This is the chariot that will take us back to San Francisco. Might not look like much, but she’ll make .5 past light speed…(sorry, bad Star Wars reference.)

I’ve outfitted the windshield with a Griffen car mount, for the optimal GPS experience. I considered getting one of those tape deck audio things, so I could run the sound of the iPhone through the car audio system, but I couldn’t justify it for just one trip. (I don’t own anything with a tapedeck anymore.) Off we go. Next stop, Phoenix.

I never really felt sorry for brick and mortar stores struggling with the online revolution. As far as I was concerned, this was progress. Adapt or fail.

But today I was forced into a retail shopping experience (because of my own poor planning) and I was especially glad I never wasted any sympathy on retail stores. Four different stores in three different strip malls. All I needed was an SD memory card for my Nikon. I figured that 32GB would be overkill, so I was looking for 16GB. I checked Amazon the night before, just to get a feel for how much I was going to overpay. 16GB cards run around $38-$40. 32GB cards can be had for around $75. First up: Target. Biggest card they had, 8GB. And it was $37. Next: Gamestop. Biggest card 4GB. Didn’t even ask about price. Just laughed and left the store. Third: OfficeDepot. 16GB card $80. 32GB card $140. Last, Best Buy. 16GB card $90. 8GB card $21. In the end, I went with two 8GB cards from Bsst Buy for a total of $42. Which was oddly markedly cheaper than their own 16GB card. Not ideal, but a least I was only paying a bit more than I would have at Amazon for the same amount of storage. Keep in mind, each store involved driving in Christmas traffic, finding parking, and often having to wait in line just to ask a clerk about SD cards, since they are often hidden from customers to prevent theft. I’m not in my home town, but luckily I had someone to help me find all these stores. Otherwise, I would have to factor in the added stress of looking up directions. Finally, don’t forget sales tax, which is easily avoided online. So its A LOT cheaper, a ton less stressful, and much more convenient to shop online. Why does anyone bother shopping in stores anymore? It’s no wonder Apple has done so well with its retail division. Apple may be a little overpriced at times, but it’s paradise compared to Best Buy or Office Depot in terms of service and convenience. Lesson learned. Order the proper amount of camera storage from the web before leaving for the trip.

Still, I will be getting that battery checked out at an Apple Store when I get home. This is the second 3GS that has had battery issues for me. Another issue that has crept up; I only have a 2GB memory card for my Nikon D40. This has never been a problem before, as I usually dump down photos every day to the laptop, and I’ve never had a single day where I’ve taken 2GB of photos. But now I have no way to move any photos off the card to make room for more, so I’m going to have to get another card soon. Luckily, cards have gotten much cheaper than they used to be. I figure a 16GB one will do the trick for the rest of the trip. AT&T? It is what it is. I’ve had no issues in El Paso. Maybe the occasional deadspot, but 3G pretty much everywhere. I did have a weird issue close to the border when I went downtown last night. My phone involuntarily switched me over to Telcel, which is a Mexican carrier. I got a text message from AT&T warning me of the switch, and informing me of the astronomical rates I’d now be paying for voice and data. I made sure my International Roaming was off, put my phone into airplane mode or a while, and it eventually bumped me back to AT&T. So little harm done. Still, I’ll be checking my bill this month for sure. Signal in New Mexico was spotty at times today, but I was hiking in the middle of nowhere for a large portion of that, so I can’t complain there. Still, makes you wonder about people who still think full-time cloud computing is practical. People do leave their homes and offices on occasion.