On my break, I started looking around on google maps as part of a facebook application (was tracking where I've been, as well as some places I want to go to) and started zooming in to find more places I've visited in England. Anyway, I've discovered I frickin' adore maps.
When I was young, I would entertain myself looking at fictional maps (such as those in the Redwall series and Sweet Pickle books). And I've always wanted a classy second-hand globe from a flea market. But I realize too that maps will help me tremendously when I'm on my road trip. Cause duh. It's good to not be lost.
Some people have suggested having GPS in my bus... but I don't really want to go that route. Far easier to accidentally get lost using a paper map than when using something that knows your location. It's only when we get lost that we're given an easy opportunity to find ourselves. Everyone takes a few wrong turns on the way to getting somewhere, but that presents an excellent time to appreciate when we arrive at our destination! If it was an easy route, what do we learn? Sometimes easy is just, well, a little boring.
Besides, as long as I have my sense of direction, I'll always be able to find my way home. That's what matters the most, isn't it? That I get where I'm going and that I make it home?
Anyway. I'm excited to track where I go, and to keep this more updated than it has been. I've been driving my bus around, mainly to go and watch sunsets. I need to learn more about the engine, cause I think there are definitely some things that need fixing. I'd like to get the urgent matters attended to before I start doing weekend excursions with friends, and I think I'll begin those in May, so I want to get on this.
Dad offered some muffler wraps which should buy me some time before replacing the muffler, I'll apply that this weekend. That will make my ride quieter at least! I'm also going to need to get some new seals for the rear, and fix the back hatch (which doesn't open, the latch is broken)... with all the rain and snow and bizarreness weather-wise, I've discovered that water leaks in and soaks my pillows. Not good, I say, not good at all. I still love the bus though. It's a beauty, it's stinky, it's loud, it's me.
Anyway, should grab a bite before lunch is up! Let me leave you with a picture!
3 comments:
update, fix stupid typo.
You can grab a cheap hiking GPS like the Garmin eTrex that lacks road map type features, get a power cable and throw it in the corner of the car. It'll track where you go and you can copy the track to a PC later and pull it into a full map software or whatever.
You maintain the benefit of being semi-lost, as all it really does is show you where nearby towns are. Generally when I get lost as part of adventuring on the road, I have some idea what city/state I'm in, just not where the road I'm on is going.
That's a good suggestion. I think it would be far more interesting to have a record of where I go, and not one where I have to rack my brain remembering where those places are.
And though I am somewhat anti-GPS, as I want this to be a simplified trip... It certainly isn't the same as having one of those little talking-map things.
I do love maps, but not having conversations with them.
[I can imagine one of those talking to me after programming say, a trip to a friends house: "Wait, you needed to take a left back there. Why are you going straight? This is possibly the least efficient route to where you are going. I don't care about what's scenic, you asked me to get you there, and fast. You are impossible to work with." and then the GPS disconnecting itself and sulking on my dashboard.]
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