Paid tourism

[CharlesD]

Ok, I know we don't like the term paid tourist, but if you're like me there are times you take advantage of your work to do that very thing. What are the things that are most likely going to get you away from the truck stop? (or Wal Mart parking lot) Are there certain places on your list that if you have the time you will make a point of seeing? What are some of the things you have seen? You know those trips. You come into a certain city and you can't drop until the next day and you have time to visit some attraction or other. It's those trips that keep things interesting. For me, those are the memorable ones.

For starters, I'm into two things with almost equal passion, history and baseball. If there is a battlefield, museum, or ballpark nearby I almost always try to find the time to stop. Sometimes there is no time and I will add something to a list of things I need to see when I have time. I have managed to see Gettysburg, Shiloh, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Valley Forge, the Alamo, and about 16 Major League ballparks. In the last month I have been able to attend games at Dodger Stadium and Arlington, TX. (whatever they call that place these days) I had a nice run late last summer up to Buffalo and I got there a day early. It was still early afternoon but the place I was delivering was already closed and I couldn't deliver until the next morning. I went over and spent the rest of the day at Niagara Falls.

There have been other times I have had time to see some interesting local museums and what not as well, but there are plenty of other places on my list to either see when there's time on a load or to vacation to. What are those places you've been that made this work a little more worthwhile?

 

[Turtle]

The desert southwest is always a favorite. The Grand Canyon, for sure. It's true, that's the one thing every American needs to see. No pictures will ever do that place justice. The other areas around there, like Zion, and especially Bryce Canyon, and I'll go out of my way to drive through Page, UT and over to Monument Valley.

But I'm also a baseball freak. I haven't been to Coors Field, yet, nor any of the parks west of the Rockies except for an Angels game. I haven't been to Wrigley, yet. And, ironically, oh, the irony, I haven't been to a game at GABP. I do manage to catch a lot of Minor League ball. There are places all over the midwest where A and AA ball are everywhere. I catch the occasional Independent League game, as well, like in Laredo, where last week they traded 10 brand new maple bats to a team in Calgary for a player. Ya gotta love that.

My favorite is Billings, where you'll find the Billings Mustangs.

 

[terryandrene]

When stuck in the middle of nowhere, or somewhere near nowhere, find something about the place, including things to do at ePodunk - Profiling 46,000 cities, villages, towns, townships and podunks across America

 

[Turtle]

Over at the POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS there's a "All States Offbeat Tourist Attractions" POI file for your GPS unit, too. It's a lot of fun. It'll direct you to the World's Largest Peanut in Durant, OK, or the car-sized sneaker in New Castle, IN. Then there's the World's Largest Tire in Allen Park, MI. But we've all probably seen that one.

 

[juliewray60]

POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS

Mr. Turtle

Very nice of you to include information
about the POI Factory. We spec'd the in
dash gps unit in our new W900. The factory install
was poor in that the placement is too far
to the right and below the am-fm-cd player.
The maps themselves arnt all that great
and KW charges big moola to update them.

We tried using a laptop with truck specific
software but found out thats a horrible
solution. Using a laptop as a navigation
tool is outright dangerous. Theres no way
you can keep your eyes on the road and
view a laptop screen. Same negitive issue
we found with the in dash KW model.

So we finally decided to purchase a gps
and went with the tomtom 930. It comes
with a super windshield mount which allows
heads up display. Heads up display is
the only way to go.

Back to the point of my message to you.
I was amazed how many really neat poi's
that are available. POI factory has the
trucking industry fully covered with just
about anything youd need. Id never would of
known about that site unless i saw your link
to the site. We spent many hours last night
downloading and moving them into our tomtom.
We first had to figure out how to convert
the csv to ov2 files but that turned out to
be really easy. The combined rest areas with
mile markers is my favorite

Thank you very much for the tip.

 

[arrbsthw]

Over at the POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS there's a "All States Offbeat Tourist Attractions" POI file for your GPS unit, too. It's a lot of fun. It'll direct you to the World's Largest Peanut in Durant, OK, or the car-sized sneaker in New Castle, IN. Then there's the World's Largest Tire in Allen Park, MI. But we've all probably seen that one.

Thanks for this information.. I went to POI and downloaded
the rest areas. Working great.

 

[Wingnut]

We love nascar & rodeos, so if there are any in the area, we always try to go. We also like to check out the area to see what's happening: sometimes there's a street fair, town celebration, etc. We also try to find different & unique things about an area to learn & collect for our TRUCKER BUDDY kids. Besides pics, we've sent them cotton that we picked out of a field in AR, peanuts from a field in Georgia, coal from a mine in WVA, seashells from FLA, etc. We learn all we can about a city & state, then pass that info along to the kids. They love it and makes learning fun for them. We've even been to an authentic indian dance ceremony in CA and sent the pics & info to the kids along with a blanket that one of the women made. It was gorgeous.
We try to find anything fun/entertaining to get out of the truck stop for awhile...even if it's only a local flea market. We usually ask the workers at the truck stops or local businesses about what's happening in the area or if that area is 'famous' for anything. Then we take it from there.

 

[EagleRiverWI]

I am going to be touring the truck stops near Talladega on Thursday.

 

[P51bombay]

Mr. Turtle

Very nice of you to include information
about the POI Factory. We spec'd the in
dash gps unit in our new W900. The factory install
was poor in that the placement is too far
to the right and below the am-fm-cd player.
The maps themselves arnt all that great
and KW charges big moola to update them.

We tried using a laptop with truck specific
software but found out thats a horrible
solution. Using a laptop as a navigation
tool is outright dangerous. Theres no way
you can keep your eyes on the road and
view a laptop screen. Same negitive issue
we found with the in dash KW model.

So we finally decided to purchase a gps
and went with the tomtom 930. It comes
with a super windshield mount which allows
heads up display. Heads up display is
the only way to go.

Back to the point of my message to you.
I was amazed how many really neat poi's
that are available. POI factory has the
trucking industry fully covered with just
about anything youd need. Id never would of
known about that site unless i saw your link
to the site. We spent many hours last night
downloading and moving them into our tomtom.
We first had to figure out how to convert
the csv to ov2 files but that turned out to
be really easy. The combined rest areas with
mile markers is my favorite

Thank you very much for the tip.

I have a 910 and they are great, (though this one does have some power connectivity issues with the mount) super easy to use, the 3D road view is easy to follow and only very occasionally is it off the mark on directions. The newer 930 is much thinner too. Can I ask where you have it mounted in the W9 and is it close enough to use the touch screen? Do you have the flat or curved glass? Personally I would stay away from any in dash GPS, car, truck or otherwise for the simple reason that with the rate they are advancing it would soon be out of date whereas the stand alone ones just keep getting better and cheaper.

 

[nightcreacher]

im confused,why do you have to watch your gps? with the darn thing talking to you,telling you every move,its like having your own personal dispatcher,was going to say wife,but have been told I do negative posts on women,so I didnt say that.I dont use my laptop gps,only because the **** thing just doesnt look good sitting on the floor or in the passenger seat with co driver in it,I do listen to the one thats in my cell phone,I dont have to look at it,besides I only use it for local directions,just in case local directions on c link are wrong

 

[juliewray60]

I have a 910 and they are great, (though this one does have some power connectivity issues with the mount) super easy to use, the 3D road view is easy to follow and only very occasionally is it off the mark on directions. The newer 930 is much thinner too. Can I ask where you have it mounted in the W9 and is it close enough to use the touch screen? Do you have the flat or curved glass? Personally I would stay away from any in dash GPS, car, truck or otherwise for the simple reason that with the rate they are advancing it would soon be out of date whereas the stand alone ones just keep getting better and cheaper.

Our buying decision was based
on another driver using the 910.
Basically they are the same unit
as the 930 just updated with some
newer features and bells whistles.
We mounted it about six inches
right of driver windshield piller.
And about six inches above the dash.
So its at the flatest junction.
Yes you can easily reach the touch
screen with just a slight lean
foward from the drivers seat.
That mounting position allows us
a heads up view of the road surface
and can easily enter data without
losing that view. How correct you
are about indash devices. We have
our KW gps unit for sale at our
local dealership and it looks as
tho a buyer is awaiting our return
so we can yank the thing outta the
dash. The opening will make a nice
cubby hole for storage.

 

[juliewray60]

im confused,why do you have to watch your gps? with the darn thing talking to you,telling you every move,its like having your own personal dispatcher,was going to say wife,but have been told I do negative posts on women,so I didnt say that.I dont use my laptop gps,only because the **** thing just doesnt look good sitting on the floor or in the passenger seat with co driver in it,I do listen to the one thats in my cell phone,I dont have to look at it,besides I only use it for local directions,just in case local directions on c link are wrong

I expect the whole concept could
be confusing for someone that
never used such a device. The "thing"
as you describe only talks when you
want it to. The voice is easily
disabled unlike a wife or husband.
And you certainly dont have any need to
be constantly starring at it.
To remotly understand the features
and benifits of gps one would actually
have to possess one. That simple.

 

[adeelitc]

Ok, I know we don't like the term paid tourist, but if you're like me there are times you take advantage of your work to do that very thing. What are the things that are most likely going to get you away from the truck stop? (or Wal Mart parking lot) Are there certain places on your list that if you have the time you will make a point of seeing? What are some of the things you have seen? You know those trips. You come into a certain city and you can't drop until the next day and you have time to visit some attraction or other. It's those trips that keep things interesting. For me, those are the memorable ones.

For starters, I'm into two things with almost equal passion, history and baseball. If there is a battlefield, museum, or ballpark nearby I almost always try to find the time to stop. Sometimes there is no time and I will add something to a list of things I need to see when I have time. I have managed to see Gettysburg, Shiloh, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Valley Forge, the Alamo, and about 16 Major League ballparks. In the last month I have been able to attend games at Dodger Stadium and Arlington, TX. (whatever they call that place these days) I had a nice run late last summer up to Buffalo and I got there a day early. It was still early afternoon but the place I was delivering was already closed and I couldn't deliver until the next morning. I went over and spent the rest of the day at Niagara Falls.

There have been other times I have had time to see some interesting local museums and what not as well, but there are plenty of other places on my list to either see when there's time on a load or to vacation to. What are those places you've been that made this work a little more worthwhile
Adeel Khan Sherwani from <a href="http://www.getatlantaonline.com">Atlanta</a>

 

[cheri1122]

Steve: the spoken directions on the stand alone units can be muted, which is how I prefer it. Whether because I process visual info better, or because the map layout is familiar, I'd rather see where I'm going than hear it. (Usually just needs a quick glance).
I also like seeing the nearby streets, just in case I need to detour, backtrack, whatever.
Speaking of detouring, I'd like to see the London Bridge!

 

[nightcreacher]

Cheri.my gps is in my sprint phone,it does as well as my Garmin and my Streets and Trips.The thing speakes in a sexy voice,with good english,and tells me where to go just like a wife would.I can look at it if iI want,but there isnt a need.As I said,I use it mainly for local directions.

 

[Dreamer]

Mine is also in my phone. I resisted for a long time... that ole "never needed it before... grumpy ol fart thang".. LOL...

Used it one time on a trip thru Pittsburgh... then a couple trips to the Northeast.. I am now a believer.. .


I may buy a stand alone unit later, but for now, the Telenav based GPS in my Sprint Lotus works just fine.. especially for vans. Plus.. it's included in my Sprint Power Vison pack .

As for the original question, I like museums... Roswell anyone?



Dale

 

[fastman_1]

Dirt Tracks just show me the Dirt!! and of course Motorcycle Shops, Nothing beats Renting a Bike on a Weekend Layover!

 

[Suds43]

My passions are history, and stock car racing!!! Every chance we got we'd be headed to a track somewhere. Best times were when we'd have a friday pick-up with monday delivery. We'd get our 'race track book' out and find a local track somewhere! Alot of times we'd just stop at a gas station and ask if there were any local tracks around. Or chase a hauler down the road!! lol Talked with Billy Moyer, late model dirt track fans will know him, followed him to a track near by, saw some GREAT RACING!!
Have spend a couple days at Gettysburg, Appamatox Courthouse!