I finally heard back from Garmin. Here's some valuable info if you purchase this device as i have yet to find this info anywhere online.

The firmware that was shipped on my device basically forces you to sign up for a plan. The cheapest Freedom plan is $15 a month plus the yearly $25 plan activation fee. If your going to do an annual plan it's $12 a month for the cheapest plan and $20 activation fee, but you must keep it for a year (no refunds if you cancel early). For my scenario, i don't need any of the SOS or texting features right now. I just want to be able to use it like a GPS until my trip.

So, to get around paying for a plan just to use the basic features you need to follow these steps:
-Visit https://inreach.garmin.com (make sure your logged out)
-In the middle of the page there is text with a link in it. The text says"If you do not have an account yet, update your inReach SE+ or inReach Explorer+ here." Click that.
-On the next page click the link to download the sync software based on the system you have.
-Once the download is done, install it.
-Click OK if it says the sync software needs to update (mine did).
-Now hook your inreach up to your computer with the USB cable. It should instantly recognize it and perform an update.
-Once it updates and your unit reboots you will see a new home screen on the device. You will now have the option to SKIP activation and use the device like a normal GPS. You will also be able to sync you Earthmate app and use those features as well.