Messages

226

New England / Re: suggested route from Bedford to Portsmouth

« on: March 22, 2011, 10:27:30 pm »

I am really not sure that there is a good route. However, here are a couple of alternatives.

1. Chech out the ACA Atlantic route. It has a spur into Boston not on the trail.

2. Take the commuter rail from Boston North Station to Newburyport and follow this scenic route to Portsmouth: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=bhaipgeymzbgoxif. I took this route on a tour of all six New England states & Montréal.

Once in Portsmouth, I highly recommend these two food options:

- Flatbread Co for organic pizza, 138 Congress St, 603-436-7888

- Me and Ollie’s Café for fresh bread, sandwiches, and soup, 10 Pleasant St, 603-436-7777

227

International / Re: Request Info on Touring in Japan

« on: March 18, 2011, 09:17:23 am »

Did you end up touring in Japan? Where did you go?

Three tours I am planning to take:

Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage (order the map book at http://www.davidmoreton.com/)
Tokaido trail Kyoto to Tokyo (http://www.japancycling.org/v2/cguide/part5/)
Hokkaido (http://www.japancycling.org/v2/cguide/part3/)

228

International / Re: Biking in Japan

« on: March 18, 2011, 03:17:11 am »

I arrived Tokyo recently on a plan to bicycle several routes. Given the recent earthquake disaster, I am not really in much mood to think of these trips. But will stay ever optimistic that I will take them before too long.

Meanwhile, for planning purposes, an excellent start is http://www.japancycling.org/ web site. They have tour maps for the entire country.

The three tours I am planning to take are:

Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage (order the map book at http://www.davidmoreton.com/)
Tokaido trail Kyoto to Tokyo (http://www.japancycling.org/v2/cguide/part5/)
Hokkaido (http://www.japancycling.org/v2/cguide/part3/)

http://twitter.com/mcccxxv

229

Routes / Atlantic route: north or south?

« on: July 12, 2009, 02:16:00 pm »

I am planning a tour between Washington and key West this fall in October.

Should I go north or south? I am mostly curious about the wind direction.

Also, any experience with riding that route at this time?

230

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: Just bought a Garmin Edge 705

« on: July 12, 2009, 02:09:29 pm »

Someone earlier in the thread asked about the advantage of buying the DVD over the SD card.

For me, this is better for two reasons:
1. The DVDs are easier to create routes with
2. The free SD slot allows for more flexibility and additional maps

The DVDs are loaded on the computer with MapSource program. With a large computer monitor, mouse, and keyboard, I can easily and quickly navigate maps, view regions, and create routes.

Meanwhile, I have a 4GB microSD card in the Edge 705. The entire North America is less than 2GB. So I can load the entire map library and still have 2GB leftover.

This gives me flexibility to load other maps on the same unit as well. For me, I have the topo maps loaded as well.

When I visit Europe, I load the maps as well.

I think it is a far superior option.

231

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: Custome route upload

« on: July 12, 2009, 11:18:10 am »

You can create a route on Google maps using GPSies web site at:
http://www.gpsies.com/

Select the track creator tab, plot your route on your favorite map (Google, MS, etc). From there, you can download as GPX.

232

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: which garmin map for Kettle Valley Trail and Great Divide?

« on: July 12, 2009, 11:14:27 am »

Do you have a recommendation for where to get a map for the route? I can then transfer that manually onto the GPS.

233

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Mapping Software

« on: August 13, 2008, 11:38:20 am »

I use MapSource that I received with Garmin and it works great.

It has a feature to automatically create a route between two points that is specific to bicycle riding. It is not always accurate but certainly helpful for a first cut that I modify slightly later.

For rail trails, I have the topo maps which in some cases have these trails.

When I know there is a trail but does not show up on the map, I search for the GPX file on the internet (such as on http://motionbased.com/) and superimpose it on the map.

234

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / GPS camera

« on: July 07, 2008, 11:28:44 am »

Has anyone found a reliable camera with built-in GPS, or at least connects easily to an external GPS?

235

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Do you/would you use a basic or a mapping GPSR?

« on: July 07, 2008, 12:30:59 pm »

One thing to remember is that some GPS units (Garmin Edge 605 & 705) store limited number of waypoints (maximum 100), which is significantly less than those stored in other models, like 60CSx (maximum 1,000).

For my Edge 705, I always have to edit the route and limit which waypoints to store.

236

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Do you/would you use a basic or a mapping GPSR?

« on: July 02, 2008, 12:53:01 pm »

1. Yes
2. Mapping
3. No

237

Routes / Crossing Jamestown bridge in RI

« on: July 15, 2008, 10:44:56 pm »

What is the best way to cross the Jamestown bridge in Rhode Island around Newport?

I am taking the Atlantic Coast route later this summer and not sure how to cross this bridge.

I read that there is a pedestrian path to walk the bike but the DOT is not confirming it.

Anyone crossed this bridge recently? How?

238

Routes / Century Routes

« on: July 07, 2008, 01:53:24 pm »

Most postings on this web site are for multi-day tours. Here are a few sites for day rides:

• http://www.mapmyride.com/
• http://motionbased.com/

239

Routes / Seattle to San Francisco

« on: July 07, 2008, 02:01:34 pm »

Did you keep a GPS track of the route for the trip India?

This message was edited by mdxix on 7-7-08 @ 10:02 AM

240

Routes / Great parks Route- N to S or S to N?

« on: July 07, 2008, 01:48:48 pm »

We rode Jasper to Jackson Hole in August of last year and was a spectacular trip. Make sure you have lots of space in your camera for the pictures.

We rode south for no particular reason other than it was 50% of our choices. We met many people riding the other way, and did not hear any comments that would make it seem better one way or another.

Traveling south helped in a couple of minor ways: we avoided the big climb (and the timing of it) through Glacier on Going to the Sun road. We also had a net elevation advantage (Jackson Hole is at lower elevation than Jasper).

On the other hand, it seemed that head wind was constantly against us. I clearly recall descending a long hill in Kootenay, while standing on the bike, hardly going at 10-12mph. I can hear those traveling north saying the same.

Good luck, this is a fantastic trip. I would do it again.