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@pastry_bot
Really?
I hate the 'conventional wisdom' which seems to suggest that you can't go any great distance, or create nice routes for yourself if you don't have a Garmin or other gps device.
For various reasons, I don't really want a Garmin, although I reckon I'd get good use out of one. So I don't have one. I suppose this will come across as a boast post, but my lack of Garmin has not held me back tremendously. I don't think ownership of a gps device should dictate ones ability to get out and ride, and people reading this thread should not think that it is a prerequisite to do so.
For many decades cyclists experienced or otherwise have been able to devise routes for themselves or rely on others without the use of a little computer attached to their bars, and I don't see that circumstances have changed so much that this is now impossible.
If you want to get out and ride, go and do it. If you need route guidance, find a willing and slightly more experienced riding partner. Or get lost with a friend, which is always better than getting lost alone if you don't know what you are doing.
That is all I have to say on the matter.
(fwiw, I've used ridewithgps to plot and plan routes, combined with a basic maphoder from sjs. It's unfashionable and ugly, but it has worked well for me. And others who have sucked my wheel.)