Exploring on motorcycles is fun. Exporing off road even more. Exploring until you're lost, finding new roads, and really enjoying it - epic !
OK, now that you're lost what to do ? Well, you could use that awesome android phone, if you had a signal.... orrrrr wait.... Maverick !
Maverick is a gps (agps) enabled application that can save your tracks (for next time), upload your location to friends, geo-cache, and save your bacon if need be. How ? It -caches-your-online-maps from: Bing, GoogleMaps, and a few other great, FREE sources online. All you need is a 2-4Gb card.
There are several ways to do it, but here are two very simple ways of doing it:
Cruise around with Maverick pre-ride. If you follow your course (planned or not) at a constant ZOOM LEVEL, maverick will cache all the 'tiles' of the map. If you're on wifi just pan around until you have your idea of the route + another 20-30 miles around it. Remember, keep the SAME ZOOM LEVEL while doing so. Mavericak caches the tiles of THAT ZOOM LEVEL, until you change. It then keeps the NEXT ZOOMED LEVEL you select cached.
Cruising on maverick on wifi is a good idea.. just thumb around until you're tired of it, pick another zoom level and go again. Then if you select TERRAIN or HYBRID it will cache those also.
I like to keep a good 300 mile radius of level 5, 150 or so of level 10, and 30 or so (this is a radius) miles of level 15 zoom in the cache. If I loose connectivity, or drop to EDGE while out exploring, i can just use the cached tiles on the sdcard.
Taking pictures with your android phone also allows for geo-tagging, and easily finding that really cool spot with the missus or the buds next time you're out n about. Build a picasa album, and check it out... that's another thread, which i think i've started. :-)
OK, more on creating your maps and routes:
With Mobac you can download Gigabytes of maps from those very same FREE sources online, stitch them together, and dump to your ANDROID powered phone for later use. Maverick will use those cached tiles and the GPS to show you just how lost you are, and even the TERRAIN between you and civilization again. Find a water tower, a creek bed, or just a cool canyon road you didn't know about !
Ya, I know it sounds like i'm pushing google's phone, but I can promise I won't make a dime on you choosing this process. I'm all lortab'd up on the couche and waiting for my leg to heal so I can exploit it on my drz.... and it's killing me.
If you don't have an Android, beg/borrow/steal one and take a look @ maverick.
Default screen, nothing special:
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6doriIfmI/AAAAAAAAALA/oXS8O6SBYiE/s512/snap20100913_164002.png)
Select the type of map you want, and the source (prior to caching)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6dpYGvxQI/AAAAAAAAALE/2rZkTdCUYCM/s512/snap20100913_164019.png)
Simple, easy to read, "Maps"
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6dphD1PeI/AAAAAAAAALI/gzlN8zDMHYQ/s512/snap20100913_164028.png)
Everyone knows "Satellite"
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6dqA752wI/AAAAAAAAALQ/1tzLC1QG_kg/s512/snap20100913_164055.png)
This is my new favorite since the drz. Finding places to play and places to avoid just got awesomer !
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6dp5sgeyI/AAAAAAAAALM/aa0Xt9nVdRw/s512/snap20100913_164039.png)
Track your excursion, set markers (waypoints), email a buddy to remind them they suck and you don't because you just cached a new T-shirt while they slave @ work:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6doXioLKI/AAAAAAAAAK4/mJ5UAuo9668/s512/snap20100913_164117.png)
More of that sharing that they suck:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6doXioLKI/AAAAAAAAAK4/mJ5UAuo9668/s512/snap20100913_164117.png)
The compas was moving while I took the screenshot, sorry for the crap pic!
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6dqW-DN1I/AAAAAAAAALU/OAHYOHmKEbk/s512/snap20100913_164102.png)
A speedo, like, what for ? I dunno, never look at mine:
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_n_h9GjoQiIE/TI6doChYXrI/AAAAAAAAAKw/GFIhGJVr7VA/s512/snap20100913_164104.png)
Thanks for the info. I don't expect to stay far enough to get that lost, but I'll be keeping this in mind just in case.