So, how do you stay connected to the internet in the middle of the desert?

In theory, it is simple. Solar panels recharge a battery. This battery recharges a Panasonic Toughbook computer and an Iridium Satellite phone. Journal entries are typed into an Adobe software program, which is then transmitted via the phone to a satellite. The satellite beams the entry back to our web site.

In theory, simple. In practice, hard. The solar panels take nine hours or more to recharge the battery pack. This is occurs even with an extra booster panel. We discovered that leaving these "almost indestructible solar panels" on a camel is a fast way to remove the "in" from "indestructible". Without warning, a fully packed camel may roll in the sand. 1200-1400 pounds of rolling camel is destruction derby. So we can only take the panels out when we stop. Since we ride during the daylight hours, that only leaves rest days for recharging. This limited battery time means we have to be conservative in using the computer and phone. All entries in the computer are first written out on paper, then rapidly typed into the computer. The Panasonic Toughbook Computer we are using is built to withstand dust (we've had sandstorms), rain (we've been dumped on), and knocks (which is guaranteed when packed on a camel). To further protect the laptop, we store it in a Pelican case, which takes the knocks, scrapes, and minor drops we experience daily.

Then there's the phone. Phone calls are super. For example, Dan has a weekly British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio interview that details our trip. Calls are clear half a world away. Unfortunately, there's also a gremlin in our phone. The tech staff at Iridium think it is a hardware problem with the phone that limits data transmissions to 4-6 minutes This affects our ability to edit this website and thus required a field solution. To cut down on data transmission times, I send a small and simplified journal entry by email to my wife, Ellen. She edits my entry and then sends it to our computer consultant, Patrick, who uploads it to the web site. While you've only seen two photos in our journal entries, we really do have a growing digital photo gallery but it takes too much time to transmit photos, so we've deleted them from entries.

The technical difficulties we face -- while also dealing with sandstorms, bucking camels, pouring rain, navigation glitches, and the daily challenge of locating food and water -- require that we be flexible, be creative, and most important for any adventurers, work at maintaining an attitude that looks for solutions.