New Background Maps For Garmin Users

As if you needed any more reason to gloat, those of you who own Garmin GPS units have yet one additional reason for being glad you do — the new Map Overlay feature just announced for the Colorado, Oregon (200, 300, 400 and 550), and Dakota models.

Unlike the rest of us who are still dependant on the "altruism" of our manufacturers to "get around" to updating our background maps – and of course pay their exhorbitant fees – you can now "update" your maps to any image that you find more useful.

To top it all off, the process uses our favorite free geo-graphic program – Google Earth. And adding insult to our already burdensome Garmin-envy, our other favorite program, GPSvisualizer, is just waiting to make your new-found ability plush with multiple kinds of maps (subject of the next tutorial).

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Map Update: Arizona Trails, West

To continue the endeavor which began last week, I obtained an Arizona Trails West Region (Arizona Trails Backroads Guides) book and typed away at all the descriptions.

Therefore, once again this week, the Arizona Trails master file has been upgraded with completely new descriptions in the Western region. [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Offroading Home: Arizona Trails]

But, it's almost getting too cold to type — my guess is that it'll be time to start migrating soon.

Learn A Little More

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The book Arizona Trails West Region (Arizona Trails Backroads Guides) is an excellent resource to plan an offroad trip in Arizona. Each route is accompanied by turn-by-turn navigational aids going in both directions and photos of sites along the way. If you are going to purchase it, please consider doing so using the links on this page. There will be no extra cost to you, but a portion will go to keeping this site going and the trails coming.

New Trails: Arizona, Northeast

Thanks to a generous benefactor who loaned me their Arizona Trails Northeast Region book, the Arizona Trails master file has been upgraded with new descriptions and several new trails in the Northeast region. [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Offroading Home: Arizona Trails]

All the Arizona Northeast Region trails now have directions to the starting and ending locations, in addition to the standard length, time and months open.

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Entertainment: Hale Centre Theater - "Curtains"

Wow! What a theatrical experience! However… my Tensor Tympani is still in lactic acidosis from the workout.

As soon as the "disclaimer" announcer came on before the curtain went up and was unintelligibly buried behind the over-modulated "background" music — I knew we had drawn the 'punk-rocker' audio man who had blown out his cochlea on heavy-metal.

I just wish that the producer/directors/sound designers (Sally Dietlein/Jennifer Hohl/Dan Morgan) would interject some form of standardization or quality control into their sound design. We go from crack-all-your-fillings in Treasure Island to the magnificent audio of Scarlet Pimpernell and things in-between – all in one Hale Center Theater season.

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Not Gonna' Happen This Year

The one thing that I look most forward to all year has blown up in my face… the annual ride up to Kennecott overlook with my bud Jeff and his kids.

That's what you get, I guess, when you put it off till the fall like we did. The weather turns cold and the kids don't seem to want to go out in it. We've done the ride ever since Herriman became summer snowbird headquarters.

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We Did What?!!!

I didn't think much about it when Mom and Dad were invited for a "drive" a couple of weeks ago by some life-long friends in Ogden.

They returned with the kind of fire in their eyes and the tannish glow to the skin that only being out of the house and outdoors brings. And they effused with blustery tails reminiscent of our old Boy Scout "Snipe hunting" adventures.

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New Area - New Trail

That's right — an entirely new tab on the website navigation bar! "ALL-ELSE" contains a master Google Earth file for all those submissions which don't fit in the other major offroading areas. [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: OffroadingHome/All-Else]

The first offroad track to populate the new master map was submitted by Bernie Cook who recently rode the Cambell Lake Loop ATV/UTV trail in Wyoming.

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