Map play
I often use Google Maps to check distances between two locations. I sometimes use it for directions if I'm driving somewhere, but for travel by bike? It usually wasn't a reasonable mapping tool since it often took me on heavy traffic roads.
I just had to check the distance a package traveled to get from LLBean in Freeport, Maine to my house, by way of Connecticut (which definitely doesn't lie between the begin and end points of that journey)! You're right, "had to" is probably the wrong set of words here, but I had to satisfy my curiosity!
I noticed two new features that should be very helpful for my non-motorized wanderings. What are they? A checkbox that instructs the mapping program to avoid highways, and more important, the ability to drag the mapped route (line) to a different road. Time to play...
The set of maps below is for a favorite "edges of the season" (bike) tour I've done the last two years, an out-and-back journey from home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and back again. Playing with a route that I knew just seemed like a good test. Now I'll just need to remember that this tool exists the next time I'm dreaming up a new cycling route.
The start of Google's directions, original mapped route using highways:
After checking "Avoid highways" & dragging route to my choice of roads:
Maps courtesy of http://maps.google.com
