To fulfill the final request of the Burton’s in the “You Asked For It” series we will be looking at another method to use Google Earth to enhance your travels and trip planning.
For starters let’s review:
For those that want to find a convenient place to boondock, check out this previous entry:
https://rvlife.com/index.php/MyBlog/Google-Earth-The-Boondockers-Campsite-Directory.html
For finding things to see along the way, check out this entry:
https://rvlife.com/index.php/MyBlog/Squares-to-Adventure.html
If you have mastered Google Earth using the above two applications, it is time to learn how to use it for navigating back roads to unique sites. For years I have been chasing old mines, ghost towns and other forgotten places. Road signs rarely exist to these places (with either arrows directing you or signing the road name/number), that is why they are forgotten. Prior to modern conveniences like GPS, online mapping software and especially Google Earth, many forgotten places stayed that way when I tried to visit them. Through the years, roads are forgotten, become overgrown, are rerouted, washout, etc. Unfortunately, most topographic maps were created in the 1950’s and 1960’s and have seen very little in the way of updates. Many adventures in my pre-Google Earth days ended in disappointment as the road I had planned to travel no longer existed, now led somewhere else or was in such poor condition it wasn’t suitable for vehicle travel. Other times there were so many roads that didn’t show on the map that you had no idea where you were. What used to be the third road leading to the left was now the seventh road leading to the left. Thankfully, Google Earth solves all of these problems. Now all I do is find the place I want to visit on Google Earth and scroll backwards from the site following the best traveled route to the nearest paved highway. I can then compare what Google Earth shows as the best route against the roads my Gazetteer or topographical map depict, plotting junction coordinates obtained via Google Earth on my map. It is then just a matter of entering the coordinates on my GPS receiver and following the waypoints. Google Earth route planning, just one more way to enjoy the adventure!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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