"Ditch the GPS. It's ruining your brain."

[Guzzistajohn]

Geeze Pres get your mind out of the gutter 

[Roebling3]

See my early post 6/7 @ 3:42pm. + I've a great friend with a 46' sail boat , - currently. That man can reckon. R3~

[xackley]

On road trips in the dodge caravan we still use microsoft streets and maps. On a 15" screen you can see a lot, or zoom in to see the little roads. I have gpx files for blm, national forest and coe camp grounds. We look at the map before starting out in the morning to  get general  direction in the morning, then follow gps to a campground some time after noon. 40000 miles over any road that had enough ground clearance.

On motorcycle  I use gps  on my phone a couple times a year, mostly to find if I should turn left or right to find on my way home.

[oldbike54]

 I still enjoy the mental exercise of putting a route together and committing it to memory . Yesterday I checked the road closings in Tulsa , the site neglected to mention that the Northbound side of US 75 was completely closed for several miles from the point I needed to access it just Northwest of downtown . Ended up in a neighborhood that was somewhat familiar , stopped for a moment and did a mental calculation of where I was , then found a way to US 412 based on dead reckoning that took me West of Tulsa then on to Cedar Vale . The biggest obstacle was a bicycle race happening in and around downtown , the city had closed several surface streets , requiring calling up a mental image of a map of the area , it helped to have the compass points in my head , and recognizing some landmarks like the old Union train station . As long as you have at least one compass point in your head , navigating isn't that difficult , and can be satisfying to work out .

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

That is pretty impressive Dusty, you manage to pull off your pilgrimage from Muskogee to Cedar vale three or four times a year 👍. Not bad for someone your age. I’m sure it helps rubbing cyber-elbows with all the geniuses here too 😀

[Huzo]

I used to believe in that conventional wisdom, until I had to find pre booked accomodation in Berlin 2 hrs after dark in the rain.
I never really missed the paper map.

[oldbike54]

That is pretty impressive Dusty, you manage to pull off your pilgrimage from Muskogee to Cedar vale three or four times a year 👍. Not bad for someone your age. I’m sure it helps rubbing cyber-elbows with all the geniuses here too 😀

 Yeah , but I piece together a different route every time  Dealing with Tulsa has become a nightmare , the roads and bridges are crumbling , toll roads everywhere , hate those things . Problem is , the best way around Tulsa requires using US 69 for several miles , then US 412 for a few miles. 69 looks like it has been bombed , and crazy people drive 412 

 Dusty

[PJPR01]

I'm sure there is a way for you to get from Muskogee to Cedar Vale via Woolaroc...I've heard there is a back entrance they'll let you go thru if you can prove you are using mental GPS and not one of those foolhardy TomTom devices!

 

[oldbike54]

I'm sure there is a way for you to get from Muskogee to Cedar Vale via Woolaroc...I've heard there is a back entrance they'll let you go thru if you can prove you are using mental GPS and not one of those foolhardy TomTom devices!

 

 There is , and I was at the store we stopped in on the West end of Bartlesville just yesterday . But going straight South of Woolaroc take you into the heart of Tulsa . If there hadn't been a Bassa in the back of the Nissan , and there had been more than 2 hours of daylight left , would have gone over to Claremore , then down HW 88 . Hate driving after dark , especially when the headlights are looking into the sky 

 Next year we'll take a route thru B'ville over to Eastern OK , will show you a fun road going South to take you home .

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

. Could someone find me a route from Chadwick, mo to Willard with some straight road? These curves down here are killin’ me 

[SmithSwede]

That’s just mean John.   


 

[vstevens]

Last weekend my daughter and I went camping in Anza Borrego desert east of San Diego.  I'd been to borrego springs a few times and intended to take the sate route 67 up through Ramona and Julian and drop down from the mountains on the sr 79.  She was convinced that her navigational gps program was faster so I humored her.  We drove up to escondido winding through valley center and the sr76... and at least an hour longer.  Any time spent with my kids, all grown now, is good time.  But we reached Fish creek wash and split mountain at 5:30, just enough time to setup camp.  Great trails and hiking the next morning 

[twowheeladdict]

Last weekend my daughter and I went camping in Anza Borrego desert east of San Diego.  I'd been to borrego springs a few times and intended to take the sate route 67 up through Ramona and Julian and drop down from the mountains on the sr 79.  She was convinced that her navigational gps program was faster so I humored her.  We drove up to escondido winding through valley center and the sr76... and at least an hour longer.  Any time spent with my kids, all grown now, is good time.  But we reached Fish creek wash and split mountain at 5:30, just enough time to setup camp.  Great trails and hiking the next morning 

Nice.  When I hear the word "wash"  my first thought was I hope they checked the weather forecast.  Now a days you can do that on your smart phone, but I guess it would be better to read the sky in the morning and the wind and barometric pressure and work out the weather forecast for yourself so you can keep your mind sharp.     We all know that is what Dusty does.   

[oldbike54]

Nice.  When I hear the word "wash"  my first thought was I hope they checked the weather forecast.  Now a days you can do that on your smart phone, but I guess it would be better to read the sky in the morning and the wind and barometric pressure and work out the weather forecast for yourself so you can keep your mind sharp.   We all know that is what Dusty does.   

 Obviously you haven't ever met me , ask some of the Cedar Vale attendees about my relationship with the weather .

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

The Rain Goddess likes Dusty. A lot..

[roadscum]

When travelling I perferto wander in the general direction toward a not so well defined destination with out getting directions from my GPS. But I won't leave home to tour without it. It's the perfect tool to help me find gas, lodging, food, etc. when I need those things.  Nut'n more frustrating then not finding a bed, a beer, or a burger whenya need it.

Paul

[twowheeladdict]

When travelling I perferto wander in the general direction toward a not so well defined destination with out getting directions from my GPS. But I won't leave home to tour without it. It's the perfect tool to help me find gas, lodging, food, etc. when I need those things.  Nut'n more frustrating then not finding a bed, a beer, or a burger whenya need it.

Paul

When I am wandering I have it on breadcrumb mode so I can zoom out and see the circuitous route I took to get nowhere. 

[wirespokes]

The Rain Goddess likes Dusty. A lot..

Are you saying Dusty is misnamed? Muddy would be more appropriate?

[Huzo]

I can still do basic math including long division but can't do a square root.   

Doesn’t matter whether it’s square or round, as long as you get one..

[azguzzirep]

[Lannis]

Maybe one of the cows can read the signs for him ..... ?

[wirespokes]

That cartoon reminds me of the time I rode from Portland OR to Pennsylvania for a rally. Somewhere in Missouri it was getting late, a big storm was coming in and I was tired after another 800 mile day on the slab. I plugged into the GPS where I wanted to go, and it directed me through a town and onto the back streets. I figured I must have told it to go the most direct route, so just did what it said even though it seemed pretty strange, eventually turning into gravel. Out in the country on this very crowned gravel road with a strong cross-wind at night. The wind would get the bike edging over to the ditch on the ball-bearing gravel, so I had to ride on the opposite side of the road. It went on and on and on. Eventually I found a place near a power station to set up the tent and figure it out in the morning. I probably went fifty or sixty miles out of my way with that mistake, but it was nice camping and watching the fireflies that night. Hadn't seen them since I was a kid visiting my grandma's farm in the Ozarks in the early 60s.

[Sheepdog]

Ya'll know that those GPS databases get updated, right. Garmin does four a year, I believe. An update should be sought before any trip to points unknown. Also, I've found that navigation units take a while to orient themselves when first powered up.

[PJPR01]

Ya'll know that those GPS databases get updated, right. Garmin does four a year, I believe. An update should be sought before any trip to points unknown. Also, I've found that navigation units take a while to orient themselves when first powered up.

Fair points...all true.  Just updated my TomTom again last week...

[Guzzistajohn]

When I used GPS on the bike, me and a buddy took a trip to the Virginia National Rally. He never noticed I had the GPS and I didn't mention it. We went from SW Missouri to the rally and never looked at a map one time. He asked me how I knew where the rally was, I just shrugged my shoulders and handed him a brew.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

My friend Carl and I did three laps in the Williams River Wilderness Area (WV) following his GPS, finally ended up asking some locals how to get out to WV39. Another lap and my XT500 would have been out of gas.

Then there's the time my friend Joseph left the Cass BMW Rally for Elkins, WV to attend Mass at 11 am and didn't return until 11 pm. His GPS set on "direct route" not only sent him down FR44 (two-track dirt, Forest Road) through Monongahela National Forest, but down a "short cut" that was gated (7 miles in and 7 back out). Did I mention he was riding a '72 Eldorado?  Elkins is roughly 45 road miles from Boyer Station.

[Furbo]

I can credibly claim to be an 'original' GPS user having used the military 'plugger' system in Desert Storm some.....oh holy lord....28 years ago....wow. Was essential to success in the featureless Rhub al Khali desert. There were three whole contour lines on my map.  That said, have always been a map guy. Can spend hours looking at them.



So, no @#$@#% there I was, a Lieutenant Colonel in an Airborne Brigade in Italy and a Lieutenant asks where a good camping area is. I pulled out a province map and showed him the spot and explained the route and the kid looks at me and says "um...ok Sir..do you just have an address I can plug into my GPS?" I don't recall exactly what I said, but it was something like 'you're a light infantry officer, map reading and navigation is one of you're fundamental skills'...or...words to that effect. Mentoring, that's the word for it. 

 I do find my smart phone gps helpful when navigating a city I don't know tho.

[pehayes]

This article makes a very good point.  In a similar vein, I try to avoid using my smartphone calculator to do basic arithmetic functions, preferring to do them in my head simply to keep my brain exercised.  Although a cliche, this maxim is valid and applies to more than sex: "Use it or lose it".

Waaaayyy back when I was a young pup (maybe late 50s?), I acquired a recent copy of Playboy magazine.  I wanted to read the articles.  Therein I found a short story which I have remembered my whole life.  Far in the future, our protagonist was sitting bored at office meeting conference table.  He was doodling with a pencil and numbers and realized that he could mentally compute addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  He quickly pulled out his mandatory pocket computer and verified that the numbers he was coming up with in his head were actually accurate.  He started to share his trick discovery with co-workers, friends, relatives, etc.  Eventually he was committed as a lunatic and life for the rest went on as normal.

How much presage is that???

I wonder if the publisher has a historical, digitized library and the short story could be discovered?  I'll try.  It may be some time before I report back as there may be various distractions.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[twowheeladdict]

My friend Carl and I did three laps in the Williams River Wilderness Area (WV) following his GPS, finally ended up asking some locals how to get out to WV39. Another lap and my XT500 would have been out of gas.

Then there's the time my friend Joseph left the Cass BMW Rally for Elkins, WV to attend Mass at 11 am and didn't return until 11 pm. His GPS set on "direct route" not only sent him down FR44 (two-track dirt, Forest Road) through Monongahela National Forest, but down a "short cut" that was gated (7 miles in and 7 back out). Did I mention he was riding a '72 Eldorado?  Elkins is roughly 45 road miles from Boyer Station.

User error.  You should always look at the GPS and make sure it is going to navigate you to where you want to go.  There is some common sense involved with using a GPS.  It is a tool, and like any tool when in the hands of a qualified user can provide great results. 

[azguzzirep]

Maybe one of the cows can read the signs for him ..... ?

The riders says his Navi has no power and his cell phone is also empty. He's lost!!  Moo.