GPS Navigation Laptop

The night before we travel I load up our route on Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 and plan our trip. Once the trip is planned I save it to a file, but not just ANY file, I’ll get to that in a moment. The next morning I plug my laptop into the inverter in the truck, plug my dash mounted GPS into my USB port and fire it up. During this part I’ve been heard to say things like, “Lay in a course for the Arizona Quadrant Mr. Chekov.” “Aye, Captain!”

Do any of you talk out loud like that? Hmmmmmm?

Well, if you ever watched Star Trek you would appreciate the fact that science fiction has increasingly left the pages of fiction and become fact including modern navigation.

My laptop shows our position on a computer generated map. I’m never lost, EVER! As I drive it speaks to me (just like the computer in Star Trek) and tells me stuff like, “Turn right in 2.8 miles.” Now if I can just program it to say, “Captain, we are approaching a Cracker Barrel.” Now that would be progress! But wait, perhaps it is possible. This tiny device is a GPS receiver attached to my computer via a USB port.

Let me just say that these GPS navigations systems are worth their weight in gold – PERIOD! If you don’t have one installed in your RV – be good this year and maybe Santa will bring you one. No kidding, these systems will save marriages, reduce stress and blood pressure and save you money in gas. How does it save you money in gas? When you add up all the missed turns I used to make and the five miles we had to drive down the freeway to the next off ramp then five miles back…. well, you get the point. God bless the people who made these systems possible!
“Bones, how’s my blood pressure?” “Well Jim, you’re a lot calmer now that you have this new fangled navigation system.”

Our navigation system not only directs us where we want to go, but it can also be programmed with extremely important features like the location of low clearance bridges, WalMarts, dump stations, Costo locations, Corps of Engineers campgrounds, casinos, Flying J stops, Military Family Campgrounds, State Parks, Camping World, Wifi campgrounds, and other useful places.

I customized a map with these things downloaded on it and saved it to a file I named, “Standard Travel Map.” Before I lay out our trip on Streets and Trips I call up this file then add the trip plan to it and save it with a different name. This way I preserve my “Standard Travel Map” file for use on the next trip. As we travel it shows us where the low clearance bridges are located so we can avoid them, and yes, even where the next Cracker Barrel restaurant is.

Free download for these data points here: http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfolinks.htm
This is a service provided by the Discovery Owners Association website: “How many times have you found yourself fumbling through your campground books, road maps and numerous other data, wondering if a member campground, dump site, or WalMart was nearby? Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many Escapee and DOAI members, a database has been developed that works with your Delorme Street Atlas, Delorme MapNGo, or Microsoft Streets and Trips mapping program to make all this information readily available on your computer screen. In the spirit of the DOAI and Escapee RV clubs, this information is shared freely with the RV community.”

Here is the website where you can find help files to get you up and running, “More power Scotty!” http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfo.htm

All this new technology can “boldly” make your RVing adventure even more enjoyable when you learn how to use it. Science fiction has a funny way of turning into reality, now if I can just get them to make a cloaking device I wouldn’t have to wash and wax the coach as often. “Mr. Chekov, accelerate to warp speed.” “Aye Captain!”