MAPPING OUT MY LIFE

Nearly every explorer in history was either mapping new territory, checking already crudely mapped territory or checking out some other adventurer’s idea of what an uncharted place might look like, having seen it or imagined it from afar.

I love maps. We’re not talking about the itty bitty ones you can pull up from the net.  I am talking about atlases that just cover one state and are over 100 pages. To me, US Road Atlases, with one state per every page or two (or four in the case of California and Texas), are just a start. 

I am particular about my Atlases. I prefer the Rand McNally Atlas for your typical Road Atlas of the US. It’s almost always reliable if you have a copy only two or three years old. Its map key is not terribly extensive – the greater the scale of the map, the less detail it’s going to have so the fewer symbols to explain. But, it has a lot of detailed insets for major towns which aren’t too helpful if you actually have to drive in that town but it gives you an idea of the traffic flow of the town so you can come into town maybe someplace a little less crowded or find a way around it.  The Rand McNally has a pretty decent index of towns, too, although you really need a magnifying glass to see them. Most importantly, a good US Road Atlas is usually great if you are traveling on the Interstate system.

Therein is the problem. I am not an Interstate person – unless I have to get from Point A to Point B in an awful hurry. (Like the time I was in Vail vacationing and my teenage son unsuccessfully practiced a BMX trick on his mountain bike. Even though he said he was ‘ok’, I could hear in his voice he had one hell of a headache and possibly a concussion. Seriously, you CAN make it from Vail CO to Tucson AZ in less than 12 hours. (It was my personal best.)  But, injury or illness aside, I would much rather take the long way to get there because travel is to be savored, not taken in big bites like a Big Mac. (I don’t eat Big Macs either.) The journey is my destination; I’m generally not in a big hurry to get to its end.

If I am particular about my general purpose, all-inclusive US Road Atlas, I am downright obsessive about my State Atlases. In the West, there are basically two publishers of State Road Atlases that reliable map stores (like the venerable Tucson Map and Flag Center at www.mapsmithus.com) will carry – DeLorme and Benchmark.  Both have approximately the same scale, but the Benchmark is to Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit as DeLorme is to Jim Beam Black. Both will get you where you want to be in a pretty decent way whether you are looking to get socially relaxed or heart-broken, crying your eyes out toasted. The difference is how you get there. The Wild Turkey is more complex than the Beam.  And it’s the same with DeLorme and Benchmark.

DeLorme is more like the Rand McNally of state atlases.  Pretty fair detail (its map legend takes up one column on the inside cover) but the DeLorme assumes, just like the Rand McNally does, that you are not a crazy driver seeking the thrill of going over some God-forsaken road through the wilderness.  On the other hand, the Benchmark assumes you absolutely need this information.  The Delorme calls out the mountain ranges and valleys but the Benchmark gives you the same in topographic detail (it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it). And Benchmark's Map Legend takes up an entire page. If Benchmark was a man, I might date it. It is just so pretty and interesting.

Benchmark’s maps in the section with the topographic maps are called ‘Landscape’ maps. Beautifully colored gems in greens and browns and yellows and blues, they are just plain fun to look at. But Benchmark is more than just a pretty face. If I'm looking for a natural hot spring, I want Benchmark to lead the way. If I want to know how to get over some mountain range or down from some wilderness bench, I want Benchmark sitting right next to me. And, or course, the advice of a local who can reassure me that YiHa, who does not have 4WD, can make it over the ‘bad road’. Let me tell you, there are no bad roads only very challenging ones.

This trip I have two Delormes and two Benchmarks.  The DeLormes will get me through Utah and Wyoming, which is okay because although I want to go ‘the road never traveled’, I’m alone and not looking to walk forty miles back to town because of a broken truck (or worse).  I’ll stick pretty much to paved roads or at least roads that are marked for your ordinary 2WD vehicle.  The Delormes will get me to Yellowstone okay.

But once in Yellowstone, I intend to spend every weekend checking out the topography of Montana and Idaho at least. I need my Benchmarks for that. If I can find a Benchmark Wyoming, I’ll learn more about Wyoming, too. My truck YiHa is one tough and well-maintained high-clearance vehicle and I am a driver that just loves a challenging road.