From point A to point B: the art of RV routing

LT walks off our temporary RV site, a

good thing to do before attempting to

park your rig.

We arrived at Big Bend National Park this past Sunday, none the worse for wear, to take part in a 12-day orientation. The orientation is designed to prepare volunteers for our role as park ambassadors and features presentations by and field trips with various Park Service experts. There is a lot to learn about BBNP, and as soon as it's over and I've had a chance to sift through my photos, I'll talk about our orientation experiences. Meanwhile, I thought I would share a bit about the unique challenges Leonard and I face as RVers with respect to route planning, what tools I (as chief navigator) use, and their limitations.

Any road warrior worth his or her salt knows about Google maps and GPS. Trouble is those were designed largely for use by drivers of cars, pickups and other smaller, lighter vehicles for which height, width, length and weight aren't a concern. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a sign that read “low clearance” and panicked because you weren't sure your cute little ride wouldn't come out the other side looking like a giant can opener had just ripped off its roof?

Not so for the larger RV's. It's definitely a case where size matters!

Rand McNally's GPS for RV's comes in handy, though it

does have some limitations when it comes to routing.

Early on, we discovered an RV-specific GPS made by Rand McNally. It allows you to enter the type and dimensions of your rig then calculates routes aimed at avoiding all those nasty RV unfriendly road features, like low overpasses, narrow tunnels and weak bridges. As GPS options go, this one's proven workable for us, the occasional head-scratching “why did it tell us to make three right turns to go left” not withstanding. I've learned (the hard way) to resolve those situations by comparing Rand McNally's routing to Google maps in advance of a trip.

Not only will Google maps let me double-check the GPS' work, it also allows me to create a route map of my own which I can save on Google's servers (and return to for future reference) or print, either on paper or as a file on my laptop.

In addition, we picked up a print version of Rand McNally's road atlas for use when the high-tech gadgets just aren't practical. It also comes in handy when your driver's screaming, “This isn't the way to Tulsa! Why are we going north when Tulsa's south!” in which case you can pull out the book, flip to the appropriate map and point out that you, in fact, have not lost your marbles and are indeed en route to your destination. (Ask me how I know this.)



Google maps let you create and save route maps. It's great for

reviewing turn-by-turn directions before hitting the road. This

one's from my 2011 trip to Ireland.

Our journey from Mt. Rogers to BBNP took us over nearly 1,300 road miles. Thanks to all of the above, we are now nestled into our site at the place known as Panther Junction. We'll remain here during orientation then shift to another locale at the park entrance.

Big Bend NP promises to be a fascinating place to explore. I look forward to sharing lots about our experiences here, starting with my next post!