Excuse me. Could you tell me the way to...
This weekend I am going to a friend's wedding near Chelmsford (123 anybody?), in Essex. I've never been there and all I know is that it's somewhere off the A12 between London and Ipswich (a road I've travelled a lot). Normally I would rely on a combination of co-pilot and road atlas to get me there. Not the best way as I've spent numerous nights arriving late, having driven round in circles for hours trying to follow directions from somebody already half drunk in a noisy pub. What I need is something to tell me exactly where I'm heading. I want satellite navigation. But I don't want to spend any money on a car that includes it. What I've got instead is a make-do setup like below. All I need now is a quick search of streetmap to find the location. From this page I can get the grid coordinates (N51:48:55 E0:40:01) with which I can add as a "waypoint" to the eTrex and get it to point me all the way there.
Now, before you say it, I know I am breaking a few laws here. One for taking a photo while driving and two for obscuring the speedo. Well, in my defence, the eTrex does tell me how fast I am going.
How I came about this eTrex is another one of those strange stories that confuses people. A month or so ago, David Phillips, of RFD mailed to ask if he could have a copy of this site's template to help with re-designing their company's website in Domino. Cheekily, I replied they could if they bought me the eTrex off my Amazon wishlist. David kindly said he would but first pointed out the difference between the price in America and in the UK (not far off double) and that it would be easier for him to mail me one himself. This is what he did. Since which I've had myself a new favourite toy. Much to Karen's delight, who's still to be convinced of its merits, over using a simple map.
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Chelmsford 123 - ahh Badvok !!!
Not much in chelmsford, its got an ice rink, but Richer Sounds has closed !!!
Glad to see somebody remembers it. Conversation I had with groom:
Him: Want to come to my wedding?
Me: Sure, where is it?
Him: Chelmsford
Me: 123
Him: You what?
Me: Nothing!
I'll take your advice and stear clear of the centre.
My mother is from Chelmsford. Most of my family on her side is still there... I used to go there for a few weeks every other year until college. I loved playing at Oaklands park, which was SUCH a treat for me (I can't speak for the whole country, obviously, but walk-though parks is something that we are really lacking around here). It was heaven for a kid!
As an avid geocacher myself, wanted to introduce you to a fun sport that you can use your GPS with and get some exercise.
{Link}
Would be happy to answer any questions you have on the sport seeing as when you first get started it is a bit confusing.
Ken, thanks. You've reminded what it was that made me first want a GSP unit in the first place. I remember reading about GeoCaching ages back when it was all the rage. Just like warchalking is now.
I just found one very close to me {Link}
Now I can combine the hobby and reason for needing GPS - mountain biking - with another hobby.
Remind me how it works will you. I find the box and take out a treat, leaving another in its place?
Check out the new Garmin iQue 3600. It's amazing >>>
{Link}
You can get it for approx. $450.00 from {Link}
Correct, the object is to find the geocache using the coordinates provided on the website. Once you find it, you usually sign the log take a trinket and leave another trinket. Some caches have cameras to take a picture of yourself and others have stuffed animals called travelers (these stuffed animals have a destination and the object is to geocache the animal from cache to cache until it reaches its destination. There are multi-stage geocaches, gathering geocaches (where a lat and long as well as a time is specified, outback geocaches (requires an overnight backpacking trip) micro-geocaches where the cache is tiny (usually an old 35mm film canister) and virtual geocaches (usually a web cam set up and you try to find the web cam).
Couldn't resist telling you that, although I've lived in New York City for ten years, my hometown is Chelmsford as well. However, that's Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1655 and named in honor of Chelmsford, England.
{Link}
Cheers!
So, are you lost or something?
.::AleX::.
Jack Q., by a strange twist of fate, as I said my mother is from Chelmsford, England.
I also grew up in Groton, MA, on Rt. 40, actually, right down the street from Chelmsford, MA. :-)
Jake, how is the eTrex working out for you? I'm itching to start geocaching and have looked at the eTrex and the Magellan SporTrak Map ($169 US). Anything I should look for specifically for geocaching since you have some experience now?
Lance - the eTrex is just fine for what I use it for. It's bottom of the range so I may well be missing out on something special, but I don't know what so I don't care too much.
If you want advice n the best kit you might want to look in on the forums at geocaching.com.