Paul writes:

thinking of getting one of the U.S. cell phone providers for the time
we're south of the border, preferably one that would allow roaming in
the western U.S. (CA, NV, AZ, NM, etc.) without exorbitant additional
charges. A U.S. mailing address would be no problem.

If you are going to be off the beaten track much, you'll need a plan that
offers free roaming on both digital and analog. Verizon Wireless has the
National Singlerate plan. AT&T Wireless has a similiar plan. Do not get
the America's Choice plan from Verizon Wireless as most areas with analog
service are not covered, and this is a lot out west. Cingular might have
a similar plan.

Don't get a phone from T-Mobile as they often don't work at all outside of
larger cities or off of major highways.

What I'm after is a plan that would not require a long-term contract,
nor do I require a "free" phone. I'm not all that concerned with the
amount of minutes/month as much as being able to be reached. A

If you want to pay full price for a phone, any of the providers should be
able to accomodate your need for no contract.

Many plans include long distance these days. The plans mentioned above
do.

Brian Elfert