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I love “Caches Along a Route.” It’s one of the coolest tools  Groundspeak has offered in the last few years. Before that, planning a long caching trip was a painstaking process or clicking on maps and searching for caches that you might be able to find. Now it’s as simple as plotting a course on Google Earth, saving it as a .kml file and uploading it to Geocaching.com. But then again it can still be a hassle.
Take the other day for example. Smtycolt and I were going to Indiana for a day of caching and an event in the evening. I pulled up Google Earth and plotted a course from the last cache in one of our target areas to the event a few miles down the road. Google Earth—in all its wisdom—decided I really needed to take the Interstate to Indianapolis and then drive the 465 loop up north to the event. That route would take me 25 miles out of my way and put me on roads where absolutely no caches exist! If you’ve used this feature before I bet you’ve experienced the same frustration. Part of the problem is the differences between Google Earth (the program) and Google Maps (the online service). They’re not exactly the same. Supposedly they’re going to start becoming more compatible, but for now the differences can be frustrating. If you don’t like the route Google Maps gives you, just click and drag the purple line and the path is replotted instantly. Try doing that on Google Earth and you’ll drive yourself nuts wondering why it won’t work! Ironically, I did some Googling the other night and found a solution. Well, it’s more of a “work around,” but the key word is “work”…it does work. Here’s how to do it. In this example I’ll be combining two .kml files into one. If you need to do that with multiple files it’s still very doable, just repeat step 5-7 as many times as needed. - Open Google Earth and click to the directions tab. Enter your starting point in the “From” line.
- Using the “Add Placemark” (pushpin) button, pick an intermediary point that Google Earth will get you to on the road you want. It might take a couple tries to get Google Earth to agree with you, but you’ll get it.
- Create a route from the starting point to the pushpin. Right click on the “Printable View” and save it as a .kml file. You might want to name it “leg1.kml” or something like that.
- Now clear the route and create your second route, starting at the pushpin and ending at your destination. Save the route and call it “leg2.kml.”
- At this point you need to know that .kml files can be viewed with a simple text viewer like WordPad or Notepad. Right click on your leg2.kml file and choose, “Open with” then choose “WordPad.” Make sure you set your view option for “Wrap to Window.” The line you’re looking for is really long and will be difficult to work with if you don’t.
- Scroll to the bottom. You want to find the numbers between the final set of <coordinates></coordinates> brackets. Mouse over the numbers (not the brackets) and right click to copy them.
- Open leg1.kml in WordPad and scroll down to the final set of <coordinates></coordinates> brackets. Paste your new numbers in at the very end before the </coordinates>.
- Save this as a new file (like “wholetrip.kml”), upload it to Geocaching.com and continue on as you would with any other Caches along a Route PQ.
Other SolutionsThere are other options besides using Google Earth (thankfully). Some of them are a lot easier! Google MapsBelieve it or not, this process is amazingly simple. If you've played around with Google Maps you've probably noticed that you can alter a route simply by clicking and dragging the purple route line to the roads you prefer to travel. - Once you have your route set up to your liking, left click on "Link to this Page" and copy the link provided.
- Paste this link into a new browser address bar. At the very end add this text, "&output=kml" with no quotation marks, obviously.
- Click "Enter" and you will be prompted to save a file called "maps.kml." Change the name to something useful and upload it like you would any other "Caches Along a Route" file.
Wow...that's easy! GPS TrackMakerIf you're interested in working with other software, there's GPS TrackMaker by Geo Studio Technology. It's a free program much more than just create routes. It's definitely worth a shot for the map geeks out there. Streets and TripsYes, it can be done even with Streets and Trips, however you'll find yourself also needing a few other programs and a lot of extra instructions! Your best bet for figuring that one out is to head over to Markwell's FAQ and read up on it yourself! Old Cachers...New TricksGeocaching continues to evolve and the old tricks we used to use are often replaced by new technology and new tricks that aren't all that....tricky. Keep your eyes and ears opened for new solutions to these old problems. Chances are they're right around the corner!
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