Open source maps for Garmin

[zxcvbob]

I have a couple of Garmin 255W's, and the maps haven't been updated in years.  Wife told me last night she wants to take one with her when she drive to Denver in a couple of days and wants a map update.  I tried to figure out what new maps cost from Garmin, but gotta install software to on computer and link the device to even check the price.  I bet they are $70 or more, and the device is barely worth that.  I don't even know if I have a link cable. 

Has anyone tried open source maps?  http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

I think 5 year old maps are just fine for driving cross-country.  Use googlemaps on the phone when necessary in big cities; use the Garmin for overall trip routing.  But she didn't ask me

[Hawkmoon]

How do you know when to switch from GPS to cell phone?

Not far from me, the state just revised a major intersection of two Interstate highways. What used to be a left exit is now the through road, and the two exit lanes are now the right lanes rather than the left. The changeover was just last weekend -- I haven't updated my GPS yet because I doubt they've even picked up on it yet.

[zxcvbob]

How do you know when to switch from GPS to cell phone?

Not far from me, the state just revised a major intersection of two Interstate highways. What used to be a left exit is now the through road, and the two exit lanes are now the right lanes rather than the left. The changeover was just last weekend -- I haven't updated my GPS yet because I doubt they've even picked up on it yet.

And yet the highway numbers are still the same, so trip routing would still work.  You still have to pay attention a little bit to the road signs.  You switch to  Google Maps on the phone when you have a 3G data signal, and want to find the nearest hotel or Taco Bell or something.  (google maps app sucks for multi-point trip routing but it's good for finding local points of interest)

Anyway, she's back from the trip, and I got the Garmin back and was able to install the 2016 open source maps tonight.  It took a while to get the files formatted correctly and in the right directory for the GPS to load them.  Had to stitch 3 files together to get the whole lower 48 USA map because it didn't find the regional maps; this is an older unit and it just looks for "gmapsupp.img" 

Seems to work... tomorrow I'll take it outside and let it sync up to the satellites then tell it to navigate to Houston; see what it does.  Actually I should route it to someplace like Seattle because Houston might be in the same regional map as Minnesota.  (make sure it can cross the boundary w/o getting confused)

[Tuco]

Wasn't that long ago, I pulled the Rand McNally off the shelf, sat down with pen and paper and wrote down road names, exit #, "turn right, go 3 blocks, turn left".  I covered thousands of miles with a couple of sheets of paper.

Combined with a pigeon-like sense of magnetic north, sometimes transcribing the directions was enough to get me to my destination by dead reckoning.

GPS is easier, but it makes me sad.  That wayfinding helped define me. 
I was very good at it. It is a talent with many day to day applications.  Ladies were amazed, and offered themselves to me with wanton abandon.