Road Trips explained….

[LittleBear]

There are two kinds of road trips. One is defined as crossing America from point A to point B. The other is SEEING America while traveling from Point A to Point B.

The first type of trip is the most common. A person travels from one city to another city without seeing America. The objective of this trip is just to get somewhere as fast as possible and seeing any of America is rare and secondary to the objective. For this kind of travel, a GPS is a great device. It plots courses on the 4 lane roads, gives you all the gas stops, restaurants and hotels and get you there as fast as possible. It only takes into account how to get there as fast as possible not what is along the way as you get there. It keeps you on major interstates and four lane US highways when ever possible. Of course that keeps you using the major gas station chains, the national chain restaurants and the chain motels along the way. All part of the plan to keep you in the main stream. The GPS works wonderful in this mode.

Now seeing American is a different story. A GPS sucks for this kind of travel. How can you make any decisions on what road to take when all you have is a 4”x4” screen to look at for a map? You have no idea what roads are out there and what adventure awaits unless you look at the big picture. By big picture, I mean a REAL PAPER MAP of the state or states you intend to travel across to SEE America. When you have the entire state highway system laid out in front of you with a REAL MAP, you can make a choice on where you want to go, not be told where to go by some non feeling electronic, keep you on the main path, POS device. With a REAL MAP in front of you, you can see all the state parks, national parks, national forests, national monuments and where they are. You can plot your own course and see what you want and ride where you want. You can plot courses around big cities, not through big cities like the GPS does. You can take the two lane back roads the GPS scoffs at and tries to recalculate your path every time you ride down something without four lanes. You can make your own decision not be told some programmers decision of the correct route.

Now if you like believing the media and being told how to think by our government, go ahead try to SEE America using a GPS, it will take you where they want you to go on the way to your destination. But if you what free will and really want to have an adventure, use a REAL PAPER MAP to cross this great country and see what is really out there beside four lane highways, big cities and chain franchises. So tuck the GPS into your saddlebags, stop at a tourist info center and get a REAL PAPER MAP and begin SEEING America, not being told where to ride through America.

[squish]

i love my paper maps....

[Sidecar Doug]

Thanks for the information Paul. I'm sure Gene and I will be calling you some more along our trip.

[Ridgerunnur]

Amen.

[Parks]

Was it the Simpson's movie where the government took the city off the map....

[ms_tapestry]

I love my paper maps. . .I have to replace them periodically due to high winds in west Texas. . .

[thrasher]

Originally Posted by LittleBear

There are two kinds of road trips. One is defined as crossing America from point A to point B. The other is SEEING America while traveling from Point A to Point B.

The first type of trip is the most common. A person travels from one city to another city without seeing America. The objective of this trip is just to get somewhere as fast as possible and seeing any of America is rare and secondary to the objective. For this kind of travel, a GPS is a great device. It plots courses on the 4 lane roads, gives you all the gas stops, restaurants and hotels and get you there as fast as possible. It only takes into account how to get there as fast as possible not what is along the way as you get there. It keeps you on major interstates and four lane US highways when ever possible. Of course that keeps you using the major gas station chains, the national chain restaurants and the chain motels along the way. All part of the plan to keep you in the main stream. The GPS works wonderful in this mode.

Now seeing American is a different story. A GPS sucks for this kind of travel. How can you make any decisions on what road to take when all you have is a 4”x4” screen to look at for a map? You have no idea what roads are out there and what adventure awaits unless you look at the big picture. By big picture, I mean a REAL PAPER MAP of the state or states you intend to travel across to SEE America. When you have the entire state highway system laid out in front of you with a REAL MAP, you can make a choice on where you want to go, not be told where to go by some non feeling electronic, keep you on the main path, POS device. With a REAL MAP in front of you, you can see all the state parks, national parks, national forests, national monuments and where they are. You can plot your own course and see what you want and ride where you want. You can plot courses around big cities, not through big cities like the GPS does. You can take the two lane back roads the GPS scoffs at and tries to recalculate your path every time you ride down something without four lanes. You can make your own decision not be told some programmers decision of the correct route.

Now if you like believing the media and being told how to think by our government, go ahead try to SEE America using a GPS, it will take you where they want you to go on the way to your destination. But if you what free will and really want to have an adventure, use a REAL PAPER MAP to cross this great country and see what is really out there beside four lane highways, big cities and chain franchises. So tuck the GPS into your saddlebags, stop at a tourist info center and get a REAL PAPER MAP and begin SEEING America, not being told where to ride through America.

Well,... I agree.

[BillyB]

Nothing beats a paper map when you are planning out a route with your riding buddies or pulled over on the side of the road trying to figure out an alternate route but both paper maps and GPS devices have their place. I rarely use mine for anything other than an MP3 player and XM radio if in familiar areas.

You can also still communicate over distance with smoke signals but a cell phone makes it a little easier

[LittleBear]

Originally Posted by thrasher

Well,... I agree.

I knew you would after your comments in the what GPS thread.

Love the Trailer Selling Crawfish analogy.

[LittleBear]

Originally Posted by BillyB

Nothing beats a paper map when you are planning out a route with your riding buddies or pulled over on the side of the road trying to figure out an alternate route but both paper maps and GPS devices have their place. I rarely use mine for anything other than an MP3 player and XM radio if in familiar areas.

You can also still communicate over distance with smoke signals but a cell phone makes it a little easier

What is this stinken Cell Phone of which you speak. Does it connect to the bike as well, like the GPS.

You techno geeks will never get it anyway.

[FinalBags]

I plan my own trips and put them in the GPS. It doesn't do the planning for me. If I'm winding around a certain area and want to see several things, I can put them in the GPS and it will tell me when to turn, how far etc. I like my GPS and I don't think they are some kind of conspiracy to keep us from seeing America.

[thrasher]

Originally Posted by BillyB

...
You can also still communicate over distance with smoke signals but a cell phone makes it a little easier

Did you know that the most modern day oil/gas well drilling technology uses "smoke signals" to communicate to/from the surface? They just call it "mud pulser telemetry" instead.

[FinalBags]

I have maps and I like to gather around the glow of my laptop at night with my buddies and decide where we are going the next day and what route we are taking. While using the Mapsource program from Garmin, paper maps from Rand McNally and of course the proper input from the Government and the Media, I load it into my GPS. The next day we ride like Zombies around the countryside and have a good time. So I guess I like believing the media and being told by the government how to think. See what I'm saying?

[BillyB]

Originally Posted by thrasher

Did you know that the most modern day oil/gas well drilling technology uses "smoke signals" to communicate to/from the surface? They just call it "mud pulser telemetry" instead.

I did not know that. Sounds right handy

[Ancient Iron]

I don't use GPS or paper maps.

Mean wife on back tells me where to turn, stop or go.