Originally Posted by
john m flores
Rethinking this, my favorite method is asking a local because very often they'll not only tell me how to get to where I want to but also interesting places I was not even aware of.
Yeah, GPS is great and all but it can also be isolating.
That doesn't work so well a lot of times. People have been so stuck in their GPS apps, that they don't know how to get anywhere.
I plot a general route ahead of time (usually the night before) using Google earth. Make notes of major landmarks in case I get off course, and head out. I have a phone in my bag to look up in case I get hopelessly lost. I prefer to try to find my way by the sun.
I started touring by motorcycle before cell phones and GPS. Space in my tank bag was limited, so I would stop at the first walmart after crossing a state line to buy a Paper Rand Macnally map. Plot my course across the state, and probably throw it away at the next, because I had it so misfolded and tore up from the map pocket on top of the tank bag. I still have maps of a lot of the better riding areas. They are plastic now, and expensive, but they hold up better and don't get thrown away.