black85vette

Denny; Excellent info! Thanks for saving me the pain of sorting out the differences. I think we have the same thought process about traveling a specific route rather than a specific destination. Had the same experience as you trying to learn how these units work. The manufacturers were not much help. I have found far more info on forums. I guess my favorite navigation system is still my wife with a laptop. :-)

Denny; The site I learned about using the low cost Garmin GPS is advrider.com. Picked up a lot of good info from them. Since many of them are into dual sport bikes they were wanting something other than the standard routing of a GPS. I have not used a Zumo. A little too pricey for me to just "try it out". I can pick up Nuvi for well under $100 with lifetime map updates. I know one of the major differences is that you cannot create routes or tracks on your PC and then upload to a Nuvi which you can with the Zumo. That is why the Zumo is spec'ed for some applications. Do you know what the differences are in the routing methods of the Zumo? One of the issues with turn by turn is that if you get off course it seems to want to recalculate the route based on its next destination. When following Route 66 I am more interested in getting back to the original path I was on and not missing anything. I would like a GPS with a function that takes you back to the point you left the route rather than a new route to the next point. We just got back from a 2,000 mile road trip to New Orleans, Destin FL, Pensacola, Mobile, and Vicksburg. Used a Nuvi and had no issues with the turn by turn routing and directions. Only issue is that you have to create waypoints and navigate to each one rather than a more complex route with multiple stops. So it was great for short distance use like "go to the B&B" or "go to the restaurant" in an unfamiliar town. Our long distance navigation still tends to be DeLorme on a laptop because we also do Geocaching along a route as we go. Here are some screen shots of the Nuvi with an image overlay and some POI loaded into the favorites for places to stop and see. Just scroll through some of my photostream: https://flic.kr/p/pZqbu6 The red line is the primary and the green is an alternate route.

I am going to throw this out pretty broadly, but if there is interest I can go more in depth. I was emailing with some motorcycle riders who were using a different approach to their trips. They were using a map overlay in a Garmin GPS rather than true routes with turn by turn directions. The problem with turn by turn routes is the GPS tends to focus on getting to the destination by either shortest or quickest route. The motorcycle guys were more interested in following a particular track even if it was not a road. So I learned from them how to create and upload a map overlay that just makes a bold line for the path you want to take. I have used DeLorme software for about 5 or 6 years but was always a little disappointed in the lack of accuracy of the roads and the limitations of how long of a route you can put into it. I had to break Rt 66 into 3 separate routes. Google Maps has great accuracy but limits you to routes about 150 miles long depending on the number of edit points. Google Earth has fewer limits but really sucks doing complex routes and does not do map mode natively. In doing some research I found ridewithGPS. This time it is the bicycle enthusiasts with the great idea. Using their website you can make routes as long as you want. Plus a really great feature is a check box where you tell the software to "avoid highways". Checking this box will give you a route without Interstates automatically. (know you will hate that) When finished and saved the route can be exported as either .kml or .gpx. Each has its own merits. You can upload the saved files into Google Earth to display or for other uses like GPS. Use IMGfromGPX to take the .gpx files and make them into a map overlay that works with Garmin. I use the Nuvi series and am not sure how it works with all other models. A guy contact me about using his software to display my maps. His site is www.mappingsupport.com. You store your .kml on line and then call it using a url that uses the mapping software plus the target file. Like this: http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=https://sites.google.com/site/route66maptour/goggle-earth/example.kml So the file example.kml is stored on the sites.google.com server and called up by mappingsupport.com in a browser. If your device has GPS you can display your location to assist in navigation. Works great on my iPhone. This appears to be platform neutral. Works on my laptop, tablet and iPhone. You can also use the mappingsupport.com to embed on a website using iframes. So basically you use ridewithgps to draw, edit and export your routes. Use the .kml to display on your web browser with mappingsupport or use the .gpx to create a Garmin map overlay with IMGfromGPX. If there is any interest I can go into more detail on how this works.

I have been making some additions to my Rt 66 web site. It started with the maps I created showing all the different alignments. Got a lot of request from folks wanting a copy of my files so they could follow 66. Problem is that some of the routes no longer exist, they are on private property or are not in drivable condition. So I have been working on a drivable route using alignments I found to be the most interesting and had the most to see. I added that map to my site along with a Google Map with push pins showing where things are located. My current project involves putting the drivable route into a GPS as a map overlay rather than turn by turn directions where the GPS tells you how to drive. This just gives you a line on the map to follow as a reference. Then I imported the push pins as favorites / POI in the GPS so you can both follow the route and get to what you want to see. Getting close to being finished with this. Anyway check out the maps and tell me what you think; http://route66map.publishpath.com

We made the trek out there several years ago. Don't know if it was just luck but the locked gate, which we encountered last trip, was not closed and we just drove on out. We also continued across the bridge almost to the border of the park. It was still drivable but a little rough and over grown. Love going places where the tour buses don't pull up. :-)

Awesome pics of La Bajada! We went out on the plateau several years ago and hiked down most of the grade. We were in our 4wd and it looked like we could make it but I just didn't want to risk getting half way down and then needing to be rescued. Our friends Charlie and Ruth from St Louis hired someone in Santa Fe to take them down in his jeep. They got some great shots on that trip. If we had a second vehicle with us and a winch I think I would consider trying it. Been to Two Guns a couple of times but had not been to the pool. Added that to the things to see list!

Some more really nice pics. BTW; I used to actually work on a plane with radial engines. I worked Comm/Nav on Marine Corps aircraft and had 4 C47s in our squadron at Cherry Point NC. Still thinking about making the run back up to see 844. It is about 12 solid hours to Denver from here. I would really like a couple of days to scout the route and find the best locations. Yeah, from what I have seen, when a rare train is out on the rails it is like a shark feeding frensy.

Yeah, radial engines also get my attention. We just recently had B-29, B-25 and B-17 bombers at an airport near here. Love to hear them flying over. Wow! the photos of 844 are awesome. Thanks for posting the link. It is going out on a run in July from Denver to Cheyenne and tickets are on sale.

As far as I know there are only 8 remaining Bigboys and all are static displays. They were 4-8-8-4 configuration. In the shop in Cheyenne was also Challenger class number 3985. It is the most powerful steam engine still running. It is a 4-6-6-4 and like the Bigboy both sets of drive wheels have their own pistons so it like two engines under one boiler. Both the Challenger and Bigboy are articulated. The front wheels pivot under the engine to be able to go around corners. Engine 844 will be going out this summer on a couple of runs. It was the last steam engine that UP bought. I felt so fortunate to be there for one of the two days the shop was open to the public. Doesn't get much better for me and my wife than to combine a road trip with geocaching and steam engines!!

Normally we avoid the 4 lane stuff. But in this case we had some serious distance between stops. #1 highlight was 2 days in Yellowstone. Had a great time there. Photographed; a grizzly w/ cubs, 2 black bears, big horn sheep, moose, coyote, and prong horn deer. #2 highlight was stopping at Cheyenne for "Depot Days". Got to tour the old Union Pacific depot and they opened the steam engine shop for tours so we got to tour the facility where they keep their steam excursion train. Only open to the public two days a year. Also went by the park to see engine 4004, a "Bigboy", the most powerful class of steam engines ever made. #3 highlight was the Little Bighorn battlefield. Really helps to see a place to understand the history behind it. Also spent about a day and a half around Mt Rushmore. Spent time in Lead and exploring around old mining areas. Stopped to see the steam train but did not get to ride it. Explored around Sioux Falls / Council Bluffs area and went to the train museum there as well. The old warehouse destrict in Omaha was really nice and has plenty of places to eat. Thanks to a geocache we found the site of an Overland Stage route stop off I-80. Got to see the original location of the Lincoln Highway memorial, again, a geocache spot. We are working on finding a geocache in all 50 states. Next major trip will be New England. Then Oregon / Washington with a cruise to Alaska. This trip did get me more interested in traveling more of the Lincoln Highway. Much like 66 it had a number of vintage bridges on its older alignments. We love to find old bridges. We drove US 60 all the way to the east coast 2 years ago. I think we need to do the same with Lincoln.

Not focused on a single road or destination. 13 states, 4045 miles, 70+ geocaches, and 3 national parks in 11 days. Intersected or drove on parts of; Lewis and Clark trail, Santa Fe trail, Oregon Trail, Lincoln Highway, and the Overland Stage route. Had a great trip. Made this route; http://goo.gl/maps/R6Zpf

Ian; I drove all the way from highway 138 north on the old alignment. It is 4wd only and VERY rough. I ended up going north on the power line service road back to Phelan Rd. Did not encounter any gates or locks. The only part I did not explore it the part that is between the north and south bound interstate where it crossed back over to the east side near the Summit Inn. Just noticed the video was changed. New link is here; Go to 3:20 in the video and you will see the picture I took with my wife and Xterra. I sent them the photo and gave them permission to use it since getting to that location is really difficult.

@Denny; we did not stay long at the festival and don't think we crossed paths. It was so dang hot we skipped the car show. Ended up spending a few hours visiting with Mike Ward, Jerry McClanahan, Jim Ross, Terry Moore and Michael Wallis then headed for LA. Last year in Amarillo, Charlie from St Louis spotted my Corvette cap and an Oklahoma Rt 66 shirt and asked if I was black85vette! Small world. This year I ran into Phil Gordon (http://route66.atwebpages.com) in Seligman. We had never met face to face but were exchanging emails only to find we were only 5 miles away from each other. Always fun to run into another 66 nut. If you are passing through Yukon OK on a 66 trip give me a shout. @Dave "The advantage is you can be the first person to discover a roadside artifact. The disadvantage is no one but you gives a damn". Yeah. Kind of felt that way about Hwy 60 last year. Lots of exploring and fun but not many to share it with. No dirt bike anymore. Like to travel in the comfort of a 4wd SUV. Still manage to get off road on most trips.

All through the 70's we went up and down Cajon Pass headed for the Shadow Mountian / El Mirage Dry Lake area to ride dirt bikes. We would often meet up at the Summit Inn at the top of the pass for breakfast. We would at times take the old road down the pass rather than I-15. Just wish I had more interest in exploring 66 back when I lived there and so many of the sites had not been picked over by "collectors".

Here is the research done for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w05830KU78o&list=UUHiS8LBuEYs8NqmVyTG9YAg&index=1&feature=plcp Only thing I take exception to is that the video identifies the 1914 alignment as the first path that 66 took. I have seen maps from 1924 that show 66 following the alignment that would be used in the 1930's until the current I-15 alignment replaced it. Not the 1914 road. The 1914 road is in pretty good shape. Saw several passenger cars on it. The 1926 alignment is pretty much 4wd only.

We made the trip to the festival again this year. Our trips have become a little more focused. We select a smaller segment so we can spend more time exploring. Last year was Albuquerque to Flagstaff. This year was Flagstaff to LA. Trying to fill in some of the isolated smaller segments that require backtracking or connecting roads to get to. One of the highlights this year was taking the 1914 toll road alignment down the Cajon Pass and then going back up the 1926 US66 alignment all the way to near the top of the pass. Spent a little more time around Pasadena this time and explored several of the alignments around there. Got a bunch of pics of the older bridges. Had a fun time at the festival and got to visit with some of our favorite roadies. Attendance was down quite a bit. Likely the hot August weather in VV had something to do with it. We cut our time there short and went for a drive up to Big Bear / Crestline. Getting up to 8,000 feet cooled things off and then we got some rain. Seems like we never get to see it all. There are still plenty of places on our bucket list.

Loved the pics. Great lighting and composition. Charlie: depends on where you park. 100 yards or less. Bridge is still in use as there are tire tracks on it. We drove over it a couple of years ago. Didn't stop this year.

This is the software / GPS we use for exploring old roads and navigating all over the US. This is a really good price for the Topo software and GPS. Expires midnight 12/8/11 DeLorme Topo bundle

Good to see you posting again. Here is a quote you can add to your collection; Life is a lot like fried chicken; you eat the meat and spit out the bones. I was going to add something about being like a box of chocolates but that one was already taken. :-)

Looking for the 1926 copy of the National Old Trails Road map from the Automobile Club of So Cal. I have found parts of it on the web in good resolution and I have found the western third but in low res. Anyone know where I can find a .pdf of this one? I Googled until my eyes were crossed. :-)

Ran down another little rabbit trail. Read a blog by author Jim Hinckley about 66 and Adamana that got me looking for even earlier maps. I suspected that since there was a stage coach stop just west of the painted desert that a search for stage coach routes might be interesting. Found this map: stage routes in AZ Not dated but it predates railroads showing their surveyed routes and it has what appears to be a stage route where RT 66 would travel through the Painted Desert. So we know some sort of trail/path has existed there for a long time. This is an 1889 Rand McNally: 1889 Rand McNally It shows the railroads in place and the same section going through the Painted Desert. Interesting that this is not shown on every map of that time.

We love the La Posada and arrange our schedule to spend the night when possible. It's our favorite on Rt 66.

Cool tnx for the tip. May open up more options on which camera I select. Currently shooting a Canon S5is. OK for what I do most of the time, but no lens options. I may have found something useful in another collection. A Rand McNally 1925 travel map: RM 1925 Arizona / NM It shows that by 1925 the northern road was at least in place bypassing Adamana. Not labeled or named on the map but there anyway. Another little piece in place. Look at the bottom of the map. Since it predates the numbered road system, it has symbols for the Trail and Highway Markings. I also see that in Winslow in big red letters says "Harvey Hotel" which I would assume is the La Posada. Really nice map.

This has me interested and digging. May have to wait for the USGS. Their topo maps of Arizona should be done by next spring. In the meantime I found this map: RT 66 Adamana Since it is identified as a 1928 map, it is likely an error. Not uncommon to have some minor errors. I know of several in the Chicago area plus 66 was a moving target in those days and hard to pin down. But I thought the map on the link was interesting anyway. Anyone else have an early map showing when the road was moved north and bypassing Adamana? Another tidbit; One of the early text descriptions of 66 has it routed through St Michaels AZ. Never made much sense to me but I just looked at this 1913 guide on line and it shows the road going from Gallup to St Michaels and then to Holbrook. St Michaels AZ

Yes most photos are added now. There are a couple that I determined that I did not have or could not find the photos. Like the 1926 in Chelsea, OK. You discovered the secret to our explorations; we often make detours. This past June we went from Oklahoma to the Rt 66 Festival in Amarillo by way of Ash Fork, AZ. :-) I got more focused on getting everything entered and did not put them in order. Probably ought to go back and do some clean up. Some of the bridges I found by using DeLorme Topo software on the laptop. As we drive near abandoned sections I look for creeks, rivers and canyons on the topo map and then look to see if a bridge was there visually. I located quite a few concrete culverts and bridge abutments like that. When we find something we shoot a picture of it and then place a push pin in Delorme so we know where it was. Later I go back and link the photo to the pushpin. So I can go back to any location and with a click pull up the picture of it. Have not done it yet, but my next camera will have geo-tagging and a built in GPS.