Google Earth

OK - how many of you guys use Google Earth (GE) to plan/visualize your rides ?
I live at 1,200 ft in the bottom of a canyon, who's sides are 2,000 ft higher. GE helps me visualize in 3D what my ride might entail. I use printouts of proposed routes to guide me....I just think it's a great tool - comments ?

I'm a bit old fashioned. I still like paper maps. I can generally visualize based on the region and the rivers. Even without a proper topo the rivers show the lay of the land.

I did load google earth for the first time a few weeks ago. It's neat, but I don't know that I'll use it for trip planning.

I don't have a GPS either.

[quote="InTheSticks"]OK - how many of you guys use Google Earth (GE) to plan/visualize your rides ?]
I have been using Google maps with the sattelite view to search for new areas to ride as well as trying to get a better overview of how roads and trails may interconnect. I have found some really interesting routes with this method. It's a great way to spend an hour when the weather is too cold or rainy to ride

I'm a big fan of Google Earth. With an upgraded membership you can download your tracks into your GPS and vice versa. It's a great tool for finding new areas to ride.

i use google earth all the time. i just used it the other day before a ride to see if these two roads connected. the only thing that sucks is that google shot the photos for my beloved lasal mountains in the winter so everything is covered in snow and you can't see the little roads/trails, only the major ones (loop rd, geyser pass).

is the resolution better when you upgrade to pro? the gov water rights website for my state had excellent satellite photos for the state but they took them down for some reason.

I use it and GPS because it's great for forestry. I just need to learn how to use the GPS properly...

xsar wrote:

is the resolution better when you upgrade to pro? the gov water rights website for my state had excellent satellite photos for the state but they took them down for some reason.

I don't believe so, the upgrade allows you to interchange tracks with your gps etc. When I first used GE a few years ago, many of my favorite places were in low resolution, only large cities were high rez. That's changing though, GE is slowly swapping out the low rez areas for high rez.

You might also want to check out NASA World Wind http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/ - it's been around longer than GE and may have higher rez maps of the areas you're interested in..........

I have had better luck with http://maps.live.com For these remote areas of Pennsylvania, they have much higher resolution maps and their bird's eye view is quite a cool feature. Yes, it is owned by Microsoft, but in my opinion Google is quickly evolving into an equally evil empire.

JAH

if you have the garmin software topo usa 2008 there is a tool that puts all your tracks onto google earth. no need to subscribe to google earth.here is anouther free program that lays your tracks over topo maps and satilite photoshttp://jdmcox.com/

I can use one, it's just I haven't figured out how to plunk in coordinates into the thing. This one doesn't have a USB patch for the compy so I can't even download maps or the program to have fun with it. I tried to get one thru the dealer I got it from and was told to buy a new GPS that comes with one. I can also walk and chew gum at the same time.

SheWolf wrote:

I can use one, it's just I haven't figured out how to plunk in coordinates into the thing. This one doesn't have a USB patch for the compy so I can't even download maps or the program to have fun with it. I tried to get one thru the dealer I got it from and was told to buy a new GPS that comes with one. I can also walk and chew gum at the same time.

PM sent on the coordinate issue. The cable for your gps is actually a serial port connection, I think, and you can buy one from most GPS stores. If you insist on using USB, you then have to buy an additional converter cable.

Jäger wrote:

SheWolf wrote:

I use it and GPS because it's great for forestry. I just need to learn how to use the GPS properly...

Ummmm... anybody who does their own wrenching on their Yammy shouldn't be having any problem using a recreational GPS.

Pulling a wrench has NOTHING to do with how to run a GPS, sorry. One is mechanical, the other is electronics. That's like saying a cop who spends all their time on highway patrol should know how to hop into the space shuttle and fly it to the moon. It's two completely different things.

I use Google Earth for travelling. It's a handy program and kinda neat to be able to see houses.

Mikey wrote:

Pulling a wrench has NOTHING to do with how to run a GPS, sorry. One is mechanical, the other is electronics. That's like saying a cop who spends all their time on highway patrol should know how to hop into the space shuttle and fly it to the moon. It's two completely different things.

I know you're sorry, but...

The complexity of the wrenching Lynn is doing on her vehicles, along with technical details like oil analysis on her vehicles, is far and above the complexities of figuring out the button combinations on her Etrex. I bet she even does some electronic work on those vehicles. I'll even bet most WR owners play around with the programming buttons for their odometers, etc on their bikes, even if they don't do the wrench work on them. Which is essentially the same thing - making selections in an electronic device by way of input buttons.

I have yet to meet anyone I couldn't teach to use a Garmin in about half an hour at most - I doubt very much they could be taught what Lynn knows about wrenching on commercial vehicles and bikes in that same time. We aren't talking about Trimble and Leica GPS units here; a Garmin is simply a matter of pushing the right buttons to get the screen you want. Most peoples' TV's and DVD players are more complex to set up. And from her PM's, it appears she's already doing just fine except for one issue, and that is probably sorted out now as well.

FWIW, when I'm down in Charlotte, Google Earth (or just Maps, in terrain and satellite views) proves invaluable for finding little riding areas tucked in among all the d@mn developments and shopping centers. I've actually found some really good riding within city limits only 5 miles from my house!

Now back home in W PA - just ride down any road a few miles and there will be countless ATV paths, dirt roads, oil/timber/gas roads to explore. But it's cool to check them out later in GE to see where you rode and how to possibly interconnect trails.

If you find a trail you want to ride in Google Earth, you can put it on your GPS as a track, no sweat, and its very, very accurate, suprisingly accurate.

In GE, click on the path tool. Using the path tool you draw out a track of the trail you want to ride. Simply point, click, point click until you have your full path. Give it a name, save it. It will save as a .kmz file.

Then go to this site: http://gpsies.com/convert.do

Browse to your .kmz file that you want to convert, and convert it to a .gpx track file. save it.

Load up your new .gpx track in Mapsource and send it to your GPS unit. 500 point track limit applies. No need to have an upgraded version of GE to do this.

You'll find its dead nuts accurate when you ride the trail.