Paper maps vs GPS
I read people stating constantly in these forums that they don't trust GPS and want to always verify with a paper map. Can those of you that believe that's true, please explain why you feel a paper...
Forum Discussion
When I went to my Uncle's farm in Virginia, the GPS recommended that I leave the freeway and take a 2 lane farm road about 40 miles south of Harrisburg. It was about 3 miles shorter than taking the freeway. So I went the GPS way. IF it has been crowded that day, it could have taken a lot longer, and the road was skinny!
I would have been much better off taking the interstate into Harrisburg, then taken the small farm roads for only about 3 miles.
I have also been on roads that the GPS takes you right up to where a bridge used to be, then stops. You have to route yourself around that situation, and still the GPS tells you to turn right and back to the old bridge crossing, if you are not careful!
Also on the way to Laughlin NV, the GPS said to take highway 95 off of interstate 40. I had always taken the power line road, much closer to Needles, but this looked much shorter. It was a dirt road that it was trying to route me onto! I ended up going a bit further north of the 'dirt road' and turning east, then coming into town along a nice highway that is north end of town.
Anyway I do like the GPS when I go to and from work. IT tells me where the freeway is backed up, and how much delay it 'should' be. Sometimes it will tell me to take another route, in which case I usually get off the freeway and take rural back highways to home. Even those can get backed up, but it is better than sitting at red light after red light in the city.
Also when I was using DeLorme Topo Maps 4.0, I could check the elevation of the roads that I planned to travel. This led me on another adventure, and I figured I was way out in the woods anyway, and the gravel road was pretty well maintained, so I kept going down it. About 25 miles of gravel and dirt roads, through the woods to a small town along I15. I started out at Flagg Ranch between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. From Flagg Ranch, I went straight west to I 15. The grades where a lot less significant than taking the interstate. If I had not been towing, the trip would have been un-eventful. However the car I was towing, when I turned on the A/C at Lake Tahoe, the dust kicked up by the motorhome towing it blew out all over me!
So GPS is nice. Having a 15" screen with the DeLorme software is also nice for planning a trip. But a paper map also has it's place. I do agree that a paper map data can be outdated by more than 3 years when you buy it, and perhaps 10 years when you are using it. GPS should be up to date within the past 1-2 years.
Fred.
I would have been much better off taking the interstate into Harrisburg, then taken the small farm roads for only about 3 miles.
I have also been on roads that the GPS takes you right up to where a bridge used to be, then stops. You have to route yourself around that situation, and still the GPS tells you to turn right and back to the old bridge crossing, if you are not careful!
Also on the way to Laughlin NV, the GPS said to take highway 95 off of interstate 40. I had always taken the power line road, much closer to Needles, but this looked much shorter. It was a dirt road that it was trying to route me onto! I ended up going a bit further north of the 'dirt road' and turning east, then coming into town along a nice highway that is north end of town.
Anyway I do like the GPS when I go to and from work. IT tells me where the freeway is backed up, and how much delay it 'should' be. Sometimes it will tell me to take another route, in which case I usually get off the freeway and take rural back highways to home. Even those can get backed up, but it is better than sitting at red light after red light in the city.
Also when I was using DeLorme Topo Maps 4.0, I could check the elevation of the roads that I planned to travel. This led me on another adventure, and I figured I was way out in the woods anyway, and the gravel road was pretty well maintained, so I kept going down it. About 25 miles of gravel and dirt roads, through the woods to a small town along I15. I started out at Flagg Ranch between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. From Flagg Ranch, I went straight west to I 15. The grades where a lot less significant than taking the interstate. If I had not been towing, the trip would have been un-eventful. However the car I was towing, when I turned on the A/C at Lake Tahoe, the dust kicked up by the motorhome towing it blew out all over me!
So GPS is nice. Having a 15" screen with the DeLorme software is also nice for planning a trip. But a paper map also has it's place. I do agree that a paper map data can be outdated by more than 3 years when you buy it, and perhaps 10 years when you are using it. GPS should be up to date within the past 1-2 years.
Fred.
