Tourist in MSN

Thank you for convincing me that I did not make a mistake when I used Ride With GPS, Komoot, Google Maps, and two site specific websites for local trail systems in mapping out my planned route for my next tour.

I found Google Maps most useful in satellite mode so that I could actually see:
- some of the bike trails that were mapped as such, so I knew that they existed,
- campgrounds that no longer existed,
- campgrounds that actually were permanent trailer parks, not RV parks where you could not rent a site for a night,
- which RV parks actually had tent sites besides RV pads by using the website for the site as provided by Google,
- where grocery stores are when riding a long distance in rural areas to resupply,
- a couple stores along the way where I could buy more butane canisters,
- where motels were in an area where there are no campgrounds within a reasonable distance,
- etc.

There are so many examples of AI making up fiction that is designed to please the user, I will wait until I hear that it is a reliable tool for accurate planning.

When you think about it, we have been using less robust forms of AI for years already when we ask a GPS or mapping app to pick a route from point A to point B for us, sometimes I follow that route and sometimes I deviate from the suggested route.

I have not yet seen a routing program work well to tell me how to ride my bike from home to the grocery store I usually shop at. When they can do that I will trust them a little bit more.

I appreciate your posts on this topic. We need to keep up to date on the tools available.