We have so many ways to plot our routes. Many people let Google Maps plan their journey. And I admit, Google Maps is really helpful for getting from Point A to Point B. But if the point of your journey is the journey itself, you can't go wrong with a good old fashioned road map.
I have always had a fascination with maps. My dad had a pre-World War II atlas that I liked to look at. My older brothers had added pictures, like planes on bombing runs or boats in the ocean. It was colorful and exotic. Later on, I had a great fascination with Australia (thank you, Australians series by William Stuart Long and The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough) and I would immerse myself in the unusual names-Canowindra, Parramatta, Wollongong.
As a small child my family took a few camping trips-the Black Hills, Glacier National Park, the Badlands. But with 5 kids in 1 car, the prospect of a longer trip was probably unappealing to my parents.
My sister moved across the country to California when I was 12. By this time only my brother and I remained at home, and the idea of a longer car trip was not so daunting. I remember my dad pulling out the Rand McNally map in the evenings, plotting our route. He planned it so we could drive through some of the most scenic country. He and my 16 year old brother took turns driving during the day, and we would stop in some small town by 4:00 to look for a place for the night. We would drive through town, looking at likely mom-and-pop motels (never a hotel). Mom and Dad would get out of the car to inquire within, and pretty soon we would see them come out with the proprietor, key in hand, to check out the room. If it didn't meet with Mom's standards, on to the next one. This could eat up an hour of the day.
But back to Rand McNally. The map came with us on the road then, and it still comes with me now. I love the fact that with a road map I can see the whole of a state spread out before me. And Rand McNally does an awesome job of showing anything and everything along the route. If it weren't for Rand McNally, how would I have found Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa? Or the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Oklahoma? Or the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama?
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| Ave Maria Grotto |
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| Tallgrass Prairie |
Don't get me wrong. I do use technology. Not only do I have my road map spread out on the car floor at my feet, but I also have my phone in hand and the GPS screen open on the dash. And I guess the technology has taken some of the romance out of the road trip. I could choose to stop at any promising looking motel/hotel, or to walk into a random restaurant, but at the end of the day I like knowing that my accomodations are clean and comfortable and that I will have a good meal. So I guess it's a trade-off, romance for familiarity and comfort. Like so many things.
We're planning our next road trip for the Spring-California. It's never to early to pull out the map and start plotting! Planning your own road trip? Love maps? Check out the display in the library. Happy trails!
