RV Travel Log

Fun Tools - 06/18/2003

Three important tools for our upcoming RV trip arrived today.

1. Microsoft Streets and Trips

This is a fantastic program. I first thought it was silly; after all, Mapquest is free. But the $10 price tag (after rebates) enticed me to purchase it, and I have to admit I enjoy it a lot more than online equivalents. You get immediate feedback when scrolling, zooming, adding waypoints to a route, and so on. You can drag a pre-computed route and rubberband it to an additional stop. It has a database of all Quiktrips in the country. What more do ya need? Paper atlases are SO outdated.

2. Garmin eTrex Legend GPS receiver

By itself, this is a great tool. It will pinpoint your location on the globe to within a few dozen feet. It will show this position on its built-in map and track it real time. It will guide you with a compass and/or map to the closest city to your location. It works as a speedometer, odometer, pedometer, and compass. I love it! But the real fun starts when the eTrex is connected to your laptop running Streets and Trips (see tool #1 above). Your location appears real-time on the S&T map. It doesn't do a whole lot more, unlike dedicated car navigation systems, but is just as effective with another human navigator watching the screen. And hoo boy, is it really cool. we will never get lost unintentionally on this trip.

3. Dell Inspirion 8500 notebook computer

This actually arrived a few weeks ago, before the travel log started, so I included it here in passing. Our RV has no room for a desktop computer, so my plan of working on game demos and applying for jobs while on the road will require a laptop. I went for the gold and ordered a top-o-the-line desktop replacement notebook. It's a beauty.

OK now, combine these three things together. Use your imagination. My goal with all these toys is to publish a day-by-day or possibly minute-by-minute map of our travels. I envision a time-lapse map with the RV path plotted in swooping figure eights on the map.

Purchasing the RV | Hanging out in the RV
Return to index