Are there any GPS's that can be programed onto the roads that I want to travel versus the GPS telling me what roads to travel. I want to program it for back roads then I know with the GPS when the turns are coming.
Thanks for your time.
Like Sidhartha, I'm not aware of any GPS with this capability. However, you can use Google Earth on your computer in conjunction with your GPS to accomplish the same thing, transferring locations saved in Google Earth over to your GPS as points of interest.
First, use Google Earth to scope out the roads you want to take on a particular drive. I find it much easier to use a keyboard and a big screen to plan a trip. Then choose a series of locations along the way that you can
only reach by taking the roads you prefer; save them and name them in some obvious sequence (Stop A, Stop B, etc., or restaurant, covered bridge, lunch, etc.).
Here's the catch: you have to convert the files you just created from Google Earth's format to whatever format your GPS uses. There are free programs online for this. Then import the re-formatted files into your GPS (mine imports them as points of interest, so I'll call them "POI").
Tell the GPS to take you to your first POI. When you arrive, punch in the second POI, and so on.
Carry a paper list of your POI names and a marked up paper map, too!
I used this method in Ireland recently for day trips where we knew we'd have to hike the last couple of miles to our destination. I used Google Earth's satellite imagery to find the nearest parking area and made that my next-to-last POI. On arrival we'd slip the GPS into a day pack and hoof it across the fields to our final destination. (On perfect days, the next-to last stop was a pub parking lot.)
In many ways you can't beat a paper map and a competent navigator, but the GPS is great for true speed and ETA, especially in an "A" or on foot. I also like the GPS' ability to recalculate when a bridge closure, an unfamiliar but tempting road, or a spur-of-the moment ferry ride disrupts the best laid plans.
This thread has me thinking. There's probably not enough demand from go-slow old car drivers to convince anyone to create a "backroads" app for smart phones, but maybe, if we combined with serious touring cyclists? Hmmm. The dead flat State of Delaware is a haven for cyclists, and the state publishes a counter-intuitive road map on which the widest roads are the most cycle friendly, the narrowest roads are the busiest, and all road surfaces are color coded. It's a perfect map for "A" drivers.
P.S. I don't have a smart phone yet, so if there IS a backroads app or a cyclist's app, could someone please share the info?
. The suction cup mount can be attached to it. The Rubber Cement rolls right off of the surface when dry. Also, if you do not have a steel roof, the GPS will work anywhere in the car.
