Escapees March-April 2019 Vol 40 Issue 5

Y et there is something about a paper map that can’t be denied. Sitting down at the picnic table with your beverage of choice, you’re presented with infinite options, running your finger along the route that will take you to your next stop or maybe even determining your next stop. The big-picture visual is still a thrill.      While maps are a modern-day necessity in helping us untangle the highways and byways of our lifestyle, they were important, often in other ways, to earlier civilizations. One of the earliest known land maps was scrawled on Babylonian clay tablets around 2300 B.C. In approximately 350 B.C., Grecian scholar Aristotle argued that the world was round, and maps began to depict that newfound belief. Ancient Romans, noted in history for often getting lost moving between points A and B, were primarily interested in developing maps of roads and routes. In 1507, following Columbus’ explorations, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller published what’s considered the first whole world map that used the word America. This has become one of the most expensive maps, purchased by the U.S. Library of Congress in 2003 for a cool $10 million. Waldseemüller is also credited with designing the globe gore, a world map drawn like flattened citrus fruit sections that were to be cut out and glued to a sphere. With the advancement of science, aerial ability and the printing press, modern cartography came into its own following World War I. In the 1970s, GIS (geographic information systems) computer software ushered in today’s modern mapping marvels. The current technology of Google Maps and other prominent driving-direction apps indirectly use GIS, which in part presents organized GPS satellite data to that tiny smartphone-living lady.      It’s a given that map apps are indispensable. Unfortunately, Ms. Map doesn’t always offer the best roadmap advice for hauling your home. She may not be available on the gor- geous, but remote, hiking or biking trail. Sometimes, when searching for a ferry or an unknown, she’s more trouble than she’s worth. And then there’s the big oops of forgetting to fully charge your smartphone and having to conserve battery power in case of an emergency. Herein lies the value of paper maps, not only on the road but as we make our way through our days. I rely upon maps for their many uses in a variety of situations. Roadmaps come in many forms. A perennial favorite in my rig is a USA Atlas . This big, beautiful, four-color book offers a 20,000-foot view of each state and a zoom of some of the bigger towns and cities in the state. When crossing a state line, I always make it a point to stop at the visitor center and pick up a state map. It’s here that I ask advice on road conditions and construction. Occasionally, a topographical map is in order to help me understand elevation and grade. Contour lines help me prepare for, or avoid, white-knuckle-inducing roads or will tell me how hearty a hike may be.

                                                                         

             

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   