The Bent Page

There are dozens of GPS navigation devices available these days. You can use them in your car, on your bicycle, or while hiking in the woods. The ones that I’ve used have done a fairly good job. For example, while in Spain, I loaded the European maps onto the memory and found them to be quite accurate. Here’s a screen shot of the unit on the windshield of my rental car while in Segovia, Spain.

In the lower left corner of the photo you’ll see the tangle of streets that is Segovia. Directly ahead stands the Roman aqueduct. The software which provides guidance from point to point can make some unusual suggestions, sending you on less than optimal roads even though you select “fastest” or “highway” or a similar restriction. Still, it was better than paper maps in that it is constantly scrolling along with you as you drive. Not to mention that it is smaller and lighter.

In planning a trip as long and with as many stops as this last one to Spain, I always print out basic maps from one hotel to the next, or one specific sight to a hotel as a backup in case the GPS unit fails, is stolen, or other unforeseen act like sunspots that render it inoperable. Plus, those printouts serve as a basis to build the photo album later. Enjoy the journey!