Greetings everyone,
Route planning with Lisa.
Thanks for tuning in and checking up on me, It's been a rough week. There's so much going on right now, that it almost doesn't make any sense to even try to keep up. I've been keeping a low profile and let everything sort of just blow over. I've found that sometimes it's best just to let things sort themselves out. Anyway, I'm finally over the flu, and yes it was a bad one. I was off work for a week, I missed my uncle's funeral, skipped a friend's wedding, and didn't ride the bike once. I only went out of the house to feed the dog, and buy food. I did how ever get to catch up on computer stuff. I e-mailed all my contacts (Some of them twice), organized my image folders, updated my Webshots and Flickr albums, and was able to post new material on this blog. The weather was terrible all week, making me feel worse than I really was. All that is behind me now, and I am ready to pick up where I left off.
Last night Fern and I had supper at Lisa's place. There we were able to go over some Trans-America stuff. I showed Lisa how to convert "txt" files into "gpx" files from Google maps so that we can create off camber routes along the way. By converting these files, the mapping software can read them. We can then load those directly into the GPS as either a route or track, depending on how they are saved. Complete with longitude and latitude cross sections, way points with elevation data, and real time Google Earth tracking for pin point accuracy. The later must be entered manually of course. It also includes mileage markers with intermediate distances "And!!", turn by turn information with names of streets and points of interest. All we have to do then, is enter a "GoTo" destination, and "WALLA!", we're on our way. That way if we get lost, we can get right back on track without spending hours and hours trying to find ourselves. Pretty neat huh? It looks like we will have ample time to do some side trips when the need arises. My new custom made Dell lap top computer arrived last week, and I was able to load all my GPS stuff, along with the links to websites that I will be using along the way. All of the way points, including campsites, eateries, "wifi" hot spots, libraries, bike shops, hostels, and amenities are clearly marked for our reference. Theoretically, I won't even need the maps. But as a safety precaution, we will use those as our primary means of navigation. So far it looks real good. My daughter Krystal will be meeting us at the New Port News air port, in Williamsburg , Virginia where we will be arriving on May the 9Th. from there we will be picking up our bikes, get settled in at the Travel Lodge, and commence with the staging process. If all goes well, we will have a full day or two to test ride, and check out the York Town area.
Last night Fern and I had supper at Lisa's place. There we were able to go over some Trans-America stuff. I showed Lisa how to convert "txt" files into "gpx" files from Google maps so that we can create off camber routes along the way. By converting these files, the mapping software can read them. We can then load those directly into the GPS as either a route or track, depending on how they are saved. Complete with longitude and latitude cross sections, way points with elevation data, and real time Google Earth tracking for pin point accuracy. The later must be entered manually of course. It also includes mileage markers with intermediate distances "And!!", turn by turn information with names of streets and points of interest. All we have to do then, is enter a "GoTo" destination, and "WALLA!", we're on our way. That way if we get lost, we can get right back on track without spending hours and hours trying to find ourselves. Pretty neat huh? It looks like we will have ample time to do some side trips when the need arises. My new custom made Dell lap top computer arrived last week, and I was able to load all my GPS stuff, along with the links to websites that I will be using along the way. All of the way points, including campsites, eateries, "wifi" hot spots, libraries, bike shops, hostels, and amenities are clearly marked for our reference. Theoretically, I won't even need the maps. But as a safety precaution, we will use those as our primary means of navigation. So far it looks real good. My daughter Krystal will be meeting us at the New Port News air port, in Williamsburg , Virginia where we will be arriving on May the 9Th. from there we will be picking up our bikes, get settled in at the Travel Lodge, and commence with the staging process. If all goes well, we will have a full day or two to test ride, and check out the York Town area.
Route planning with Lisa.
Stay tuned for more ridiculous, off the wall updates.
Aloha, Ted.
