deskjet wbt does a good job printing photos, but it's very slow.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

That done, I decided to print a photo. So I opened iPhoto on my Mac, loaded a nice photo from my visit to the Titan Missile Museum yesterday, put a piece of photo paper in the printer, and hit print.

Nothing happened. At least, that's how it seemed. The printer made some noise, but nothing really seemed to be happening. So I began to write this entry, uploaded the other two photos, and then looked down and noticed that the photo was actually printing. Just very, very slowly.

So, here we are. I have to hit the road, and the photo's not done printing.

My instant review of the printer: Fantastic for printing a Word doc. Quick, nice quality, easy as can be.

As for photo printing: The quality (from what I can see of the photo protruding from the printer) is good. But it's very slow. So, if you're in a hurry, don't start a photo print. You'll end up doing what I'm going to do: Get back in the car, computer and printer open and working, and drive away.

I wasn't allowed into Pinal Air Park, near Tucson, so to take this image of a row of 747s parked there, I used Canon's 70-300mm telephoto lens.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

TUCSON, ARIZ.--For more than a week now, I've been on Road Trip 2007, my journey around the Southwest visiting various science and technology-related sites, and I've been having a great time.

I've toured the nearly-hidden tunnels that go underneath the Las Vegas Strip, and braved my fear of heights on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. And I've peered into the Earth's past, and a scary future, at Arizona's Meteor Crater.

All the while, I've also been ferrying around a box full of high-tech gadgets to review, and I've been road-testing them as I go. It's been a busy trip so far, and I haven't had a chance to use them all, though I hope to.

But the tech gear that's been the most useful so far, even, dare I say, indispensable, are the two lenses Canon lent me to use with my own personal Rebel XT digital SLR.

They are a 10-22mm ultra-wide zoom and a 70-300mm telephoto zoom.

The Canon 10-22mm and 70-300mm lenses I've been using have been a terrific addition to the stock 18-55mm lens that came with my Rebel XT.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

Now, I will admit I am not a camera junkie, and I will never get around to using these lenses in all the many ways I could. I think I take good pictures, but most of the time it's using the most minimal of settings.

But with these two lenses, I feel as if I've expanded my repertoire exponentially, and I wish I had the cash to buy each of these for myself since, sadly, I have to return them when I get home.

This picture of Arizona's Meteor Crater was taken using the Canon 10-22mm zoom lens, which allowed me to capture almost the entirety of the crater.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

The telephoto lens has been great in helping me do things like shoot pictures of the 747s parked at Pinal Air Base north of Tucson, a place I couldn't get into for a visit. But I really wanted some pictures, so I pulled off on a side road, popped on the 70-300mm lens, and snapped away.

The real star of the trip has been the 10-22mm lens, however. I've actually been using this lens in place of the stock 18-55mm lens, even when I suspect it isn't quite the right gear for the job. I just like what I can see through it so much.

I'm also sure these lenses have their deficiencies, but I haven't found them yet, though I admit I may not be qualified to judge what is missing about them.

In the end, I would say that for amateur photographers, these two lenses are a terrific addition, and I would feel very comfortable recommending them.

TEMPE, Ariz.--One of the things I've found on my Road Trip around the Southwest, and on plenty of previous travels, is that motels are a terrific place to get a good, free Wi-Fi signal.

Most often, motels provide better Wi-Fi than pricey hotels, and that's something I've been railing away at for some time, hoping that I can make a small dent in those establishments' arrogance towards their paying customers.

So when I pulled into this city just south of Phoenix Sunday night, I was pleased, but not surprised, to discover that my room would have Wi-Fi.

Yet, after nearly a day of trying to use it, I can say that it's spotty at best. It goes in and out. I'll be using it and suddenly it will disappear. Not an unfamiliar experience for anyone who uses Wi-Fi away from home or the office, of course, but frustrating as I was trying to get some work done.

Fortunately, I'm carrying a Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard--an EV-DO card--with me. This little wonder is the first device I've used to access the Internet via cell networks, and it's been great.

The EV-DO card Verizon Wireless lent me for the Road Trip is providing a helpful alternative to Wi-Fi

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

For sure, it's not new technology, but this card is the latest and greatest. It lets you access the Internet at the highest speed possible given the cell access you have. If you're in an area with full EV access, then it's nice and speedy. If it's just the 1X network, then you have slower speeds, but at least you can get on.

Most of the time, that is. As I was sitting here trying to write this blog entry, the service seemed to go in and out. I'm not sure why that is, but it was a little frustrating.

Still, it's mostly working right now, and I have to say, it is a pleasure to know that I can get online independent of a Wi-Fi signal, and at whatever speed is available. If it's slow, I'll just send and receive email. And if I'm outside of a city, that's really all I should expect.

But if it's the full-speed service, it's wonderful, and frees me up to go wherever I want.

Now, of course, many people have been using this technology for some time, so I'm a little late to the party. But better late than never, as they say.

LAS VEGAS--If you're involved in the technical side of the Cirque du Soleil, like Keith Wright and David Dovell are, then the scarcity of available radio frequencies poses a potential headache for you.

That's because Wright--the operations production manager for the Cirque's show, Ka, and Dovell, the technical director for its LOVE show, are both in charge of productions that depend heavily on wireless radio transmissions between hundreds of crew members.

And they face different, but equally challenging, problems.

For Dovell--and, actually, for Wright as well, come to think of it--the problem is political. He told me Thursday, as he helped lead me on a backstage tour of LOVE, that his show and many others in Vegas are facing a potential shortage of radio frequencies due to the Federal Communication Commission's interest in auctioning blocks of spectrum to digital television networks.

"The whole town is writing congressman after congressman," Dovell said, "trying to get them to change that. Every now and then, they'll test one, and knock (a bunch) of our radios out."

For Wright, there's a different problem.

The communications control room at the Cirque du Soleil's Ka.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

Because Ka is at the MGM Grand, which also houses a concert arena, radio transmissions from visiting-concert technicians frequently pose interference problems.

So, Wright has in his employ a full-time technician whose sole job is negotiating those situations and resolving conflicts.

Unfettered wireless transmissions are crucial for both Wright and Dovell because, they told me, Ka and LOVE have the two largest sets of wireless needs of the Cirque's 13 shows.

And if you love the Cirque, as I do, then you're just as interested in making sure these technicians are able to do their job without interference from other shows or political agendas.

LAS VEGAS--I'm never surprised when I visit Sin City and find that the hotels here have come up with new and innovative ways to get my--and your--money.

But when I arrived here late Tuesday night for the first real stop on my Road Trip 2007 around the Southwest, I discovered a new one--new, at least, to me--that make me blink.

I've stayed in a million hotels and motels in the last few years, and even a few in Vegas. And in many places, I've used the in-room fridge to store a couple of drinks I brought in myself, or maybe some leftovers from dinner. That kind of thing.

But when I checked into my room at The Mirage last night, I was told that doing such a thing would be impossible. Why?

Because the fridges are now equipped with motion sensors, the helpful woman at registration told me. That is, if I move a drink to make room for something of my own, it'll charge me. If I accidentally knock something over, it'll charge me. If I put something of my own on top of something, it'll charge me.

Fridges in Vegas are now geared with weight sensors in order to charge you automatically if anything moves.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

She didn't say so, but I was convinced that if I even looked at the interior of the fridge funny, it would charge me.

And even if I somehow was OK with incurring a charge of, say, $12 for chocolate almonds, just so I could put my leftover sandwich in the fridge, the registration woman told me that the maid would remove my food anyway.

Now, maybe this technology has been around for awhile, in which case I'm naive to imagine it's new. But it sure seems novel to me. And cynical. I know Vegas wants every dime in my pocket, but this is a little over the top.

And looking at the fridge itself, part of me wonders if maybe the whole thing is a hoax. The sensors, if they're there, aren't obvious. Then again, I don't want to exhale in the wrong direction and incur an $11 charge because my breath hit the cashews.