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colleenfl

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Posts
127
Hi everyone!
I was wondering if anyone knows of any other good sources for calculating mileage other then Map Quest or Expedia? Also any web sites on road travel with big rigs?
Planning our trip out west from FL next May and just want to make sure I have the most accurate informatin that I can find due to the fact that we need to have reservations in well in advanced for like Yellowstone, Zion, etc. We have a 40' DP MH

Thanks
Colleen
 
Colleen,

We use Delorme Street Atlas and find it does a good job. 

Make your reservations such that you will have some time in the area before going into Yellostone or other place like that.  If you try to just make it the day of your reservation from a long distance, you stand a good chance of not making it.  If you look at a map, consider, for example, Bozeman MT and the Museum of the Rockies and other local things between there and Yellowstone till your reservation date.  Cody Wy would be another good place to check out museums, Buffalo bill and others there.  In either case you would be less than 100 miles or so from your spot in the park.  There are other locations around each of the parks to do the same thing.

The main thing is don't try to travel too far in one day especially if you have critical reservations.  BG  We typically travel up to 300 miles on travel days with a short day of 1 to 150 miles to a destination like Yellowstone.

 
Thanks. We have made all of our reservations except for in Las Vegas and Rapid City plus an overnite in Ogden. We got lucky and we also got reservations inside Yellowstone at the Fishing Bridge RV Park inside YS east entrance. We have a 40' DP MH.
Thanks for the info on Delorme I will look that up on the web I just want to verify my calculations with another source, plus I am adding a little more time then what the maps say in case of unexpected road closures, etc.

Thanks
Colleen Florida
 
We use to use Delorme but have been dissapointed in them since their SA9 version so now we use Streets and trips when ever we use a mapping program on the computer when planning.
 
We use MicroSoft's Streets and Trips.  It works well with some easy to use bells and whistles.  You can do trip planning at home and then take the map on the road on a laptop.  We plug a GPS (Available from MS as a package with Streets and Trips) for tracking and instructions. 

It's easy to use and generally works well.  Like all of the maping programs, it will do some wierd things, so scan thru it's route to make sure it makes sense.  It will let you alter the route to cover the things you want to see or routes you want to take.  And... its relatively cheap!!!

 
I have used Rand Mcnally's Street Finder in and around Detroit but now use Microsoft S&T (There is a story there, I'd really rather not use MS products but alas, got into this one)  Biggest difference between me and the poster before me is I use a Garmin E-Trex GPS instead of Microsoft's.  Why.. I got the E-trex first of course  Been using it since the 1990's
 
A little different spin on MS Streets and Maps.  My soninlaw keeps it up for me. so consequently it's free.  We use it to look up places and get a general idea of the route.  After that, we couldn't care less about this or that.  We're retired and been that way for 13 years and been Rving since the 60's.  If we get lost or make a wrong turn, So what/  No hurry to get there and no hurry to get back. Solme of the best sceneries and best times were had after an error in the trip or plan.  So much of this beautiful country can't possibly be seen on a perfectly planned trip.  Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, is really all I need to know about traveling.  Personally wouldn' spend 10 cents for navigational systems, but then that's me not anyone else.  To each his own.  I've went with people that used the GPS already and found I didn't care for the map planned.  Way too complicated and off track.  I just point and go like a good hound dog and love it.  Sure I make mistakes but still enjoy it cause we're retired and RVing.  Can't say the same for the lovely wife tho, but then I keep telling her she's wierd, LOL.  Soon as the compresses and swelling go down maybe I'll invest in GPS  LOL
 
Thanks for the info and I really like these much better then Map Quest.
Streets and Maps
Map Point
Delorme

Colleen
 
Have S&T, Street Atlas and Copilot. Use S&T for planning but not for nav most of the time because I can't get enough volume out of the voice commands. For enroute navigation, we use Copilot mostly. It has the "RV" routing option and also avoids low clearances. Have tried to use Street Atlas several times but we just don't like it so rarely use it.
 
I used both MS S&T and Co-Pilot for my planning and (some) navigation on my recent 12 week, 13K mile, Alaska trip.  I took many side trips and generally tried to stay within 100 miles of the route the software planned just so the folks back home wouldn't think I was continually lost.

We visited Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Tetons, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Denali and Rocky Mt. parks along the way driving a 35' MH and towing a car over every paved road in Alaska as well as most of the gravel ones. 

I said all that to say this.....  I never made the first reservation from start to finish (none, nada) and I wouldn't change one thing about that trip.  Like Shayne, I'm retired and like to go at my own pace, in my own chosen direction in my own time.  I arrived back home completely rested and recharged.  Ready to do it all over again.

Did I always get to stay in the CG of my (first) choice?  NO
Did I always find an acceptable alternative?  YES

Lighten up a bit.  Too tight a schedule, with strict reservations, can turn a relaxing vacation into a stressful nightmare.

IMHO... lou
 
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