Planning,
We have already spent a while getting this trip planned and setup. Health issues have delayed it twice. Nothing major, just want to be totally healthy before we go.
Now we are setting up the laptop and making sure we can download from the camera to the laptop. I bought software to help do some route planning. (Lord am I anal or what!) We already took the data to AAA and they set up our hotels and did a TripTik. That gives us the straight through driving plan from city to city and also suggests a few possible side trips or sites to see. But I have a spreadsheet set up with as much detail as anyone could ever imagine (more anality) and have my laptop in good condition with a new battery and plenty of room for more pictures and data. We don't have a GPS system, but with all the maps, software, etc., we are set to go.
Now it's time to pack the clothes, and other neccessities and get our luggage ready. Then the wife requires we leave everything clean, so vacuuming, dusting, and general house cleaning so we come home to a nice home.
What started out as about a 4,000 plus mile vacation has now been expanded to 5,000 miles. That's over 22 days. We'll see if we can make it or need to drop a small side trip here or there.
The excitement and anticipation increases!
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Full price was $35.99, but at that point there was a rebate offer and so my outlay was only $15.99 plus tax. Wasted money.
Everyone knows that maps are hard to keep current, so I expected something close to 5 years old to start out with. But then I was going to be on main highways and not into areas of new construction, so I felt comfortable.
One of the first things I noted was a "Construction Zone" area along my route headed into Yellowstone from Cody until 2008. When we got close and I asked, that was true. Long delays while the construction was still going. But it was the only one mentioned in the software. While as a matter of fact, we encountered seven different areas of long term construction during our trip and this was the only one mentioned by the software.
Landmarks. What would you call a landmark? Would a car dealship qualify? Oh, they might be nice to put under businesses, but to me they don't qualify as landmarks. And real landmarks such as the Crazy Horse Memorial is completely left off. We noted several other points of interest that were not included.
Gas Stations. I would be willing to wager that the number of gas stations listed on our route by the software was only 10% of the actual stations. I couldn't believe how bad a job they did on that part of the software.
We also noted that if you have a lot of points of interest and places to go, adding another is quite time consuming.
I printed out our trip route and driving directions for my wife to read and assist as a navigator. It was nearly useless. If you can read the street signs you can do without this software.
I strongly feel that this software is a waste of money.
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