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GPS My Garmin Etrex Vista GPS is a portable global positioning unit, battery operated and about the size of a cellular phone, sits right in front of me on the boat and tells me: Elapsed time, average speed, miles travelled, current location, distance to next waypoint, estimated time, elevation, speed, bearing (direction to the next waypoint), and heading (the direction I'm moving). It shows me graphically my location with respect to waypoints and the roads I've travelled along the river. It also contains topographic maps, county roads along the river, and the actual course of the river. I have listed GPS coordinates for more than 80 access points, obstacles, and bridges revised as of 3/15/02. Most important, the GPS tells me exactly where my recovery car is located. I have never failed to get to my recovery car, even when the boat ramps are hidden by trees or deep snow. I have mapped out the coordinates of more than 80 Des Moines River access points, obstacles, and landmarks (bridges, roads, utilities, dams) and I visited each of them prior to a trip downstream. The Etrex Vista GPS allows for up to 20 routes of up to 50 waypoints. I've been able to organize the access points and other landmarks into 9 trips along the Des Moines. If you would like to upload my route and waypoint files into your Garmin GPS, they are in 2 files: West Fork, Des Moines River |