[wgoodwin]

I'm torn between enthusiasm for these awesome additions to to Google Maps, and the longterm effect on one's sense of wonder at the vastness of the world.

Something of the wonder of hiking into the Grand Canyon is lost when you can walk it in Google Maps. Some of the mystery is gone. Oddly enough, that's part of the reason satellite maps are so engaging, and have far less of this effect: you're getting a perspective that you would never otherwise have, and thus nothing's particularly lost. If anything, browsing around Google Earth is an invitation to explore. Walking the Grand Canyon on Streetview...that's an invitation to second guess making the effort. Or worse, spend countless hours comparing streetviews of different trails to see which is better.

That last point might be the worst: previewing trails and outdoor experiences just accelerates the paradox of choice problem, as you are constantly comparing what you see beforehand to what you see in real life to what you also saw elsewhere digitally.