Travel navigation

[Steve Jelf]

Some of us like to travel by Model T. T travelers use various methods to find their way. GPS devices, Google maps, and Delorme atlases are popular sources. But many don't know about the detailed county road maps provided by some states on their DOT websites. Sadly, some states don't do this. But among the ones that do, the maps range from adequate to excellent. One of my current projects is downloading county maps to a flash drive that I can use with a laptop when traveling. I decided to do this after using a hot spot, which I found painfully slow. Maps from the flash drive are nearly instantaneous, while the hot spot took several minutes to put maps on my screen.

So far I have downloaded all 105 Kansas Counties and all 114 Missouri Counties. Those two states together use 1.44 GB of 128 GB on the flash drive, so there's space for a lot more maps.

I consider the Kansas county maps excellent.

The Missouri county maps are also very good.


These maps are all PDF's, so you can zoom in close for details. They are sharper than these screen shots show. If you click on these you'll see a somewhat clearer image.

Some of these websites also have good city maps, so I will be adding some of those to my cyber atlas.

[Ken Lefeber]

I use my tablet for traveling and have done the same thing. I have most of the lower 48 states and all of the counties in Wisconsin. Sometimes it is kind of slow when you zoom in a lot, but I still find it useful. I use my GPS when traveling in the model T to keep track of mileage for oil changes.

[CudaMan]

I prefer to navigate via maps instead of the turn-by-turn approach taken by GPS devices. It's getting harder to find maps at gas stations, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can still buy a new Rand McNally road atlas.

[TRDxB2]

I prefer to navigate via maps instead of the turn-by-turn approach taken by GPS devices. It's getting harder to find maps at gas stations, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can still buy a new Rand McNally road atlas.

While I use a GPS it's always a good idea to have a road map even if its a bit out of date in case there is an unexpected event on the road ahead. Many GPS units keep re-calculating you back onto the interstate & no option to choose otherwise.
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Illinois & Iowa have free maps at Welcome Centers, Tool Booth Centers & Interstate Rest Stops. They are updated yearly too. Usually access is from the Interstate. Don't know about other states.

[Oldav8tor]

One trick I learned from someone who has done long distance traveling in a Model T was to select the routing option for bicycles on Google Maps. You have to be careful however, because you could get routed onto a "bikes only" trail. It's good for route planning but an actual map is hard to beat. You can buy all of a state's county maps bound into a single book [DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer] or a digital version <https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/575993/p ... additional> - I have the paper version that I use in planning tours in Michigan.

[Steve Jelf]

...you can still buy a new Rand McNally road atlas.

Yes, I use one when I drive modern. But an atlas, with a whole state (or even half a state) on a single page, or a single state map, simply can't show all the minor roads that are what you want for Model T travel, and the minor roads they do show are usually unidentified. That's where county maps have the advantage.They show all the roads.

When I head east out of Kansas driving modern I take US 166. But that is a two lane high speed highway with big trucks driving fast, definitely not a Model T road. So when I make that trip in a Model T I take the back roads through Cedar Vale, Hewins, Elgin, etc. on roads the state map or the Rand McNally atlas can't show. There are back roads with little or no traffic nearly all the way to Missouri but I wouldn't now about them without the county maps.

A lot of Model T roads aren't shown in road atlases or on state highway maps.

[DHort]

I know that Dean Yoder has his GPS setup where it shows him the country roads, because he told me.

I just let that Google lady take me down the bicycle route. She is not the greatest at navigation, but when she is lost you just head toward your destination and eventually you get there. If she puts you on a back path, turn her off for a bit. I should have a compass and that would help quite a bit, but then you lose your sense of adventure. A couple of times on this last trip I had to drive by the seat of my pants and it was still fun. I got there.

I also looked at my destination the night before and attempted to memorize the names of some of the towns I might drive through. I should have taken my Atlas like Steve does, but I had the laptop with me and that worked fine. I also have a battery and I made a box with a cigarette lighter installed. I can recharge my phone or use the GPS. The battery is only about 3" x 5", so it does not take up much space.

[vech]

Just for everyone's information, here is a link to maps of gravel roads in the USA. It is not always accurate, ( some roads are missing) but it is interesting to look at.

https://gravelmap.com/

[Steve Jelf]

A good feature of GRAVELMAP is that it labels roads with the actual names you will see on signs when you get there. Google Maps often uses designations that aren't used in the real world, and Delorme leaves many minor roads unlabeled. GRAVELMAP clearly shows you the different names one road may have in different places. It does have one thing I don't care for. Like Google, it shows roads in white against a pastel background.

[TRDxB2]

Wonder how they handle Route 66 in Illinois
Here are visuals
Old Rte 66 isn't the same a "Historic Route 66" for which there are several depending on it being rerouted

[Steve Jelf]

Over the course of its time as a US highway, old 66 was rerouted in some places. A notable example is in New Mexico, where west of Santa Rosa it went north by way of Las Vegas and Santa Fe but later went straight across from Santa Rosa to Moriarty and Albuquerque, many miles south of its original route. Another example is in Missouri, where in the Joplin-Carthage area it followed different streets at different times. I expect the same is true in many other places.

[Norman Kling]

I use mountains for my location. I notice the shapes and the direction from my location. Also the direction of the sun. Works very well locally. Some flat places, however, are a bit hard to navigate on a cloudy day. Kind of like Hawaii around noon. it is so close to the equator that you can't tell which direction you are going.
I only drove through Kansas once, and after we crossed the Rocky Mountains I couldn't even tell what state we were in if I missed the sign at the state line! The location of rivers also helps to find the way.
I like the atlas books, however, if they are not up to date, the roads and names of places sometimes change, or new towns appear that were not there when printed. GPS doesn't work well. I live on a gravel road, and the named part of the road ends at an intersection with another road. If you go straight ahead, you are not on a named road, but on my driveway. I have had many people even delivery trucks come down to my house and think it is the house across the canyon, because the road to that neighbors house is shown as the end of the road on GPS
In fact where I used to work, the address was on one street, but the entrance to the parking lot was on the next street. The GPS would say we turned at the wrong place!
Norm

[A Whiteman]

My kids and the younger generations rely on 'google maps' so much that they do not actually understand the wider geography around them. They lack a grasp of the relationship between sites/towns/geographical features etc.

Following 'the directions' gives the impression that all journeys are 'straight lines' leaving many places, features and so forth just off screen, and hence out of mind.

It is a sad thing that more folk don't realise what they are missing by ignoring maps.

[YellowTRacer]

I love this topic. Maybe I'll learn something from it. And maybe it will help others to "Drive 'em". Great stuff!

Ed aka #4

[Phoenix88R]

Love this topic! We have had a county atlas book of our home state (Michigan) for years printed by universal map. Wore one copy out and the second one is falling apart. Sadly, their website says they were taken over by another company and are no longer publishing. Great to see alternatives, particularly interested in having off-line availability. Looking forward to investigating the resources provided above.

Thanks All,
Doug

[JohnM]

My father was a cartographer, from an early age I developed a fascination and interest in maps and how they were made. A good quality map will be full of details and help you find where you ARE. Whereas most digital maps are best at telling you where to GO. They give you little additional information except you are near a Starbucks or CVS pharmacy, which is great for getting from point A to point B if that is all you want to know.

For those interested in historical maps, be warned, you can spend hours at this website. Just enter your address or town to see how it was 100 or more years ago.

https://www.oldmapsonline.org/