Saving information for route planning

Don Stauffer

I've been enjoying the features in MRA for a couple of years now, and it's made planning much easier.

In the early stages of route planning, I start collecting information about potential stops. These are usually towns or attractions in the area. We're looking for lunch mid-day, and food and lodging at night. Hopefully with a nice pub within walking distance of our hotel. This information is collected before choosing a particular road and setting a route. It really is about identifying some options for the day's route.

I'm using a separate application (trello) to keep information about these potential stops. Here is a typical entry from an upcoming trip:

"Lenox MA 4 hrs 30m - small road detours possible. !!LOOK FOR SUNDAY RESTAURANT HOURS!!
Garden Gables Inn (B&B, full breakfast) - looks very nice. $200 - $300!!
Whistler’s Inn
Firefly Gastropub (Closed Sunday)
Gateway Inn and Restaurant - Wed through Sunday 5:00 pm
Olde Heritage Tavern Sunday 11:30 - 9:00 Closed Monday"

If I could save notes like this, and even hyperlinks, I could do more within the MRA app. I have used notes in waypoints, but these possible stops will not all need to be routed. Plus, the notes area in waypoints is quite small.

Implementation in POI would also be possible, I know there are improvements in that area already on the MRA Roadmap. The issue that I have now is that the POI icons obscure the routes, and it takes a few clicks to turn them off and on.

Thanks for the consideration, and thanks for a great product.

Hans van de Ven MRA-Master

@Don-Stauffer
In the formation/via points this is indeed the only option to save this. You can put 512 characters in the note. We are currently working on a TextToSpeech option to speak it out.

Of course you can do the planning as you write it in the planner, and make it visible with POIs and then indicate in the training / via points what you want to achieve.

Con Hennekens

@Don-Stauffer, I think this is a great idea. I imagine being able to place a memo on a map location. These memos are visible during navigating and independent of the route. Another route that drives through that area would show the same memo. This way you can easily define a list of personally prefered hotels,, restaurants, nice things to see or whatever. Like user defined POI. I am all for!

Dave J 0

@Con-Hennekens and @Don-Stauffer really like the sound of this. I currently use Apple Notes to do the ground work but the thought of having a 'note' that would allow text, links and pictures on the map screen for planning would be awesome. I could then copy salient info into waypoints. Huge from me.

Jack van Tilburg

@Con-Hennekens said in Saving information for route planning:

These memos are visible during navigating

"during navigation"??????????????
Okay in the planner. But please not during navigation !

Nick Carthew

@Con-Hennekens Additional information is for the tank bag not the navigation app.

Rob Verhoeff

@Nick-Carthew That's an interesting route you're driving...

Dave J 0

@Jack-van-Tilburg totally agree. Just in planning NOT navigation.

Bart DM

@Rob-Verhoeff it was also the first thing I saw.... very special shape that route

Rob Verhoeff

@Bart-DM A dirty mind is a joy forever...

Con Hennekens

@Jack-van-Tilburg said in Saving information for route planning:

Okay in the planner. But please not during navigation !

@Nick-Carthew said in Saving information for route planning:

Additional information is for the tank bag not the navigation app.

@Dave-J-0 said in Saving information for route planning:

totally agree. Just in planning NOT navigation.

That's the first time I hear a bunch of die-hard navigation fans being afraid of POI's...
Your opinions are clear, I wonder about the reasoning (if any ).

Corjan Meijerink

@Rob-Verhoeff @Bart-DM I am sure it is representative for the actual size of Mr. Cerne Abbas himself @Nick-Carthew

Rob Verhoeff

@Corjan-Meijerink Wow

Nick Carthew

@Con-Hennekens I think that there is enough information available as we navigate now. We can already leave quite substantial notes in the route points which will soon be read to us with text to speech.

I don’t think the original post was concerning POIs.
I have no problems with seeing POIs and maybe we could write similar notes in those too. It has already be mentioned that any added URLs or phone numbers to notes could connect directly with a press.

Nick Carthew

@Corjan-Meijerink

Bart DM

@Corjan-Meijerink OMG

Con Hennekens

@Corjan-Meijerink, Well, it's... big... but I doubt navigational instructions are needed...

@Rob-Verhoeff and @Bart-DM, I suppose you had to google that as well?

Con Hennekens

@Nick-Carthew said in Saving information for route planning:

I think that there is enough information available as we navigate now. We can already leave quite substantial notes in the route points which will soon be read to us with text to speech.

I know and that's awesome. But if I understand it correctly TS wants exactly that, but not with waypoints. Like a free standing point on the map that is unattached to the route itself. Which sounds like POI to me.

@Nick-Carthew said in Saving information for route planning:

I don’t think the original post was concerning POIs.

Well,

@Don-Stauffer said in Saving information for route planning:

I start collecting information about potential stops. These are usually towns or attractions in the area. We're looking for lunch mid-day, and food and lodging at night. Hopefully with a nice pub within walking distance of our hotel. This information is collected before choosing a particular road and setting a route.

Also this sounds like POI to me.
Or am I completely misinterpreting that post?

Dave J 0

@Con-Hennekens To me, the notes would not be about a single point of interest but aspects to consider or be aware of at a location for planning. This may then yield several POIs from the notes and planning for navigation. As @Nick-Carthew said, some of the notes may then find there way into waypoint info notes. I want some information in waypoint notes but not the level that the original suggestion was making as this would be in a separate planning note on the map. That is how I understood it but happy to be corrected.

Don Stauffer

@Dave-J-0 Thanks for the comments. I think most understand the intent of making notes early in the planning process. These notes are mostly potential spots for lunch, fuel and nightly lodging. The best roads are not much fun if you are running out of daylight in the mountains looking for a place to spend the night.

Even if not initially routed, these locations (call them POI's) can come in very useful if there is a change in plans due to weather or mechanical issues. It also gives a database for future trips in the area. We always try to capture our thought about especially good or bad experiences.

I'm very curious to know how others build their routes. I rely a lot on paper maps, many indicate 'scenic' routes. We always look for the twisty lines. I also search for rider notes from various forums, including BMW and ADV sites. We use a Garmin Zumo and helmet coms, which gives me some help navigating while I focus on the road and traffic.

I am in a good position, my wife and I are both retired, and enjoy traveling the open road. We started an anniversary tradition a few years back of spending 1-2 weeks on a long-distance getaway. Facing a 10 day trip makes planning much more important than it was when I was single, when I would just grab a map and lash a tent and sleeping bag to the bike.

Thanks to all!