Ping Tony Cooper

We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.


--
PeterN

On 10/16/2013 12:19 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:03:05 -0400, PeterN
wrote:

We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

The standard route would be down I-95 to I-4 (Daytona) to I-75 before
you get to Tampa. The delays on that route are mostly caused by the
time of day you pass through the major cities and any events going on.
You'd have problems during one of the Bike Week events nearing
Daytona, and delays going through Orlando on I-4 if it's late
afternoon. Other than that, it would be reasonably clear sailing
barring accidents that tie up traffic anywhere on the route.

Any other route would not be faster because you wouldn't be on
controlled access routes, but may be less stressful because you
wouldn't be sitting in traffic. Also, they would be more scenic and
offer more chances to stop and take a photo.

There are several possibilities if you don't mind getting off the
Interstates.

1. Leave I-95 at Exit 373 north of Jacksonville. That's A1A which
joins with Highway 301 and takes you south towards Ocala and puts you
on I-75 near there. 301 is a major highway but not a controlled
access highway. It won't add to your mileage because it cuts the
corner. This by-passes Jacksonville and Orlando traffic.

If you leave 301 at Waldo and go on Highway 24 into Gainesville you
can join I-75 much further north. Don't do that on a Saturday if
University of Florida has a home game, but any other day it's not a
bad route.

2. Leave I-95 at Exit 311 and take Highway 207 toward Palatka and
leave Palatka on Highway 20 west. That gives you a choice of picking
up Highway 301 and going south to intersect with I-75 at Ocala or
going past 301 into Gainesville and picking up I-75 there.

If you want, you can leave I-95 a bit sooner at Exit 318 and go into
St Augustine for a little diversion from driving. It's a little out
of your way, but an interesting side trip. Leave St Augustine on
Highway 207 west and follow the above paragraph's directions.

3. Leave I-95 at Exit 268 north of Daytona in Ormund Beach and take
Highway 40 to Ocala and pick up I-75 in Ocala. This route takes you
through the Ocala National Forest. If you are around this area at meal
time, I highly recommend a stop at the Blackwater Inn in Astor on the
St John's river. The key lime pie is great.

Those are the three "best" choices as I see them. They are all routes
that I have taken, but usually going the opposite way, and routes that
I've taken because I dislike Interstates if there's an option.

There's one more route, but it doesn't involve Florida. If you are
willing to make a stop along the way, consider leaving I-95 at
Brunswick, Georgia and take Highway 82 west to Highway 301 and drop
down to Folkston, Georgia and visit the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge. .
Take the guided boat trip and your camera and grab some bird and
alligator photos. Great birding place. Say Hello to Pogo.

For $18.50 per person, you get a 90 minute ride on a flat-bottomed
boat ride into the swamp, and the tours run all day with no
reservations.
http://www.okefenokeeadventures.com/guided-tours/

If you want a better tour, there's a $250 package for two

http://www.okefenokee.com/guided-tou...oat/birding-2/

with a morning trip just for photographers, but that requires a
reservation and you have to be there in the morning, so you'd be
staying in a motel the night before.

You'd leave Folkston on Highway 301, and that route is explained
above.

I know that when you travel you sometimes want to just get to the
destination, but if you haven't been to the Okefenokee it would be
worth a stop. Especially with your interest in birding.

I can map all of those routes out and send .jpgs if you want, but they
should be apparent on any map you have.

Thanks.

As of now we cannot leave earlier than a Wednesday. We have a
reservation on Sanibel for the following Saturday, which leaves us with
plenty of time. Last year I took I70 to SR 301, and picked up I75 near
Gainsville. In prior years I had gone through Orlando using I4. On both
routes we ran into horrible traffic. Both of us prefer not to use the
Interstate, but there are limits. As I get older I am becoming more
cranky about traffic. If I had my druthers, We would leave early on the
Thursday before, and spend a few days in Savannah or Charleston, and at
least a half day in St. Augustine. But that may not be possible, because
of various commitments here.

--
PeterN

On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg
or http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).

--
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media,
which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible
to pick up a piece of **** by the clean end."
-Unknown

On 10/16/2013 5:45 PM, Alan Browne wrote:
On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg

or http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).


Thanks for that information. I didn't know that Google map apps had that
capability.

However, one of the reasons we drive instead of fly, is that if we see
something interesting, we will stop and enjoy. Having to be at a
location before a certain time, would simply create unnecessary stress.
The main purpose of driving is to avoid stress.

--
PeterN

On 2013.10.16 18:01 , PeterN wrote:
On 10/16/2013 5:45 PM, Alan Browne wrote:
On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day
issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg


or http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).


Thanks for that information. I didn't know that Google map apps had that
capability.

To be clear - the Google Maps web version has that capability - not the
smartphone map app.

The point with the web version is to plan (hence the preview). The map
app is for realtime.


However, one of the reasons we drive instead of fly, is that if we see
something interesting, we will stop and enjoy. Having to be at a
location before a certain time, would simply create unnecessary stress.
The main purpose of driving is to avoid stress.

Then using the web version to plan and the smartphone version to check
as you get near a decision point will help you avoid traffic.


--
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media,
which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible
to pick up a piece of **** by the clean end."
-Unknown

On 2013.10.16 18:27 , Tony Cooper wrote:
On Wed, 16 Oct 2013 17:45:51 -0400, Alan Browne
wrote:

On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg
or http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).

The problem with advance warnings of a traffic tie-up is the lack of
alternative routes that are easily accessible on this route. It's not
like being in a city where there are several other routes to take
going the same direction.

If you come to Orlando from the north on I-4 in the afternoon on your
way to the west coast as Peter would if he takes this route, and find
that traffic is tied up, you really have two choices: stop and have a
meal and wait until the traffic thins out, or stay on I-4 and creep
along. Any alternate route will get you to the destination at about
the same time as creeping, but you may be driving faster.

There is no optimal solution but planning beats the hell out of none.


--
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media,
which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible
to pick up a piece of **** by the clean end."
-Unknown

On 2013-10-16 15:04:35 -0700, Alan Browne
said:

On 2013.10.16 18:01 , PeterN wrote:
On 10/16/2013 5:45 PM, Alan Browne wrote:
On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day
issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg


or

http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).


Thanks for that information. I didn't know that Google map apps had that
capability.

To be clear - the Google Maps web version has that capability - not the
smartphone map app.

Google Maps on my iPhone 4S, iOS7 gives turn-by-turn voice directions,
shows road construction, and gives some traffic.
There is also Waze which gives realtime traffic and incident reports,
but is a royal pain dependent on Facebook for much of the communication.

The point with the web version is to plan (hence the preview). The map
app is for realtime.


However, one of the reasons we drive instead of fly, is that if we see
something interesting, we will stop and enjoy. Having to be at a
location before a certain time, would simply create unnecessary stress.
The main purpose of driving is to avoid stress.

Then using the web version to plan and the smartphone version to check
as you get near a decision point will help you avoid traffic.

Yup! Planing at home verification on the road.

GPS & mapping on my iPhone & iPad, G-Maps, & MotionX GPS (HD on iPad)
are my major portable navigation tools, together with the installed GPS
Nav in my E350 (that gives me turn-by-turn, and some traffic).
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moti...299949744?mt=8

There is also MotionX GPS Drive, which is a subscription service I do
not use because of what I already have in my car, but has some decent
reviews.
You get an initial 30 days of free real-time voice guidance, and then
either $9.99 for a year or $2.99/month. Getting the 30 day free-bee
might be worth checking, then buy the subscription when/if needed.
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps-drive/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moti...328095974?mt=8

--
Regards,

Savageduck

On 2013.10.16 19:48 , Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-10-16 15:04:35 -0700, Alan Browne
said:

On 2013.10.16 18:01 , PeterN wrote:
On 10/16/2013 5:45 PM, Alan Browne wrote:
On 2013.10.16 11:03 , PeterN wrote:
We are planning our annual FL trip, and are going to Sanibel. Last
year
I tried heading West just North of Jacksonville, but ran into traffic
that was almost as bad as Orlando. Do you have any suggestions as to
where I might cut from I95 to I75. I figure, about a 75 mile longer
route would be acceptable.

I'm sure Tony has the skinny [let's peek ... hmm, pretty fat skinny ...
ah _time of day_ . Yes, in any city there are usually time of day
issues.]

You can research in advance using Google Maps Traffic with the
time-of-day mode turned on. It looks at past stats to see what the
traffic may be like on the day and time of your choosing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz0ng1oduk...2017.42.13.jpg



or

http://tinyurl.com/lrgs2nf

And if you have a smartphone then Google Maps App will show you the
traffic in near real time and you'll be able to adjust on the fly. (I
prefer Google Maps App to the Apple Map).

Indeed it will show construction, accidents, etc.

Some GPS widgets (Garmin, TomTom, etc.) also provide these cues (may
require a subscription and/or a special receiver attached depending on
model).


Thanks for that information. I didn't know that Google map apps had that
capability.

To be clear - the Google Maps web version has that capability - not
the smartphone map app.

Google Maps on my iPhone 4S, iOS7 gives turn-by-turn voice directions,
shows road construction, and gives some traffic.
There is also Waze which gives realtime traffic and incident reports,
but is a royal pain dependent on Facebook for much of the communication.

The reply was to clarify what the smartphone app doesn't give: the
'prediction' of traffic based on a particular time and day.

The point with the web version is to plan (hence the preview). The
map app is for realtime.


However, one of the reasons we drive instead of fly, is that if we see
something interesting, we will stop and enjoy. Having to be at a
location before a certain time, would simply create unnecessary stress.
The main purpose of driving is to avoid stress.

Then using the web version to plan and the smartphone version to check
as you get near a decision point will help you avoid traffic.

Yup! Planing at home verification on the road.

GPS & mapping on my iPhone & iPad, G-Maps, & MotionX GPS (HD on iPad)
are my major portable navigation tools, together with the installed GPS
Nav in my E350 (that gives me turn-by-turn, and some traffic).
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moti...299949744?mt=8

What I want: I plan my route on Google Maps and it is WiFi'd to my car GPS.

So, Google having read my mind quite a while ago, Google Maps does
output to some particlar models of GPS and GPS-in-certain-car brands (by
whatever mechanism and subscriptions). Not quite what I need.

They should be able to o/p a file to the iPhone ... so of course...

When the new Apple Maps for Mavericks (you ****ant low-life's who don't
have Macs can just wither away now) comes out you will be able to plan
on your Mac and x-deck that to your iPhone directly.

Nice. (Well, except that Apple Maps sucks! Just the other day I used
it to find an address in Montreal and it could not find the address -
needless to say Google Maps did have it).

There is also MotionX GPS Drive, which is a subscription service I do
not use because of what I already have in my car, but has some decent
reviews.
You get an initial 30 days of free real-time voice guidance, and then
either $9.99 for a year or $2.99/month. Getting the 30 day free-bee
might be worth checking, then buy the subscription when/if needed.
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps-drive/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moti...328095974?mt=8

I've had MotionXGPSDrive for a couple years. I've never actually used
it driving never mind the voice subscription BS. (I also have their
other apps which of more practical value)


--
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media,
which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible
to pick up a piece of **** by the clean end."
-Unknown

In article 2013101616485294091-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom,
Savageduck wrote:

Google Maps on my iPhone 4S, iOS7 gives turn-by-turn voice directions,
shows road construction, and gives some traffic.

as does apple's map app and many other third party navigation apps.

There is also Waze which gives realtime traffic and incident reports,
but is a royal pain dependent on Facebook for much of the communication.

waze isn't dependent on facebook at all. where did you get that idea?

had faceboook bought them, it might have, but that didn't happen.

In article , Alan Browne
wrote:

To be clear - the Google Maps web version has that capability - not
the smartphone map app.

Google Maps on my iPhone 4S, iOS7 gives turn-by-turn voice directions,
shows road construction, and gives some traffic.
There is also Waze which gives realtime traffic and incident reports,
but is a royal pain dependent on Facebook for much of the communication.

The reply was to clarify what the smartphone app doesn't give: the
'prediction' of traffic based on a particular time and day.

some apps do that.

Nice. (Well, except that Apple Maps sucks! Just the other day I used
it to find an address in Montreal and it could not find the address -
needless to say Google Maps did have it).

it's particularly bad in canada. for the usa, it's not as bad, although
not as accurate as google's maps.