Crossing the Country with Technology By My Side
September 11, 2008 |
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By Sarah Szabo
Ten days ago, my college friends and I embarked on a cross-country road trip that took us from D.C. to the Oregon Coast. We had been planning this trip for almost a decade, so needless to say, we were excited to finally see the sights.
Somewhere between South Dakota (I highly recommend the Badlands if you’re ever in the area) and Colorado, we started to take note of all the gadgets we brought with us and frankly, how they were making the trip more fun.
As you can imagine, the local radio stations were a bit lacking in some towns. Thanks to our MP3 player and docking station, we were able to rock out to the tunes of our choice. No need for annoying static and constant dial changing.
And after driving 3,800 miles, I have no idea how society functioned before GPS technology. Not only did our GPS, which we named Dorie, re-route us each and every time we asked, but it even located the closest coffee shop when needed (I admit, I need my morning coffee).
We decided to fly by the seat of our pants, and didn’t book hotel rooms in advance. Thanks to our trusty Blackberries with Internet capability, we were able to reserve hotel rooms while on the road. Not to mention, our camera phones were perfect for snapping pictures and emailing photos back home (who wouldn’t want to see a photo of a pink elephant on the side of the road?).
Gone are the days of paper maps, limited radio options and little connectivity – and good riddance! Trust me, a few cool gadgets make all the difference on a long car trip!
Check out some of photos from my trip:
The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD
Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, WY
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