Better Directions

I'm taking a trip Friday and looked up directions on 'Mapquest'. Surely there's got to be a better source for driving directions on the internet? Road Runners home page is the same as MQ. Any other site suggestions?

Thanks,

Allan

I have two suggestions:
[url=http://maps.yahoo.com:f5fda]http://maps.yahoo.com[/url:f5fda] and Google Earth.

If you haven't tried Google Earth, as a outdoorsman, you've got to give this a try. It will give you a new perspective on the places you fish.

You have to download a windows-only application and run that. It will stream data to your computer, so you'll need a broadband connection.

However, it will construct a route between two locations and show you route using Satellite imagery. It has many layers of imagery. If I put in my address, I can see my house, the trees in my front yard, the pool in back. It's really amazing.

Military imagery has much better detail. It makes you wonder what they can see.

The download is at [url=http://earth.google.com.:f5fda]http://earth.google.com.[/url:f5fda]

try [url=http://maps.google.com:f4def]http://maps.google.com[/url:f4def]

then in the search line put in this, if you're going from Ithaca, NY to Honolulu, HI

Ithaca, NY to Honolulu, HI

Of course, you can substitute your own starting and ending points.

Your mileage may vary. Literally.

AAA

mgj

Allan,

E-mail me your start and end points and I'll e-mail you back the directions from my MS MapPoint software. Also let me know how fast you drive on interstates and regualr roads and how often you'd like to stop and for how long as you drive, so the driving times will be closer.

[url=http://www.mile.com:0435b]www.mile.com[/url:0435b] Free online mileage used by thousands of truckers, like me. Gives driving directions and times. Very accurate service.

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Analizing our differences not only leads to enlightenment, but also to new and interesting ideas that you yourself may never have thought of.

Thanks everyone. I'll be looking up those sites.

Oldfrat - You have mail.

Allan

Allan, Check yours!

I just tested out mile.com versus MapPoint for a Boulder to San Antonio route. Mile.com knocked 50 miles off the route and avoided going through cities.

What was interesting, though, is that it also avoided interstates (on this trip at least) and took me through some pretty unpopulated stretches where it could be a long stretch between gas stations and a long way to find help in the case of an emergency.

For example, both took me through Amarillo and Lubbock, but MapPoint took me down 1-25 to Raton, NM and over, while mile.com took me east on I-70 to Limon, then dropped me south on secondary roads. I never would have figured out that route on my own.

I think I'll go the MapPoint route the next time I drive this trip as I'll feel safer, but I'm glad to have learned about mile.com. So, thanks countrygent!

Oldfrat, no problem. Did you try to run the trip with the options of least miles vs. least time? The least time option usually will put you on the I if it's in route.

I used least time, which is why the result surprised me. I would have thought the Interstate route would be faster given the problems you have with passing slow moving vehicles, stop signs and lights, etc.

I ran it for a passenger vehicle, not a truck, which may make a difference. Or maybe it was just trying to get me past the ICC scales. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif

FYI, MapPoint is really good software, though surprisingly kept unpromoted by Microsoft. I use it in my work as it will do things like take a spreadsheet of addresses and populate a map with pushpins, etc, to show where customers are concentrated. It is very good for showing street addresses and, if you bring it down to a close focus, it will show restaurants, motels, etc.

Microsoft sells an update annually to add new streets and roads, but free updates are available forever for road construction data downloads. I don't know if it would be of any use to you in your line of work.