This is how I find it manageable to work with BaseCamp: (Note that I tend to plan mostly day trips, 4-8 hours in my area)
- I start with a work folder in which I keep only a collection of "Waypoints" that I created over time with my home and a number of waypoint set to destinations in the general areas where I tend to ride.
- I use the icon "New Route" to create an itinary. but before you do it:
[*=1]With your work folder selected, make sure you see your waypoints in the bottom left window pane. (you can click on the little flag at the bottom left to make sure the waypoints are visible)
- Drag your waypoints into the Start and Destination areas of the "New Route" window. A route will be calculated and shown on the map.
- The new route named after your start and destination points was created. Select the "Show Route" icon at the bottom left of your window if you can't see it in the bottom left window pane.
- Use the "insert" (Pencil) button, click on the road on the map at a point that you want to avoid, and click again on the road that you want to take instead. It will insert a waypoint in that position and will recalculate the route to go there.
- Insert as many waypoints as you want to reshape your itinary to your liking.
- To create a roundtrip:
- Double-click on your route in the bottom left window pane to bring up the route window
- Select your destination
- Click on the green "+" button on the right. This will bring a new window with your waypoints. Select your home waypoint, for example.
- Click "Insert". This will add your final destination, but at the wrong position.
- Use the "Move Down" arrow on the right to move your final destination to the end of your route.
- Use the "insert" (Pencil) button on the map as before to customize your way back
- Neat trick: You can create mixed Car/Motorcycle routes
- This allows me to easily use car preferences to stay on the highway to get out of town, and then to use the motorcycle preferences to stay on backroads:
- Double-click on your route in the bottom left window pane to bring up the route window
- Double-click on the waypoint in the route window to bring up the "Edit Via Point" window
- Select the "Driving" or "Motorcycling" option at the bottom of the "Edit Via Point" window. Your GPS will use that option as well and will match BaseCamp itinary.
- It will save you from having your GPS wanting you to take every single exit of the highway, or it will save you from having to specify half a gazillion waypoints to stay on the highway when you want to.
- On trips where multiple routes are possible between 2 waypoints, there is sometimes a mismatch between BaseCamp's road selection algorithm and the one built into the GPS. It may be worth inserting a few waypoints along the route selected by BaseCamp to make sure your GPS is also forced to go through these points and does not take you to your destination via an other route.
- I like to review each waypoint along the route at maximum zoom on the map. When you use the waypoint insert (pencil) tool, it may insert the waypoint a bit off the main road, on cross-roads or in the lane going in the opposite direction if it is a divided highway. I use the "Move point" tools to clean up. Take a few minutes on the computer to save yourself headaches while riding.
It sounds worse than it really is, when you realize the strenght/quirks of the software.
'hope it helps. Let me know if I need to be more explicit with some of my explanations.
...Ben...
