Helicopter Tour California Lost Coast

[slomove]

Well, it's not a real helicopter ride....but it looks pretty real, anyway.

I assembled a very small piece of our PNW2007 tour, Mattole Road (part of California's Lost Coast) as a Google Earth route (attached as a zip file). I drove this road a few weeks ago and, believe it or not it is every bit as spectacular. Maybe not the fastest road (a few bumps and some cows on the pavement) but scenery galore, curvy, no traffic and just fun to drive.

Recommendation: get the newest version of Google Earth and watch the route as video :)

I had to fumble with the animation button to get it to run as movie but that is maybe because I never read the manual.

Enjoy, Gert

[soareyes]

Very nice Gert. I got the video to work with no problem. Did you have to enter GPS coordinates from when you did the drive to put together the animation?
Stan

[slomove]

I used the Mapquest software that came with my Garmin GPS. I created a route and exported it as .gpx file.

Google Earth can read such files. However, it drives only from waypoint to waypoint along the route (i.e. it does not know of or follow every road turn. That means to get a good movie you must create a waypoint every few miles or so but not too many or you will get motion sickness.

I never tried to use an actual GPS track to follow in Google. Does that work?

Gert

[soareyes]

I never tried to use an actual GPS track to follow in Google. Does that work?

Gert

I have no idea as I haven't played with Google Earth much.
I'm still waiting for Garmin to make their mapping software available for the Mac as they have been promising for awhile!

Stan

[Elv15]

avatar pic

Gert,

I just noticed your new picture. I bow to your seven driving - erm...surfing mastery! Well done! :D

[slomove]

Thanks Tom,
maybe I should write up a disclaimer that no whale was harmed when taking this picture. Although very slippery, I drove with utmost care :)

Gert