Updating my Garmin GPS and the hand-held version

I have a Garmin Street Pilot c550 GPS for my car.  I am so directionally challenged, it truly changed my life.  Before I got the GPS, when presented with a choice on whether to turn left or right I would ALWAYS turn the wrong way.

I was never very good with north, south, east, or west.  If someone gave me directions, and said to turn east, I'd ask, left or right?  So, the GPS was a Godsend to me. 

I bought the update program a while ago, so I can update my maps whenever there is a new one, for a certain period of time.  Right now, as I'm typing this post, I'm updating it.  Bring it from the car into the house, plug it into the laptop with the appropriate cord, go the the site, and "update maps."  Couldn't be easier.  But it takes quite a while for the whole process to update.

When it is done, I'm going to see if I can download free POI stuff.  I learned about POIs from the blogs I've read, so Thank You, everyone who has blogged about them.  I noticed they have POI files for phones, so I'm going to see if I can download POI information for my new DroidX, too.

Another thing I've learned from bloggers is geocaching.  While waiting for the maps to finish downloading, I was looking around the site, http://geocaching.com/, registered, and put in my address to see what was near me.  There are LOTS of things, one about 1/2 a block away.  My friend lives up on one of the hills here, and there are tons of things hidden by her.  I might give her a call and see if she wants to take a walk soon, and see what we can find.

I think tomorrow I'm going to take Katie and see if I can find something by my house.  There are a few nearby.  I don't have a regular hand-held GPS device yet.  I tend to buy things, and then not follow through with the activity.  So, I want to do a bit of searching and finding and see if I like it before I buy one.

Geocaching is something I plan to do when I'm full-timing, though.  I think it might be a way to "get me out of the house" and walking and/or hiking in the area I'm staying.  Good for Katie, too, to get in more exercise.

This looks like a highly rated hand-held GPS on the geocaching.com site. It's a Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator.  I'm sure some of you have one.  

I checked in at Costco.com to see if they had it on-line, but they don't, at least not right now.  Pretty expensive item, I'd definitely want to purchase it at Costco or on Amazon.com at less than the MSRP. By the time I'm out on the road living in my RV, they might have updated units, though, so I'm probably better waiting.  Expecially since I'm trying so hard to be frugal.  The old me would have bought it now.  The new me is going to wait.

Well, my Garmin maps just finished updating, so I'm going to play now - see if I can download the POI places to my Garmin.  AND, I just thought, in addition to downloading the POI to my DroidX, maybe I can download the geocaching info to my phone.  Use it as a hand-held GPS.  Wouldn't that be great?  I'll let you know, I noticed at least two other bloggers are getting or just got a DroidX.  You might be interested, too.

From me and Katie, Have a nice evening, everyone!  : )