Back to work

I got through the first of a four day work week; after that I'm scheduled for a day off, then work two more including my last day. I may be able to leave sooner, depending on whether Thomas can come back next week. After three days off it is really difficult to last through a full day of work.

I took some maps with me today and every chance I got I studied them intently. There are a number of choices I have, and the more I study the maps the better prepared I'll be if I have to switch gears because of weather or road conditions. I also had forgotten that Good Sam Club has route information, so I now have an itinerary from them for the entire trip, and I used map quest to print out some metro area maps, such as Atlanta and Memphis. The old AAA triptik had closeups of the routes through and around major cities, which was really helpful. That is another feature that has gone by the wayside.

With several sources at my disposal I feel more confident that I will do just fine. I decided to upgrade my GPS maps but I can't tell if the upgrade "took" or not. I had to download some sort of free software for the Mac before I could access the map itself. For the life of me I don't recall seeing that the updated maps were installed on my Garmin. I need to find out because I will dispute the charge to my credit card if I don't have what I paid for.

I have a Garmin 205W, and I believe it came with the 2008 maps installed - I bought the unit in about Oct. 2008 - and I think the maps for 2009 are available now. Has anyone bought the update, and even better, has anyone with a Mac bought it?

I have a white board (dry-erase) with writing space of about 10' x 15". I think I will write short notes about route #'s, merges, turns, etc. in large print and prop the board in the cab of my truck - that way I can see in an instant what I have coming up. I can get a general idea from looking at the Garmin what is going on, but there is a lot I can't read without glasses. It's too far away for me to read it, and there is no way I can set it up any closer to be able to read it. I do ok with the voice and can either lean forward to see the next turn (I can tell how many miles and the direction of the next turn, but can't read the street name/Hwy number, for example).

The weather is getting a little better day by day although I would like it to be about 10 degrees higher than it is. The extended forecast shows a possibility of rain next week, about the time I plan to leave. It figures.