The routes I've selected are primarily remote, twisty roads far from the interstate super slabs. As such, I expect less than stellar cellular service most of the time I'm riding and perhaps where I camp nightly. Since the primary tracking method I described in the previous entry is cellular based, I decided to give myself another option for tracking and for emergency communication.
Garmin InReach in the Outback |
When I crossed the Outback in 2016, I took with me a satellite tracking device that not only provided extremely granular GPS tracking, but also offered two-way messaging in the most remote parts of the world. Granted, my North by Northwest routes are remote, but they are by no means as remote as was the Outback. Still, in the interest of safety and a desire for the ability to call for help irrespective of where I may wander, I blew the dust off the old Garmin InReach SE GPS transponder and activated it for a month. The InReach will collect more granular GPS location information than my phone and will send those updates at two-to-ten-minute intervals. I used to know how to embed the interactive map directly into my blog, but I've slept since then and can't remember how I did it. If I have time to figure it out before I go, the maps will magically appear in the menu on the right side of the page. If not, they can be directly viewed at https://share.garmin.com/Shrug. If prompted for a password, try shrug&hester. You should be linked to a page that looks something like the image below where you can click and drag, zoom in/out, and change map layers.