Routes on Garmin Etrex Vista HCx?

[Econoline]

I was going to buy a Garmin Edge 200 or 500, but decided to try this on my Etrex Vista first.

What I want to do is download routes from ridewithgps.com in .tcx format and load them into my gps so I can follow that route. I don't care about cycle computer stuff like speed and distance, I just want to navigate the downloaded route.

So I download the .tcx file into my gps via BaseCamp, and it appears as a "track" in the gps but with no obvious way to navigate it.

Then I tried converting the .tcx file in BaseCamp using the "Create Route from Track" function, and I downloaded that route to my gps. This looks like it might work as the file appears as a "route" in the gps and can be "navigated" although I have not tried to follow the route yet.

So is this the way to do it? The route has a lot fewer points than the track does but it is navigable. Is this the same way the Garmin Edge 200/500 would work or is there a shortcut with them (Courses?)

Thanks for any info, this is all new to me.

[NateHawk]

It is one way to do it. Another would be to simply convert the tcx track to gpx and load it into the gps. Try it and see how the two differ from each other (on a trail that you know) because they differ markedly.

There is no analog to courses on handhelds. Loading a gpx track is close but not quite the same. Routes are something else entirely and they have their place.