The cemetery is all that’s left of this rural 19th century town located in the vast Texas Hill Country.

It’s an almost disconcertingly quiet place, and it showcases the rare kind of serenity that is only vaguely disrupted by a passing car on the highway or the anxiously shrill call of a bird. The sign depicted in my photograph marks the cemetery, proudly informing passersby that it has been around since 1881.

I’ve had quite a number of people ask me how I manage to stay connected, despite my ostensible addiction to traveling. I am, for example, writing this particular article as I sit in the strikingly rustic lobby of a Marriott resort near Austin. Just 15 years ago, what I’m doing today wouldn’t have been possible. Of course, technology has changed dramatically since then, and it is now possible to remain attached to the real world from any place you might decide to roam.

If you’re a serious traveler, then it’s a good idea to own a seriously mobile laptop computer. Japanese imports, especially those svelte gadgets offered by companies like Dynamism, are usually the best suited for this purpose. My personal laptop is an ultralight Sony TX series, which weighs in at well under three pounds and follows me almost everywhere I go. It comes with the added benefit of having a ten hour battery life, making it especially useful in the car, on a plane, or anywhere else an electrical connection might not be available.

But what good is a mobile computer without an Internet connection? Despite the fact that almost any laptop built today is going to have support for 802.11b/g/n (i.e., Wi-Fi) connectivity, there isn’t a Starbucks on every street corner just yet, and public networks are still relatively scarce in rural areas. As a result, a large number of wireless providers are now offering mobile broadband cards that can be used in conjunction with your laptop computer. An unlimited access plan usually runs about $50 per month, and provides you with near-broadband connectivity. There is one caveat: Latency, sometimes over 500 ms, will prevent you from playing certain video games or using services (SSH, for example) that mandate a low-latency connection.

In addition to my laptop computer, I also carry a Palm Treo smartphone, which allows me to accept calls and read new e-mail while I’m on the road. In addition, my bundled data plan offers unlimited Internet connectivity, which I sometimes use to check my favorite Web sites. The Treo can also be used as a wireless modem (see PdaNet) with some carriers, removing the need altogether for a mobile broadband card. It should be noted that this gadget still has a number of show stopping problems, however, and should not be depended on as a universally reliable device.

The availability of this technology might prompt you with one final question. Do you want the real world to follow you on your travels? While some people — myself included, apparently — don’t seem to mind it, others still do. If you think that you might be one of those people, then it could be best to simply disconnect and enjoy life.

It’s no secret that I love to travel, especially by car. It’s only appropriate that I share some of my favorite roads, and I’m going to start with one of the most beautiful coastal highways in the United States.

California State Route 1, formed in 1934, is perhaps one of the ultimate scenic highways. While this incomparably photogenic road stretches nearly 550 miles from Leggett to San Juan Capistrano, there is one particular area that you shouldn’t miss. It is an area known as the Big Sur Coast Highway, and it offers stunning panoramic views of lush, rugged terrain running adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. If you own a cabriolet or a roadster, this is the place to be.

The journey begins just south of Monterey, near Carmel Highlands. Folklore has it that the area was originally settled by Scottish sailors, who would have certainly noticed the uncanny resemblance which the terrain bears to coastal Scotland. Today, real estate in Carmel Highlands is among the most expensive in the United States, and it won’t take you long to figure out why.

If your car takes diesel, you’ll want to refuel in Monterey before starting your trip, as you won’t find much in the 95 miles between Carmel Highlands and Cambria. And, unless you have a satellite phone, you will also want to make all of your calls beforehand. Decent reception is nearly impossible to find on the Big Sur Coast Highway.

Although you wouldn’t want to take any calls while staring at such beautiful scenery, anyway, you will want to keep your eyes on the road. This stretch of Route 1 is a serpentine drive, occasionally without any barriers that would normally prevent you from finding yourself exploring the Pacific Ocean in a leaky submarine. That said, plenty of areas exist where you can pull off of the road for a better look, and I would recommend doing so frequently.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spending a day or two exploring this area, as it’s likely that few other places in the United States — perhaps even around the world — are quite like it. This memorable and surreal journey ends as Route 1 heads inland near San Luis Obispo, where signs of civilization serve as a stark contrast to the pristine, relatively untouched beauty of Big Sur Coast Highway.