chicodawg.com

It has been awhile since writing for chicodawg.  I have a new job, finally, and that has kept me busy.  This new job involves travel - and lots of it.  I was relying on my HP DV9250 laptop for navigation, but lugging around a 17" laptop every day was a bit cumbersome.  So, I searched for a portable GPS unit.

It’s easy to find reviews on just about any GPS on the market.  Many reviews tend to be biased, although some (if you look hard enough) are truthful.  The problem with GPS units are that they are like computers and other electronics - they are updated frequently due to technology hardware or software advancements.  In any case, it’s hard to keep up… like it is with computers.  A portable GPS is much like a computer, complete with microchips, an operating system, storage, and a view screen.

After some research, I decided on the Tomtom GO 720 as my first pick.  I saw instantly that this unit had many features, almost an endless amount.  However, Tomtom made them easy to find.  Tomtom apparently put everything you could think of into this model.  If you’re on a road and notice it’s closed or unusable, press a few icons on the screen and you can "block" that street out.  You can add and customize the 720 with ease.  There is much support out there for the 720, including excellent user forums.  One of the greatest innovations I have seen is the Map Share feature of Tomtom.  When you correct a map, you can send the correction to Tomtom.  Once this correction is verified, the update is made available to other Tomtom users.  With the addition of "Plus" services (fee) you can add traffic, weather, buddies (see where friends or family are located and route to them!) and more.  The displays are clear and bright and the speaker quality is loud and clear.  There are too many customizable options to list here.  I’m just doing a simple overview and comparison here.  If you want details, visit amazon.com.

Now it is time to test the 720 and what better place than in the local, familiar, .area.  Good thing to as this is where the Tomtom failed me.  With all the bells and whistles packed into this small unit, and all the praise and support, what turned my back against Tomtom was the main feature I REALLY needed to depend on - routing.  Tomtom is based on the TeleAtlas map engine.  Why?  I have no idea.  My first route "test" in a residential area suddenly took me off a paved road.  The 720 "asked" if I wanted to do this, which I said NO!  The 720 could not find an alternative - even though I was looking at a paved route on a map.  The unpaved road was so bad in spots that we actually had to drive on grass to get around the issues.  I guess you could say the unit did what it was intended for since we did arrive at the address.  My concern was the route.  If I had been in a large truck in an unknown town and found myself on this road which went from paved to deep potholes, I would have destroyed more than just the grass.

Maybe this was just a glitch?  From this address, I decided to use the 720 to route to a restaurant about 10-miles away.  Within a few seconds, our route was ready and we were on our way.  Nice paved roads.  Just as I thought the Tomtom had redeemed itself, a left turn took us almost 3-miles down another rough dirt road.  Again, a larger vehicle would have hit low tree limbs and had problems on this contoured road.  Finally, on pavement, a couple turns later and we were at the restaurant.  Ok, so we made it.  The point here is, the 720 should have been able to find a route after I selected "NO" unpaved roads.  But it didn’t.  Being in a strange city or town, in a vehicle that may or may not maneuver like a small car, can create a big hazard - not to mention the aggravation.  It was time to put the 720 back in the box and return it.  I was really reluctant to do this since the 720 is a very very nice LOOKING product.  For me, though, looks doesn’t justify the true need and requirement of the GPS.

Most of the day was spent looking for alternative replacements.  Garmin and Magellan units use NAVTEQ maps.  Google and Microsoft Streets and Trips also are based on NAVTEQ.  I went to Google and selected the route similar to my first trial run earlier.  Google avoided the route on the dirt road and instead used an all-paved option.  Much better.  I tried a couple addresses that the Tomtom could not located at all.  Google found the streets and addresses.

My next step was to look into support for the Garmin and Magellan.  Comparing forums and websites for these units proved to be an easy deciding factor:  Garmin provides excellent customer service…Magellan could care less if they had customers.  This reasoning was based on user compliments and complaints on the various websites as well as the "support" pages for the companies.  Magellan was apparently supposed to issue a map update back in March, 2007.  Several delays and promises later, I believe they were just released but not all Magellan owners would receive them.  Magellan appears to be way behind on updates.  Garmin, on the other hand, updates more frequently.  Magellan users unhappy - Garmin users happy.  Happy is good, so Garmin gets my money.

After comparing the numerous models, I decided on the Nuvi 750.  The 700 series is the latest in the Garmin lineup.  The 750 lacks Bluetooth phone capabilities, which is available on the 760 and other models, but I saved $200 for this luxury.  I have a Bluetooth headset which works good enough.

My first "test" of the Nuvi 750 was to route to the address which the Tomtom failed. The Garmin routed me on paved roads along the same path Google did.  Good!  I then searched for the address that Tomtom could not locate at all.  The Garmin found it with no problems.  So far so good.  The Garmin appears more accurate for routing at this point, but I’ve only had it for a day!  It does not have nearly the bells and whistles of the Tomtom, but again I’m not looking for fluff… I need to get from point A to B, C, D and E and not take out someone’s yard to avoid a broken dirt road.  I’m still learning the Garmin and seeing what it lacks, in comparison to the 720.  It also has some features that the Tomtom does not.  As long as I can count on accuracy, and routing with some logical reasoning, I can overlook these differences.

Just as with any other electronics purchase, you need to decide what your needs are.  When I’m consulting someone on a purchase, be it a computer, camera or other device, I always ask "what do you intend to use it for?".  That makes a big difference!  In the short time I had the Tomtom, I loaded a program on it and watched a music video on its 4" screen.  With the right SD card, you can load several full-length movies to watch on a GPS device!  I loaded it with MP3s and points-of-interest (POI’s).  I found games like Tetris, Chess and others for the Tomtom.  It is very easy to see the value and endless possibilities of this model…until you’re on a small dirt road - it is a GPS unit, after all, not a game device or DVD player.  The other problem I had, which has been shared by other Tomtom users, is the lock-up or freezing of the unit.  This requires a hard reset after it locks-up.  After having the 720 for only a couple days, I had to perform a hard reset more than 10-times.  For me, at least, this meant having to go to the car to use the power adapter (cigarette lighter adapter), then resetting the unit.  It would not reset, for me, while using the built-in battery.

As I continue to put the Nuvi 750 to use, especially at work, I’m sure I will be able to update this comparison after I have more hands-on real-world navigation.  So far, from what little I’ve used the device, it seems to be the better choice - for me and my needs.

There are 3 major interstates entering Tampa from all directions - Interstate 4, to Orlando and the east coast of Florida, starts here, interstate 75 bypasses the city’s east side and interstate 275, a loop of sorts entering the outskirts of north Tampa, traveling to the famed "Malfunction Junction" at downtown and exiting into St. Petersburg, Florida to the south.  Millions of dollars of road construction takes place in this area, almost year round.  This unlimited supply of cash is used for traffic signs, road widening and… a useless fountain.  Nothing says "Welcome to Tampa" like a fountain you can’t see or, due to poor planning and budgeting, may not ever see.

When traveling into Tampa on our interstate system, you will see "city limit" signs - for political boundary purposes - but no "welcome to" signs.  The airport doesn’t count.  Four years ago, a contract was awarded to build a fountain 1-mile east of Malfunction Junction below interstate 4, at 21st/22nd Street.  Below interstate 4 as in "you really can’t see it from interstate 4".  You have to take the Ybor City exit (exit 1) and circle around the thing to get a look at it.  An 8-foot iron fence is intended to keep people away from it.  After all, the state Department of Transportation paid $1.3-million for the installation.  Florida has a boatload of cash sitting somewhere for stuff like this.  Ownership and maintenance was turned over to the City of Tampa - and for good reason, too:  The city has a boatload of cash to maintain this attraction… $3,000 to $5,000 per month.  The city also has water restrictions in place, due to drought conditions, barring water fountains that don’t use reclaimed water.  The cool part?  Reclaimed water doesn’t flow into this part of the city.  Duh.

I guess they had to do *something* to fill the football field size space created when they widened interstate 4.  Anyone who has been to Ybor City knows parking is plentiful.  Turning this space into a parking lot would create more pedestrian traffic, creating a major hazard due to the speeding traffic into and out of Ybor.  A park here would be interesting, with it’s beautiful views of the overpasses of eastbound and westbound interstate 4, not to mention the quiet and serene feeling you would get as traffic speeds overhead, or the loud boom boxes of punks driving in and out of Ybor City. 

The Tampa Water Department is now deciding what to do with this asset.  City officials and departments are experiencing budget cuts and layoffs.  Can the city, or WILL the city, afford the estimated $60,000/year for the upkeep of the fountain?

I intended to include photos of the decorative, useless, fountain.  To see the fountain as most people would, if they could see it - overhead from interstate 4.  Several things came to mind, though.  Stopping on the interstate is illegal and dangerous.  Doing so would cause everyone else to stop creating a major traffic jam.  Actually, you could have a flat tire 4-blocks away from the interstate, on a side road, and people ON the interstate will stop to look…but that’s another article.  Sorry, I do not have photos at this time.

Among the things Tampa could have really USED:  How about a few "Welcome to Tampa" signs?  Tampa only welcomes people who arrive by air?  Driving westbound on Interstate 4 into Malfunction Junction, the merge onto Interstate 275 southbound, is a SHARP curve.  A few months ago, a tractor trailer rig overturned going into this curve and dumped its load on to the interstate.  Even though this intersection is well-lit, you really don’t know it’s a sharp turn until you are well in to the curve.  In most other cities, such hazards are clearly marked with caution signs.  Not Tampa!  Tampa, and the Department of Transportation, *needed* the fountain.  Well, they needed to spend $1.3-million on SOMETHING. 

It’s a shame that during the "meeting of the minds", officials meet but forget to bring their "minds".

We are on vacation! In Seattle, Washington. The flight between Houston, our connecting city, and Seattle was great. Wonderful views of Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier - both snow covered. Actually, it’s amazing that so many of the mountains we saw along the flight were still snow covered!

The only problem, so far, was in renting the car from Alamo Rental at the Sea-Tac airport. That was not a good idea, but it was part of the reservation booked through Expedia (DOT COM!).

For the complete story and daily(?) updates, visit the Seattle Vacation - Summer 2007 page on the left under “blog menu:”.

Our quick weekend trip to historic Ybor City…and the Hampton Inn.

(more…)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007, we celebrated our 5th anniversary. After searching for unique things to do, something caught our eye. This date was also the 2nd day of the Cool Springs Ranch Balloon Classic in Dunnellon, Florida.

After a couple Emails and phone calls, we were booked. The reservation was made through Celebration Aviation. Our start time: 5:45 AM. On the map, Dunnellon is about 15-minutes away. In real-life, however, it was almost 2-hours away - especially when you miss a turn on US-41 and, instead of going to Dunnellon you end up in Crystal River…anyway! We were late. We were surprised to see the large group assembled inside Skeets Bar-B-Q restaurant, our meeting place. Breakfast was buffet-style and very good. We then met our pilot, Kenny Shumate of “Balloon Rides Over Orlando” - a funny character and very personable, but a serious pilot. He has been ballooning since 5:30 that morning…actually for over 23-years!

He explains our role in this venture and we meet our crew. Crew? You see, when you go in a balloon, there is a dedicated crew that helps setup the balloon until you’re in the air…then they chase you on the ground (uh, in a vehicle), maintains radio contact with the pilot, then is at the landing site to help stop you. They deflate and help pack everything up. It is really remarkable what all goes on. Here’s what happened next…

We piled into the van, which has a small trailer attached carrying several packed balloons, called envelopes, a basket, the fuel and everything. Checking a map of the terrain, we search for a take-off spot. A parking lot at a church? No, too close to the trees. A small farming field? A small helium balloon is set off. No, not a good site. So I had to ask - “There is no dedicated area to launch?” Nope, you pick a place away from power lines and trees and just go. Whu? Like a baseball field! Another helium balloon is launched. BINGO! The sun had risen by now and somewhere between 1st-base and the outfield, our balloon/envelope was stretched out and attached to the bucket. This part happened so fast… The crew scrambled. Everything was removed from the trailer and assembled. The “envelope” is stretched out and attached to the basket. We all took part in the launch. David (son) even fired up the heat to inflate the envelope. I held one of the powerful fans to force air in. Within minutes, the balloon lifted off the ground and we hopped in the basket. Another crew found our site and was setting up in the infield. Within a few seconds, we were hovering and catching the slight wind taking us westward… nearing the tree line in the outfield…the scoreboard.

What a view. You don’t need a jacket because, well, there is a fire up above you keeping the air inside the envelope warm. The short bursts were more than enough to warm the basket. You feel it. We slowly drifted with the wind across farm land, woods, and the highway (US-41). Other balloons dotted the sky, all drifting in the same direction. Little did we know, this was also a contest. As a clearing was seen in the distance, Kenny (pilot) made plans - to get close to the “X” on the ground and drop the bag. This was cool! A large crowd at the festival cheered us on. We could hear the announcer. Our bag was REAL close. The pilot who gets their bag closest to the center of the “X” gets something like $500! More heat as we now had to ascend to clear some more trees. Our trip continued. We flew over more small roads, farms and houses, an old cemetary.

Another clearing up ahead marked the perfect landing spot. Plenty of open space, surrounded by trees (now referred to as our “brakes”). Plus, other balloon pilots were landing there. Time to land. We start our descent and pilot Kenny describes what will happen now. “Bend your knees to absorb the impact” (the what?) “We’ll use the trees to brake” (break what?) “Our crew isn’t at the landing site yet” (they’re lost?)

It sounded worse than it was because we had a create pilot with a lot of experience. Then, we hit our first tree. A cypress tree. We skimmed the top edge of the trees until the last row, our “parking brake” trees. These had to slow us down enough to keep us from skating across the ground. It was exciting, puzzling, interesting and terrifying all at once. Even after the last row of trees, we’re still moving. “Lean back!” he shouts… the basket connects with the ground and we lunge forward - the balloon is still in the air, which is still moving. A final pull opens a hatch at the top of the envelope. As instructed, david takes a rope and runs away from us fast - the rope attached to the top of the envelope so when it deflates - as it is doing now - it won’t deflate on top of us! The basket settles down a short distance from where we initially contacted the ground (er, landed). We skidded a little. By this time, the crew arrived - the gate to this ranch was closed - an automatic gate you have to drive up to before it opens. Just behind us was another balloon clearing the last row of trees and coming down. We helped them land as well. Another balloon, which we spotted taking off from the festival grounds (”X”) was coming in for a landing as well. The Energizer Bunny - I’m surprised it didn’t keep going…and going. Everything was packed up, back in the trailer, and we headed back to Skeets. What a great experience.

The whole trip from the time we left Skeets to the return was about 3 1/2 hours. The actual flight was about 45-minutes. There is a lot of setup time, not to mention finding a place to take-off from. Then, there is the packing up time when you land. The cost, which is typical, was $175 per person. For the four of us to go on this flight, the cost was $749 (including tax). It isn’t cheap, if you compare the cost to other forms of air flight, but you can’t compare the experience. There is nothing like it.

You can catch Kenny and his crew at various events in the U.S. and Canada and he has even traveled overseas. Check out their website for event locations, to book a flight, information on their various balloons, and more. They also have a special champagne flight for 2. I took over 200 photos during this experience and a few of those are on the local gallery on chicodawg.com. Thanks for reading!