Maps

How do you usually get from Point A to Point B?  It used to be that paper maps were the only tools to use.  Then in the 1980s, the GPS system was made available for public use.  Online maps entered the picture with software like MapQuest and Google Earth.  Some people think paper maps are on the way out, but I think they are here to stay.

Knowing how to read a map is a basic skill that some people are not very good at.  Reading the key, understanding scale, and using a compass rose are a few skills that children learn in school.  But like anything else, if these skills are not exercised, they will atrophy. 

I am a map person.  I love looking at maps.  Anytime I am on a long car trip, I take out one of our atlases and pick a state.  I start looking at different places where I have been, which roads were taken, and places I have seen.  One time I started up a conversation about Arizona with my husband, asking him a question about which road we took to one of the monuments.  Then I was quiet for a while, and when he asked me a follow up question, I replied that I was already finished looking at Arizona, had been to Oregon, and was currently on Florida.  That’s how it works.  I look, follow roads, or places, reminisce, dream, and plan. 

This fascination with maps started when I was young and loved to travel.  Like many students today, I drove to Florida for spring break, spent a semester studying abroad in Europe, and took vacations with family and friends.  When I took my first cross-country trip at the age of 25, I was moving from New York to California.  That is when I joined AAA, aka map heaven.  Their membership fee includes access to any and all maps that you need.  They helped me plan my route and gave me maps of all the states I would be traveling through.  I enjoyed studying those maps and counting down the days before the trip.

Nowadays I also use online maps, such as Google Earth, especially when dreaming about or planning a vacation.  Sometimes a paper map makes sense, but its online counterpart quickly converts distances for you and gives you up to the minute updates. With Google Earth you can actually see the road you will be driving on or catch a glimpse of the outside of a building from the road.  It can give you a real feel for the neighborhood, which may not always be the same picture that a hotel’s brochure paints.  

I passed some of this love for maps on to our older son.  His passion for maps started at a young age with his US map puzzle.  When he was a little older, he got the new updated U. S. atlas every year for Christmas.  Why a new one each year?  Because of all the changes to the highway system of course!  His interest in and aptitude for geography and maps is enviable.  Rarely will I question his choice of route anymore.  One year his aunt asked if she should get him a GPS for his birthday.  It was a thoughtful and generous offer, but he did not want any part of a GPS.  For him, reading the map and figuring out the route was the best part.

GPSs have a place in this world, that’s for sure.  If you read my blog about getting lost one afternoon while driving in Italy, you will see how it came to our rescue.  But for the most part, I still prefer using maps and figuring out my route.  I don’t think paper maps will ever totally be replaced, even with the nice voices on the GPS systems.

Because of my love for maps, this creation I made was a lot of work, but a lot of fun.  I started with a map of the US, courtesy of AAA, then printed license plates on high quality photo paper, cut them out in the shape of the states, and had it professionally framed.  I have seen them made with real license plates for thousands of dollars.