Starting Saturday, Kyle and I will be embarking on our cross-country vacation. It’s planned to last from September 15-October 3. Here is the basic route again:

We will be visiting the following states:

• California
• Nevada
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• Missouri
• Kansas
• Colorado
• Utah

So, lots of driving coming up. To entertain ourselves, we set up a system that will allow us to be completely wired as long as we have cell coverage. This includes Internet access via Kyle’s ENDO wireless internet card and phone-calling ability via a blackberry and calling card. I will also be blogging and taking pictures with my new camera.

But we aren’t stopping there with the gadgets. No! We will also have:

• Our laptops (of course)
• A GPS system borrowed from Paul, along with an atlas, compass, highway stops book to keep us from getting lost
• An Archos media player filled with movies, music, and books on tape.
• A cooler that plugs into your cigarette adapter to keep food cold, which will save us money on lunches and diet soda.
• My knitting, which is kind of the opposite of a gadget, but I feel inclined to mention it anyway.

We’re taking our 2004 Honda Civic, which is currently getting 44 mpg on the freeway. The entire trip should cost less in gas than two airline fares, and we don’t have to deal with airport bs.

Another aspect of this trip is that there isn’t a solid plan. I know where we are going and we do have hotel reservations for certain cities like New Orleans and Las Vegas, but much of this is unplanned. We’re going where the wind blows us! (Don’t worry, we have camping gear so that if the wind gets us stuck, we can set up a tent.)

I may hate this trip. I might be bored and dirty and stressed from not having a decent bed to sleep in. On the other hand, it may be a grandiose adventure to rival Kerouac’s On The Road (which, coincidentally, just celebrated its 50th anniversary).

In either case, you should be able to follow along. Keep coming back to read about and see pictures of this rascally country of ours–or at least part of it.