I stumbled upon this today while trying to figure out the latitude/longitude for a new address that was not in my map software. (Going to the new IKEA in Charlotte, NC! Woo hoo!)

Connect the GPS to your computer.
Enter the address in Google Maps
Find the pinpoint on the map (indicated by a dot with a letter - A, B, C, etc.)
Click on the dot to bring up a "pop out" balloon window
Click Send
Click GPS
Select your GPS manufacturer
Enter notes if you wish
Click Send


I have a Garmin eTrex Legend Hcx with Garmin City Navigator. I use this all the time - on my bike around town to track speed, distance and navigate! I use it for geocaching and driving directions in the car as well.

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I did more research over the weekend. Still going with a FreeRadical hitchless trailer. I think I've changed my mind on the motor. I am strongly leaning towards a Cleverchip Stokemonkey. The price is steeper, but I think it will really give me more bang for my buck. I found some OK reviews on the Wilderness Energy kit. Every person that has a Stokemonkey LOVES it.


Here are some reasons I'm leaning towards it:
* It is built specifically for the Xtracycle FreeRadical hitchless trailer
* More torque than the WE hub kit
* All the battery options for the WE hub kit seemed to take up valuable cargo room or I'd have to buy a seatpost rack, but not sure that would really help much either.
* Seems the mileage range is longer on the Stokemonkey than the WE

The number one thing that is strongly pulling me towards it - some guy in San Fransisco uses one for his daily commute (visiting nurse) and he also can climb the hills with a rider on the back of his bike! I think the Stokemonkey can handle the hills in Greenville!

While it is a bit more expensive and it does make me nervous to spend that kind of money on an accessory for my bike, it will pay for itself in only a few months.

The sad thing is...it's not currently available. They needed to make some adjustments to the Stokemonkey design and they're behind schedule with the production. Last update was March 26th and they were hopefully going to ship to the States soon, but they aren't exactly sure of the actual date.

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Since I moved back to the States in July 2007, I have not had a car. I really didn't expect to be without one this long. So far it's worked out mostly OK. It's frustrating at times, but I've gotten used to it. Every time I have "needed" a car for some reason or another, God has provided the use of one at just the right time!

Now that I've saved some money, I'm at a crossroads. The amount of money I have will not buy me much of a car. That's OK with me. I just need something to get me from point A to point B and haul some stuff here and there. But...is it really worth it?

Since I work from home, I don't need to get to/from work. I was having to go to the Post Office quite a bit to mail boxes, but now I can do that from home using Endicia. Most everywhere I need to go is within a 2 mile radius of my house. I have a rack with panniers that work great for hauling groceries and smaller stuff, but sometimes they're not quite enough for bulkier items.

The hills here in Greenville do present a bit of a problem! My stamina has increased, but some of them are killers. A few weeks ago I almost passed out when I got off my bike after a hard ride. They take the joy out of riding. Granted, sometimes it's a thrill to accomplish them, but when I'm tired or don't feel like riding, but need to get somewhere, it's not fun. I dread them. Sometimes if I can, I'll take a slightly longer route with less hills.

So...what to do? Continue living car free? Or buy some cheap car that is going to need to be replaced probably sooner than later?

I've been weighing my options & minimally, I'll save over $4200/year ($350/month) by remaining car free! That's just for gas, insurance, oil changes and saving for a replacement car. That is not including car repairs, yearly registration, etc. (AAA's research shows the annual average cost of driving a small sedan is $6,320 per year.) With that kind of savings, living car free is becoming more tempting! That leaves me plenty of money to give my friends gas money (I do need to get to church, unless I find biking with a change of clothes will work.) or rent a car for a few days if I need to! The Transit Authority here recently installed bike racks on all the buses. So far, I haven't ridden it yet. The one and only time I tried to catch one didn't work out so well. Maybe I'll try again later.

So I've come up with some options to overcome the hurdles of hauling stuff/the hills:

First is the Xtracycle FreeRadical hitchless trailer conversion kit and WideLoaders. The hitchless trailer provides a lower center of gravity for more stability. It also provides more cargo room than my current saddle bags. The WideLoaders provide a platform to haul bulkier things:



The next purchase will be a Wilderness Energy ebike kit. This will give me assistance going up those tough hills without killing myself!


I had been planning on saving my tax rebate check for a rainy day, but I'm seriously considering putting that money towards these accessories. After all, that's what the government really wants us to do - stimulate the economy by buying things, right? :-)

There are some other options out there. But, since I'm just starting out, I don't want to sink a lot of money into something I might regret later. If I decide this is going to work out, I can always upgrade since I'll have some extra spending money!

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The last one and a half years of my life have taken place on a small island of Guam in the South Pacific. It has been an awesome experience- scuba diving, traveling internationally, learning about different cultures, driving along the beach while running errands, 85 degree weather year round, eating new foods (including beef tongue and squid), meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones…

This June, I will be moving to Greenville, South Carolina to start my own business. It is still unnamed, but the best way to describe what I will be doing would be “independent research/purchasing agent”. For many years, I have enjoyed researching products and prices in order to get the best pricing available for a product. Clients will contract with me to do research and find the lowest price for the items they need. In many cases, the amount of money saved will more than make up for the fees I charge. For example, I saved over $800 on a project that I would have charged a client about $40. That’s a savings of $760 they wouldn’t have saved otherwise. (And three very busy people had already spent a good chunk of time trying to find this product at a better price & I did it in a fraction of the time it took them. So there will be a time savings as well!) Depending on the product I can sometimes save 50% or more off the list price!

There will be various facets to my business: research only, price research and purchasing and combinations of all of them and probably a few other things as well. Churches, ministries and other non-profits will be my target market, but not necessarily my sole clients. I have worked in ministries for 9 years and understand the staffing and budget problems most of them face and have a burden to help. My goal is to save them as much money as I can on anything from as small as office supplies to purchasing furniture and equipment.

I have done this “officially” for several years already and it is now time to go out on my own and make this available to others. Unofficially, I have tried to get the best deal for as long as I can remember! I HATE spending more money than I have to!

It is a bittersweet time for me. I am excited about the new adventures ahead, but sad to be leaving Guam. I did consider starting the business on Guam because I love it here, but the cost of living and the time difference between here and the States would make it too difficult. To talk with vendors, I have to stay up really late or get up really early. I guess I’ll just have to come back for vacation occasionally! :-)

Harvest is 100% behind me in this move and excited they will have a permanent contact in the States to help them coordinate research, purchasing and shipping. When I approached my boss about this, he thought it was a great idea and a wonderful use of my gifts and talents.

Stay tuned for more information and updates as I proceed in this new endeavor!

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