# satelite view of commute



## Arby (Apr 29, 2004)

Morning folks,

I don't know if you've used Google's Maps yet, but they have a satelite view available for most areas with amazing quality and detail. Fun to play with. Here's my measily 5 mile commute through downtown to work that I do every day. 

I've been pretty busy lately with work and other goings-ons... I did find time to slap some knobbies on the fixed gear and hit Patapsco park for some fixed trail riding. Photos are here eh. Something funny happened when I was on that ride... I had stopped and was taking a picture of this spider in it's web... I was in real tight, about 2" away... focussing.... beautiful sunny day.. cool breeze... happy little spider.... gently pressing shutter button... then the spider opened up it's legs suddenly and I jumped back screaming "F$#@!".... some hikers walked by moments later and I ask: "You didn't hear me scream just now did you?".. they go: "Uh... we SAW you scream!"... we both laughed :]

Take care all,
RB








Below: Spider just hangin' around....


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## jh_on_the_cape (Apr 14, 2004)

cool. i put in the address in the directions part of google maps and it made this for me
it's 8.4 miles for my commute. it's not the route I take, because I use bike paths, but it's cool nonetheless. it's actually not even close to the route I take!


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

My 20 mile commute- again, not even close to the actual route- I follow the Mississippe River. Route is backwards from work to home. The ride looks worse from satellite.


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## delay (Mar 10, 2005)

*This is quite amusing.*

Here is the image of my commute. It tells me that it is 2.4 miles, but I really don't think its that far. Oddly enough, this is nearly exactly the route that I take these days.


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

*Here's mine*

The route it drew I only take in the winter (which is often). My summer route is in RED


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## Tequila Joe (May 30, 2004)

Cool feature and thanks for pointing that out to us. I believe I found a better route with less traffic to take home. I'm going to try it today.

Here is my 20 mile commute. It's close to the actual route I take but the bike path I take I follows the river valley closer. The city of Calgary (you can see the entire city in this picture) have very distinct city boundaries. We have a population just below 1 million (950 000) within the city limits

Tequila!


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## damon (Dec 24, 2001)

Arby said:


> Morning folks,
> 
> I don't know if you've used Google's Maps yet, but they have a satelite view available for most areas with amazing quality and detail. Fun to play with. Here's my measily 5 mile commute through downtown to work that I do every day.


Google wants me to go a different way... Orange how i usually get to work, but the green is how i got there today. Not quite as "interesting" the green way (less traffic), but more park scenery, and only a little bit longer.

Apparently my ride is about 15km each way. Didn't know that .


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

this was a nice diversion.

First is my weekly commute north to the capitol. (40 one way, orange is actualish)
Second is is my daily commute to school. (0.8 one way!)


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## jcuesico (Mar 25, 2004)

*Here's my commute*

Google suggests taking the freeway, but that's always clogged during commute times. So I take the red path instead. It's 6 miles from door to door. 
Here's my stats:
By Automobile 20 mins
By Road Bike: 25 mins
By Mountain Bike: 28 mins
By Kickbike: 35 mins 
By foot: 50 mins

Takes me 20 mins driving because of one intersection where I have to make a right turn. It backs up so bad, I spend almost 5 mins waiting for my turn to make a right.

On bikes, I bypass all the cars waiting to make a right turn. . 

The kickbike is half bike, half scooter. There's a photo of it below. Not quite as fast as a bike, but faster than running.

Sometimes, I run to work and back. It takes the longest time, but quite enjoyable.


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## Jamieshankland (Jan 8, 2005)

Mine was taken when my house wasnt even built! HAHAHAHA And of course it directs me down the most pot hole filled route!.


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## Hjalti (Feb 26, 2004)

*Fun*

This is a fun exercise, but there isn't enough detail for me, even at highest resolution. Still plenty of inaccuracies on the maps too, but less than in some products. My ride is 15 miles, east to west, and the route google picked is pretty good until town.

My county just finished a orthophotography flyover last week to replace our old lower resolution (higher altitude) with a higher resolution data set. I can hardly wait.

H


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## Sven (Feb 3, 2005)

asterisk said:


> Second is my daily commute to school. (0.8 one way!)


Go Beavers!! (My wife graduated from OSU and converted me into a Beaver fan; we live in Beaverton now. ) 

My actual commute is in orange, almost 4 miles exactly each way along bike lanes and wide business park streets. The majority of the blue "Google" route is down T.V. Highway, which wouldn't be so bad in the morning, but in the evenings I wouldn't risk it even though there are bike lanes. For those who are interested, the red circled area is the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. 

-Sven


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

*cool*

The software could not find my work street so I went with the next major street. The directions have me going down the interstate (blue), my tru route in red and my own shot for an earlier posting that gives a better perspective.


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## swimbikerun75 (Mar 25, 2002)

*Old and New commute*

My old commute in Phoenix/Scottsdale. My route in Orange. Blue route is SR51/Shea Boulevard, the way I drove when I didn't ride. 16 miles each way.

Now I live in Granby, CO. 1 mile commute. Actually haven't ridden it yet, just walked it.

Phoenix maps are a MUCH higher resolution.


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## Bertleman (Jan 6, 2005)

Ok, so I was on vacation when this thread was "hot" and I had to get some help saving the google map, (thanks RB) but here is my commute. The red is my morning route (when I don't take the train) along the coast. The yellow is my route home. The blue is what google said I should do. I usually ride one way, and take the train the other. I don't take the coast home because of the afternoon 20-30 mph winds.


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

Pretty neat, I must have missed the initial posting. Thanks for the heads-up. 

Google gives pretty good directions if you are in a car. My bike route is in green. 

(ff)


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

*Saving the map image?????*

How are you saving the maps? And what program are you using to draw on the image?


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

treebound said:


> How are you saving the maps? And what program are you using to draw on the image?


Print Screen (Button on PC keyboard).

Paste in 'New' document in Photoshop.

Crop.

Use brush tool to paint new path.

Save for Web.


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

*thanks*



firefox said:


> Print Screen (Button on PC keyboard).
> 
> Paste in 'New' document in Photoshop.
> 
> ...


Doesn't seem to work on this computer though. I'll try it at home.

Thanks.


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

treebound said:


> Doesn't seem to work on this computer though. I'll try it at home.
> 
> Thanks.


Is it a Windows machine?

If so, hold the button down for a few seconds. (Sometimes mine doesn't 'take' right away.)

(ff)


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## Bertleman (Jan 6, 2005)

treebound said:


> How are you saving the maps? And what program are you using to draw on the image?


I couldn't save the image using mozilla, I had to go to IE. I used the paint program already installed on my computer


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## Spinnerman (Oct 21, 2004)

damon said:


> Google wants me to go a different way... Orange how i usually get to work, but the green is how i got there today. Not quite as "interesting" the green way (less traffic), but more park scenery, and only a little bit longer.
> 
> Apparently my ride is about 15km each way. Didn't know that .



Nice Photograph of Vancouver, BC. My brother and sister-in-law live on Beach right across the street from the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. 

How did you manage to put in the alternate routes on the mapping program. I am getting ready to commute and I wanted to post my possible commute routes down in the Tacoma area.

Thanks


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## damon (Dec 24, 2001)

Spinnerman said:


> Nice Photograph of Vancouver, BC. My brother and sister-in-law live on Beach right across the street from the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.
> 
> How did you manage to put in the alternate routes on the mapping program. I am getting ready to commute and I wanted to post my possible commute routes down in the Tacoma area.
> 
> Thanks


Funny you should mention the Aquatic center... i was at a pub last night with an architect (among others) and the aquatic center was mentioned as the ugliest building in all of Vancouver. So, in that respect, i feel bad for your bro and sis .

As for the alternate routes - i do it manually. I do a screen print, paste into powerpoint, crop to the desired view, scribble in a new line, and save as a picture. Upload as standard, and you are done....


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## Spinnerman (Oct 21, 2004)

damon said:


> Funny you should mention the Aquatic center... i was at a pub last night with an architect (among others) and the aquatic center was mentioned as the ugliest building in all of Vancouver. So, in that respect, i feel bad for your bro and sis .
> 
> As for the alternate routes - i do it manually. I do a screen print, paste into powerpoint, crop to the desired view, scribble in a new line, and save as a picture. Upload as standard, and you are done....


Yes, the building is very ugly. However, their view from their apartment 21 floors up overlooking downtown and the mountains in the distance is beutiful. 

Thanks for the information. I'll try it tomorrow and post my route.


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## azmadoc (Mar 23, 2004)

*Alright, I'll play*

Nashville proper is not a very bike friendly town, though the recent and current city governments have been quite progressive and are making steps to amend such problems. Its just taking time to correct alot of the longstanding issues.


The first pic is my more common commute: every monday and every other wednesday to my midtown office. Its only 5 miles as the crow flies but my routes are 8 to 9 miles. They're completing a greenway soon which will be doubleplus good.











The next image is the ride to my Franklin office. Its 18 miles or so each way, so I tend to do it in times of long light and good weather. Its park and country roads most of the way, but all the Dale Earnhart wannabes in middle TN use these roads to wind out their pickup trucks. I find them to be much more hostile to cyclists than the cars on my more "urban"(apologies to arby) commute










I have another office that's about 48 miles from my house. I don't see myself commuting there anytime soon.


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## Ogedei (Apr 12, 2005)

I don't post a lot but here is my route through Calgary. My trip is around 10 miles one way.


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## HAL9000 (May 1, 2002)

I recognise were you live! You are very close to me in PQ.(i am just off your map to the north)

SO you work at FedEx or across the street?


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