Topics

1

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / TransAmerica Section 8 2012, map panel 98

« on: June 09, 2012, 04:03:57 pm »

160th Road is closed due to demolition of a bridge to be reconstructed at Shaw. Westbound cyclists should detour via US 59-N and SR 39-W. This brings you into Chanute at the north end of town instead of the south. Extra distance is small. Eastbound cyclists should be able to do the same in reverse.

2

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Combining routes

« on: March 06, 2012, 01:33:06 am »

I have a question about combining the ACA gpx routes into a larger route for me to follow on my bike. Using MapSource, I have pulled all the gpx route files corresponding to the 11 map sections I plan to cycle (TransAm 4-12, Lewis & Clark 6-7, westbound) into a single route, including spurs and alternates where I think I might ride them, omitting them where I am sure I will not. That gave me a total of 69 ACA gpx routes folded into one big route and with a total of 1,754 waypoints. I transferred the routes, waypoints and relevant City Navigator map areas from my PC to my Garmin Oregon 450 internal memory (no need for an SD card). It surprised me a little that I was able to do this since I have read that on a continental crossing, capacity constraints make it necessary to reload the GPS receiver at least once en route. Anyway, so much the better. But when I go into Route Planner on the device I find that the 69 routes are shown individually. I had hoped they would have been fused into one. I am new to GPS and can't test how this works on the ground since I am in Australia, far from all ACA routes. My question is this: once I am physically in the USA, on the route, will I need to work out which of these 69 routes is relevant to my present location and select that one or will the Oregon somehow seamlessly display the route as a continuous line stretching from coast to coast, so that each day I just turn it on and it points me in the direction I should go? Is there something else I should be doing to manipulate the routes pre-departure? The ACA's GPS User Guide assumes that I will want to edit the waypoints. I'm not sure what changes I should be making or, indeed, how to make them. Grateful for any help to a beginner.

3

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Discrepancies between gpx files and paper maps

« on: March 05, 2012, 04:30:14 am »

I'm planning a westbound TransAm ride and notice that the ACA gpx routes don't always match the route as shown on the paper map. A simple example is in Yorktown, Va (section 12, map 150) where the right turn from Main Street into a road leading to Water Street is at Compte de Grasse Street on the paper map and a block further on, at Read Street, in the gpx file. In this particular case, both options may be practical and it may not matter much which way you go. But other differences are more significant. For example, in Kentucky (section 10, map 125), the paper route between Harrodsburg and Bardstown passes several miles to the north of Springfield on SR438 but the gpx route (J0AC40) goes through Springfield. Which routing is preferable and why is there an inconsistency? I thought the ACA always revised the gpx files whenever the paper maps change. It doesn't look as though they do. I was hoping to use my GPS receiver as a backup to the paper maps to keep me from missing the way, but if the two go in different directions I may as well leave the GPS behind. Any information or advice, please?