About the DiscoverTinian™ App!
Why I Created This App ("Walt's Waysides Project")
There's a lot to discover and learn about Saipan, Tinian and Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Much of that information has been preserved in the many informational sites around island (known as "waysides") Sometimes, due to typhoons or simply normal wear and tear, have disappeared. This app offers a permanent record of those signs to visitors
to the islands.
I also created this app to offer visitors to these islands a more comprehensive tour experience than the 3-hour tour experience many people often get. I can't provide my ALL-DAY "Saipan in a Day," "World War II Pilgrimage," Discover Saipan," "Amelia Earhart History & Mystery" tours to everybody, so this might be the next best thing: a do-it-yourself, off-the-beaten-path, GPS-supported tour of Saipan, Tinian and (coming soon) Rota!
But wait! There's more!
As mentioned, the information provided in this app is culled from the "waysides" provided by the Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), The Northern Marianas Humanities Council (NMHC), the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), the National Park Service (NPS) and Dept of the Navy. However, there's so much more these signs can't offer! As I allude to in the subtitle of my book, There's Something About Saipan: A visitor's guide to fantastic facts, tantalizing trivia, startling statistics, dramatic diaries and hair-raising history from America's most colorful island territory! That's why you need a human tour guide
to really help you
GPS Coordinates
The GPS coordinates provided are the approximate location of the information sign (Wayside), nearest major landmark or the best vantage point for viewing the site. In some cases (Forbidden Island, for instance), the best viewing point is above
the island from the lookout point!--Walt F.J. Goodridge, author of • The Saipan Living Relocation Guide • Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin with Chun Yu Wang • Drinking Seawater with Riza Oledan-Ramos • Doing Business on Saipan • From Bugle Boy to Battleship • Saipan Now!, There's Something About Saipan, and • The Amelia Earhart on Saipan Tour Booklet
The CNMI Series
