I remember my last trip to Denver that I needed to use my map apps to get around or else I would get totally lost. But I had sapped up my 3G data to the point where I needed to stop or else I would go over. This trip came on the very end of my monthly cycle, and I had used my data at work from time to time, so I had less than the 2 Gigs I usually get, and I knew with all the places I wanted to go, I would have to plan really meticulously at my hotel room and write down directions that I would need to follow ... by looking down while driving. Nah, I wouldn't be that meticulous; I would give up, use all my data and just go freakin' over.
But then I thought something that might be obvious to some. My parents have a Garmin. In fact, come to think of it, I bought Mother a Garmin (they have an older and a newer one) as a Christmas gift. They're not going anywhere. Can I use it? And so, even though I don't usually want to ask my parents for anything lest they think that's an opening to ask me, like, am I going back to school, I asked Father if I could borrow it. And he said yes.
And what a godsend it was. With one very minor blip whereby me getting onto the highway confused the Garmin into thinking I was on a side street next to my first hotel, it worked great, despite not having its maps updated in a long time. I just plugged it in and let it do its thing: I entered an address and it gave me the fastest way to get there. And it had posted speed limits and estimated times of arrival, too. Oh, and it also once gave me an alternate route once it discovered, through its communication with the satellites above, that there was construction on what would have been the fastest route.
That freed me to use Google Maps to walk around downtown Denver to get to the city's attractions. (Aside: It has a new VR feature whereby you can use your phone's camera to help guide you if you are the type to find your way using buildings instead of street names -- cool!) So by the time I got to the morning of the 7th, which was the end of my cycle, I was at 1.6 G. Didn't go over at all.
The only thing I had to fear was catching crap from my folks (basically My Father) over using it. But when I returned it, the only thing he said was ask me if it worked. Oh yeah, Father, it did. Thank you!
I should ask for the Garmin every time I take a domestic trip from now on. All I should remember is not to input an address for a strip club and I'll be fine!
But then I thought something that might be obvious to some. My parents have a Garmin. In fact, come to think of it, I bought Mother a Garmin (they have an older and a newer one) as a Christmas gift. They're not going anywhere. Can I use it? And so, even though I don't usually want to ask my parents for anything lest they think that's an opening to ask me, like, am I going back to school, I asked Father if I could borrow it. And he said yes.
And what a godsend it was. With one very minor blip whereby me getting onto the highway confused the Garmin into thinking I was on a side street next to my first hotel, it worked great, despite not having its maps updated in a long time. I just plugged it in and let it do its thing: I entered an address and it gave me the fastest way to get there. And it had posted speed limits and estimated times of arrival, too. Oh, and it also once gave me an alternate route once it discovered, through its communication with the satellites above, that there was construction on what would have been the fastest route.
That freed me to use Google Maps to walk around downtown Denver to get to the city's attractions. (Aside: It has a new VR feature whereby you can use your phone's camera to help guide you if you are the type to find your way using buildings instead of street names -- cool!) So by the time I got to the morning of the 7th, which was the end of my cycle, I was at 1.6 G. Didn't go over at all.
The only thing I had to fear was catching crap from my folks (basically My Father) over using it. But when I returned it, the only thing he said was ask me if it worked. Oh yeah, Father, it did. Thank you!
I should ask for the Garmin every time I take a domestic trip from now on. All I should remember is not to input an address for a strip club and I'll be fine!
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