Oh yes, if you're merely travelling, if the destination is more important than the journey, let a brainless machine do it for you.
If you want to see the wayside streams, the hills and maybe a château or some other curiosity, employ your own brain and read a map.
Big assumption that those who use GPS routing don't read and utilize maps.
We all have our own purposes for how we travel, where we travel, and what we want to get out of it. I would not deign to criticize the personal choices of others. If anything, I would want to know why so that I might learn something that could be incorporated into my own planning.
I would suggest there are probably different ways to approach this.
Using Google (or other AI routing mechanisms) to automatically choose a route might be perfectly suitable for some people in some cases. I've been known to rely on the machine in some navigational situations.
On the other hand, simply looking at Google maps to find wayside streams, hills, and maybe a chateau or some other curiosity is really much the same as unfolding and studying a Michelin map. I use digital maps to study potential routes all the time. It saves me from lugging around stacks of paper maps everywhere I go. :-)
Digital maps also have the advantage of the availability of multiple backgrounds and layers. Satellite imagery can be helpful when looking for "green" areas. Switching on terrain features allows one to get a feel for the topography. StreetView is great for checking whether the area one is cycling through is industrial, urban or rural and for getting a feel for traffic conditions.
Oh, Bob, nor did I suggest that those who use GPS don't also use maps. Nor did I criticise.
My observation was that GPS gets you somewhere but that maps show you potentially more interesting ways.
I use both. A GPS won't find me points of interest or a place to picnic or a better way around a town. On the other hand, a map won't find me a supermarket or a bike shop.
we use GPS and also paper maps. GPS is to make sure we are on track and can find our hotel at the end of the day. Paper maps are for joy, adventure and the pleasure of a tactile experience.
I like to use StreetView not only to make a guess about traffic levels but also to look at the road surface, shoulder (or lack thereof), rumble strips, etc. In some cases it even helps me identify landmarks that may come in handy later.
Having laid out a plan / route using whatever resources I've chosen to consult, it's nice to be able to transfer it to the GPS to keep myself honest. When on the tandem, I've found my wife's sense of direction and navigation to be fairly fallible, so I prefer to have the navigation information available as a backstop.
The thing is, she's right and I'm wrong just often enough that I cannot simply overrule and disregard her input out of hand on every occasion...
Dodie has made a habit of sending weekly postcards to our grandchildren on each tour. Especially when they were younger and unable to read this was a thrilling event for them, to receive a picture from a faraway place with their name on the card. Each of them still keeps all the cards in a box and they look through the cards (and read the words) often.
2 years ago