Here in Ohio, we routinely use APRS in support of large, logistically complex public service events.  If you are not already involved in similar activities in your own local area, you may wish to offer your APRS talents to deserving organizations. To give you some ideas on possible approaches, there is a short narrated APRS slide presentation addressing the 8-day, 3000 rider Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA), using APRSISce and OpenStreetMaps:

http://w8kvk.com/GOBA-APRS

I would be interested in comments or success stories from others of you who have used APRS in public service or emergency communications projects.  73/ted W8KVK - Athens OH

Ralph,...I think you will find your local APRS 'family' to be friendly and helpful.  If you are still living at your FCC address, you can use the following link to view all the recently active APRS stations near your zipcode:

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/map-near.cgi?zip=40601

Just contact those you may already know, or who are closest to you.  Using the same URL, but substituting the zipcode(s) in your areas of planned travels, you can similarly get an idea of digipeater and I-Gate coverage.  Good luck, have fun, and travel safely!  73/ted W8KVK

Congrats on the ISS success!  Neat stuff,...  Since the PK-88 is not a true 'TNC2" clone, it can indeed be a challenge to configure for settings such as KISS mode etc.  If you don't have a manual for your PK-88 send me an off-forum message with the mailbox size of your unit, and I'd be happy to send you the correct manual.
Good luck and have fun!  73/ted W8KVK

Previous threads in this forum have touched on APRS support for public service events such as marathons, charity walks, etc., including the establishment of temporary digipeater networks off of 144.39 mHz.  The April 1, 2012 Athens Ohio Marathon will utilize a combination of these basic APRS techniques coupled with
advanced mapping for web-capable wireless devices.  For those forum members interested in such APRS applications, an informal
(and temporary) information page is available at:
http://w8kvk.com/eHam-APRS

fyi/73,.. Ted W8KVK

For the most part, UI-View32 uses 'static' maps which means there is only limited 'zoom' capability.  You may wish to consider creating or obtaining several maps of your area of different scales.  Doing
this will show them as 'nested' maps on your largest scale map, and you may then load other maps/scales as your mobile adventures dictate.  Good luck and have fun!  73/ted W8KVK  Athens, OH

Followup clarification:  Access to an I-gate is only needed if
you want your location, icon, and beacon information visible
on the various internet APRS mapping/tracking services.  For
your over-the-air neighbors monitoring your local APRS radio
frequency, I-gate access is not required.  Since you appear
to be in a rather rural area, you might start out with an
UNproto path of WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2 (all 15 characters, no spaces)
and work from there.    fyi/73  (ted)

Welcome to APRS, and we look forward to seeing you on the air.
As a starting point, you might consider just a standalone TNC with
which you can beacon your fixed Condo QTH by placing the LAT/LON
coords in the BEacon Text.  As long as you aren't moving around,
you don't really need a GPS unit at the beginning.  This will get you
on the air and allow you to experiment while you plan your next
equipment options.

Re: I-gate access,...if you will be beaconing your location exclusively on RF
(vs. being connected to the internet), then
yes,...you will need to be in range of an I-gate.  An easy way to
research I-gates in your area is to use Findu.com and do a
search based on your zipcode.  This will give you all the known
(active) APRS stations within a 75-80 mile radius. Here's the link:
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/map-near.cgi?zip=56501

Review this list for available I-gates, then set your UNproto path seting to the number of hops needed to reach the I-gate closest to you.  Good luck, and have fun!  73 de Ted W8KVK

We are gearing up for the Athens Ohio Marathon in April, and support it with advanced runner tracking and web mapping which involves some of the issues Dennis asked about.  Our Marathon is run in deep rural and terrain obstructed national forest lands.  Thus, a temporary digipeater network is mandatory.  Those of you who
already provide public service event APRS support (or who would like to), may be interested in a couple of the web links at the bottom of the page at:  http://w8kvk.com/marathonw8kvk.com/marathon   The very last link is a short (6 page) technical overview paper we did for the Fall 2011 TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference (DCC), briefly describing what we do for this Marathon, and how we do it.  73/Ted W8KVK Athens OH