Originally Posted by permanentjaun

I don't particularily care for routeslips.com. It is the best I've found in terms of being able to save routes and come back to them. Unfortunately, it is terribly slow. My computer isn't that old, yet that site is extremely slow to work with. Really it's not worth spending the time to enter the data. Are you going to use those maps specifically for your ride?

I'm routing myself across the US right now. I'm typing up directions in word with north/south/east/west bearings as well as how long I should be riding for. For example, a typical instruction reads "

• Turn right/east on to 140/Bethalto Dr./MacArthur Dr.. Ride for 12 miles into Hamel."

I use www.gmaps-pedometer.com to find the distances quickly and more easily than routeslips. If I come to a trick section, such as making many turns in a small town then I will hit the print screen buttong. I then go into photoshop and paste the image. In 30 seconds I can crop the image to only the parts I need then add numbers to the image. My typed directions are numbered. So I put numbers on the map telling me which number in my text I should be referring to.

That's what I'm doing. I prefer written instructions to maps though. It's all your own style. This way I can add personal identifiers though. I'm making sure to write "CHECK SUPPLIES" whenever I come into a town so I don't endanger myself. Then I can write things such as, "road eventually parallels river after 5 miles" so I can give myself landmarks.

When I'm done my routing across the US, hopefully by tomorrow, I'll post it on my thread for all to see and use. Just some suggestions. Matt