I have been traveling with a canon 7D, and now a 5D mkii, with a Canon G12 as a backup. My wife usually uses the G12, but sometimes I use it as well. We've had fine results from it. It has many DSLR features, and is very easy to carry. The articulating screen is a great feature to have available. The zoom, while moderate, is in most cases adaquite. I received an email from Canon yesterday showing a refurbished G12 for $199, with a 1 yr warranty.
I would recommend a G series ( from G12 to current models) for your consideration.

Microsoft Live Photo Gallery is a good, basic editing program that has served me well. It is free, and should work just fine with 32 bit.

Nice. I'm going to Alaska next month. Wht camera/lens combo did you use, and what kinds of settings. The aircraft windows I usually see are a mess. How did you get such clear shots? Thanks

I've been using an SD to CF adapter from Delkin Devices because of the less expensive SD memory that is available. It has worked perfectly. I'm just say'n.

My problem is that paper I want to use seems to require front loading. I've tried to set things up with the directions in the online user info, and looked it up on utube, but nothing seems to work. I've raised the front paper guide, and used the "Y" guide in the back, but the paper won't feed. Any suggestions?

If you are just getting stated, a great program to use is Microsoft live photo gallery. It offers the ability to adjust lighting, contrast, sharpening, stitching for panoramas, cropping, and a host of other controls. And best of all, it's free. Other programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop elements, etc. Will do a great deal more, but Photo Gallery is a great place to begin, and may be all you really need.