Monday, May 9, 2011

New GPS Pinpoints Sprinter Life Location

We're back in Costa Rica after an amazing week with family in Mexico. We picked up Kiki from the doggy sitter and we're rolling southeast. After 6+ weeks in CR, we're ready for a new country. Very soon we'll be crossing into Panama. Instead of taking the main border crossing, we've decided to drive through the jungle and down the Caribbean side of Costa. We'll use a smaller border crossing near the coast. This will deliver us to the Caribbean side of Panama where we'll be able to hop a ferry to Bocas Del Toro.

We recently implemented two exciting new pieces of technology. First, we invested in a SPOT GPS. This device will send our GPS coordinates to the Sprinter Life blog every 10 minutes and post our location on a map located under the "GPS Location" link on our navigation bar. click here to view now
This is a great safety device and it allows you to see exactly where we are at any given time.

We also purchased a Garmin GPS unit loaded with maps of Central and South America. Up until now we've relied on traditional fold out maps to find our way. I would drive and Stevie would navigate. We've found this exercise to be a valuable tool in building patience and temper management in our relationship. This new GPS should prove to be a huge help in navigating countries that don't have or use road signs, consequently adding years to our happy marriage.

Thats all for now - TREE

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Which Garmin maps do you guys use for Central/South America?

Alexis Schulman said...

Another feature you guys should add to Sprinter Life would be a theme song that plays. May I suggest Mad World, but not the Tears for Fears version. The Donnie Darko version. The song is on my top 10 of most awesome.

"Mad World"

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world ... mad world
Enlarging your world
Mad world

reagan gagnon said...

hmmmmmm, so i hate to be debbie downer, or frannie fearful, but there have been many reports of the downside of broadcasting one's location in real time...namely, theft. if potential thieves know where you are (out), they also know where you aren't (home where are all the goodies are). although in your case, the gps is functioning oppositely, since knowing where the van is at any given moment allows someone to plan where/when to maraud the van. it scares me for you. maybe i have just been in maine too long? i once hitchhiked, trainhopped, rode single trak and rock climbed, now i worry about your gps. it may be time for a trip soon to shake me up! sending safe and lively vibes your way.

Anonymous said...

I hope the GPS thing works out. We did travel with a GPS unit, supposedly loaded with "up to date" maps. Many a time however, the GPS plotted us driving in the ocean!! I think it was much more accurate in South America.

Tree said...

We are using maps that we got from our friends from Norway. If anyone has any better suggestions for maps, please let us know. Thanks. TREE

Rhonda said...

Can't wait to see how you like SPOT!! My husband just started selling them at work and we're going to take one when we drive the panamaerican in a couple of years. Keep us updated!

Ben Casados said...

Greetings!
What a great idea to install GPS-- wonderful technology. Enjoy your update very much. I would be most interested in your comments about the local foods and delicacies that you have taken along the way. You must have tasted some interesting Tapas and antojitos. Aslo any interesting native personalities along the way?

How are the roads? Your observations and impressions of the terrain, plant life and animal life. I not trying to turn you into a Darwinian man, I'm just curious.

Keep on enjoying and good driving!

Tree said...

FYI, to those concerned about the safety of us broadcasting our GPS location, we have considered the risks and determined them to be extremely low. The types of criminals we are at risk of are present moment opportunists and crooked officials. We don't believe that bandits or bad cops will be tracking us on the blog, so we feel comfortable publishing the data.

thank you for your concern though. We love you.

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