Mid-Atlantic Back Discovery Route GPS - Tracks ready to download

[Rambler]

SilverBullet emailed me his file. It opened in Basecamp, but the route it generated in Tyre was insane. I'm not a big fan of Basecamp, so I've started to create a new file for Tyre based on the one SilverBullet sent me. I'm cutting out large numbers of the waypoints (which I seriously think is what's creating the issues in Tyre), and just using intermediate shaping points to keep the route on track. Once I'm done I'll make the file available to anyone here who uses Tyre for route planning.

Tyre ready GPS would be great. Thanks. I use Tyre along with TomTomRider GPS.

 

[terrysig]

I don't have a Montana any more but know that when I did, it couldn't handle more than a fairly small file size AND couldn't handle more than a certain number of points. Beyond that, it would decide to truncate. Beyond just dealing with the aggravation of the Garmin user interface and Basecamp, it's one reason I went to Android with Osmand+.

They is no doubt that garmin and the montana can be tricky to use but besides a phone it has been the best all around GPSr. Often i think i have it mastered only to find it has me m astered but i find ive grown reliant upon it for many differnt activities from hiking to marine. If it crapped out today i'd get another....and still bitch about garmin. So thankful for free map sets.

 

[RCinNC]

Tyre ready GPS would be great. Thanks. I use Tyre along with TomTomRider GPS.

I'm about halfway through the conversion, Rambler, and it's going fairly smooth. I'll test it on my Garmin when it's done to make sure it translates properly, but of course I won't know for sure how well it works until I (or someone else) actually rides it. So far, every road that appears on the Basecamp file has shown up on Tyre. Depending on how well it translates to Garmin, I may have to break the route into segments. I should be fine though; I have Tyre set up for a maximum of 1000 waypoints, and I'm about halfway through VA now with less than 100.

I'm a big fan of Tyre too. It's been my main route planning software for a couple years now.

 

[RCinNC]

They is no doubt that garmin and the montana can be tricky to use but besides a phone it has been the best all around GPSr. Often i think i have it mastered only to find it has me m astered but i find ive grown reliant upon it for many differnt activities from hiking to marine. If it crapped out today i'd get another....and still bitch about garmin. So thankful for free map sets.

I've tried using OsmAnd and my phone, and still prefer my Garmin Nuvi, in spite of its shortcomings. I have two of the 2455's, and I should start looking on ebay for another one for when one of mine finally dies.

 

[twodogs]

I'm no expert with using the Garmin (665) or Basecamp, but I think that many times my issue is "use it or lose it". By only using these system once or twice a year I set and look at the screen and go, now how did I do that the last time. With this said I brought all the files over to Basecamp. If I remember correctly 12 individual tracks. I've converted a couple over to routes with no issues and reviewed in some pretty good detail looking for issues and have found none. But the proof will be in the ride, just hope there will not be an AHHH S#@T. Time will tell.

 

[Rambler]

I downloaded the GPX file. (At work on the work laptop - No Tyre installed on this laptop). Then pulled the GPX file into Google's My Maps (https://www.google.com/mymaps/) and created the MABDR Map.
Damascus to Lawrenceville. Shows the complete route, I believe.

Link to MABDR MyMaps: http://bit.ly/MABDRrj

 

[twodogs]

Hey Rambler,

You did great job on this..... thanks for sharing the link. Now I can really enjoy reviewing the route.

Amazing how something so simple can make an old person happy. ::012::

 

[Rambler]

I tried to upload the GPX to Rever via it's website. Uploaded fine. But it broke up the MABDR into the segments. Rever won't show the 'global' full route on the map.
You have to view and ride it on segment to segment basis. (makes sense, when you do set out to ride it)

 

[terrysig]

The segments are fine on some garmin GPSr. On the montana i have or can have hundreds of different tracks. The one (s) i want to use i just show it on the map. For the MABDR i just show all the segments and as long as i make the the same color it shows as one full track. I did make the expert sections a different color.

But every gps is different and some may require it in segments.

 

[RCinNC]

Like I said in my earlier posts, I’m a Tyre to Travel user, and I was having a devil of a time getting the .gpx file from the BDR site to translate to using on Tyre to review and tweak the route. Even some of the modified routes looked like a plate of spaghetti when I loaded them on Tyre. So, I recreated the route directly on Tyre. I’m a Garmin user, specifically a Nuvi 2455, so the info here is pretty much related to any idiosyncrasies I found when using the Nuvi. You might not encounter the same issues if you use a different Garmin like a Zumo or Montana, or a TomRom. The original route had several thousand waypoints; the one I created on Tyre has 468.

I really like Tyre, but there are downsides. One is that I can’t display multiple routes on the screen at the same time (maybe the program can, but I don’t know how to do it). This created some areas on the route where I had to turn one of the bypass routes (like the one near the Antietam Battlefield) into a separate route. With some of the green routes, like the Antietam Battlefield and Harpers Ferry, I just incorporated them into the overall route itself; they’re easy enough to skip over just by skipping ahead on the list of waypoints on the Garmin.

Two of the red routes in Pennsylvania don’t show up on Google Maps (on which Tyre is based), so they couldn’t be added to the overall route. They are listed on the MABDR map as “Expert” and “4x4 Driveable”.

Google maps has an annoying characteristic that they won’t allow you to map a route on a road that is seasonally closed, if you’re trying to map it during the closed period. This created an issue near Camp David in MD, on Manahan Rd, which is closed from November to March. I placed waypoints on the open portion of the road as close as I could to each other; once the road is open, the waypoints should connect as the shortest route.

There must be a limit to the number of waypoints a route can have on a Garmin Nuvi. I tried to load the entire route at once, but it won’t show up in the Trip Planner menu. However, once I broke the overall route down into four sections with about 150 waypoints each, it works fine. I loaded all four sections on the Nuvi, and they work. I did find that the entire route I made will open on OsmAnd.

Anyway, if any of you want a copy of the .gpx files I made for the Tyre program, send me a PM with your email address and I’ll email them. I have the overall complete route, the four individual sections, and the bypass routes. Obviously I haven’t used them yet for actual navigation, so I can’t vouch for them, but if you use Tyre and want a set to mess around with, you can use mine.

 

[Rambler]

Thanks so much for putting in your time and effort on this. Much appreciated.

 

[RCinNC]

You're very welcome, Rambler. I'm glad to be able to contribute to the forum members, and I hope the routes can help out for the guys who want them.

 

[terrysig]

Yeah. RC big thanks for sending over your gpx files. Always good to get someone else's perspective on a route.

I guess once we start riding it we'll get another round of comments and route updates.

 

[Next]

Went to the MABDR movie premiere last night in Asheville. There were a TON of people there--over 200 in the viewing room. The movie only featured BMWs and one Honda AT. One highlight was scoping out bikes in the parking lot. People more hardcore than I road to the event despite the cold. No Teneres in sight. The MABDR looks to be a fun route.

 

[Rambler]

There must be enough experienced and ‘expert-level’ ADV riders here to create a pack to run the MABDR and make a SuperTenere movie out of it!

 

[worncog]

Went to the MABDR movie premiere last night in Asheville. There were a TON of people there--over 200 in the viewing room. The movie only featured BMWs and one Honda AT. One highlight was scoping out bikes in the parking lot. People more hardcore than I road to the event despite the cold. No Teneres in sight. The MABDR looks to be a fun route.

I was gonna ride there, but decided riding the 8 hours to Asheville was not gonna happen since the S10 is in upgrade mode for the NWT run, besides, the movie's gonna be in my mailbox in a day or two. Logic prevailed over my normal decision process to ride anywhere for any ridiculous reason...like to Moonshine for a burger.

 

[gunner]

I'm going to be riding up the Southern portion of the route from Damascus, VA to Romney, WV to attend the Romney Camp & Ride on May 19th. I will be leaving the DFW area on May 15th and anyone who wants to ride along is welcome.

CannonRide has a trip report of his ride up the MABDR on AdvRider.com if you want to see what's involved in riding the route.

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/a-cannonride-up-the-mid-atlantic-backcounty-discovery-route-mabdr.1295608/

Steve