Thanks to Montana DOT

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AdmdeVilleneuve

AdmdeVilleneuve

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Puget Sound
I am of an age that maps still appeal to me. No need for the latest Nav package in a new car or GPS receiver to get me lost. While looking around the Montana DOT site on Sunday, found a request form for a state highway map. Filled it in and much to my surprise a new map arrived in the mail at my home on Wednesday. Mailed from Helena (First Class) on Monday.

Excellent customer service from the State of Montana. My thanks to them for still printing the map (many states gave it up), and especially for sending it off so quickly.
 
I still use a map. Even with GPS, i like to look at the route on a map and have the route in my head, should gps fail or get stolen etc.
 
I usually get the 50-state atlas. Usually WM has the year-old atlas marked down to just a couple of bucks when the currrent year new ones come out.
 
Using a map is the only way to go IMO. I like a GPS for finding an urban address, but that's about it.

Ill have to see if Indiana still offers a state map.
 
when i'm out on the road travelling, i've made a point to try and Collect a DOT map from a rest area in each state i hit.

now that i think of it, i don't know where they are... probably hit the landfill already, but i still try to pick one up.
 
Originally Posted By: AdmdeVilleneuve
I am of an age that maps still appeal to me. No need for the latest Nav package in a new car or GPS receiver to get me lost. While looking around the Montana DOT site on Sunday, found a request form for a state highway map. Filled it in and much to my surprise a new map arrived in the mail at my home on Wednesday. Mailed from Helena (First Class) on Monday.

Excellent customer service from the State of Montana. My thanks to them for still printing the map (many states gave it up), and especially for sending it off so quickly.


Ha Ha. This is so ironic. A couple years ago my wife and I planned and took a vacation up to the Pacific Northwest. While I may use my GPS while driving, I love maps for planning a vacation. So, I requested road maps from both Oregon and Washington. Oregon complied with a nice packet of travel information, including a road map.

Your state of Washington snubbed me, with an arrogant email telling me that the state of Washington no longer prints maps.

So, my wife and I re-planned our vacation. We spent our entire vacation in Oregon and the Northwest corner of California instead. Only stepped foot in Washington long enough to get some nice pictures of Mt. Hood. Didn't spend a penny of my money in Washington. I figure I helped the state of Washington in their efforts to be environmentally responsible, by not burning any fuel in the state.

Yup I couldn't agree more. I love paper maps. And I will continue to reward those states that provide them to me.
 
I don't use paper maps but look ahead of time for directions on my phone of the computer and get an idea of where I'm going and if I need help I use my phone. I don't rely on a gps, it usually gets me lost. I used one on a 4,800 mile road trip last year and it was ridiculous. Made us get off freeway exits then get back on, wanted us to get off the freeway to take surface streets for 2 miles then get back on the freeway, also tells us to keep right on the freeway, then unknowingly 1/2 a mile ahead our exit is on the LEFT, (Genius Seattle).

Although a few weeks ago I was driving through Salt Lake City and my iPhone told me to turn down the wrong way of a 1 way street.
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Still have quite a few maps....


+1. GPS and smartphones have opened up new worlds for simplified exploring, but a good old map is still great.
 
Funny story about a map the other day. I live and work in Northern VA. I was eating lunch at McD's and this guy sits down with a map and says excuse me. He was coming from somewhere in PA and headed to Norfolk, VA on I-95. He asks 'where are we? Are we around here some where?' pointing near Richmond. I said Ohhh no, you're way up here. We were about 10 miles from DC and he was about 80 miles off.

Maps are great if you know where you are and where you're going. He was just blindly heading south.
 
Maps never suffer electronic reception problems, and batteries never go dead.
thumbsup2.gif
 
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I know some people don't like GPS but as long as you update them once a year or every other year they work great.

I used my GPS went from Mississippi to Iowa never got me lost. Funny thing is that google maps (backup) route was 130 miles longer. Might not seem like much but 2 extra hours on a 16 hour stop for gas drive is a lot of time.

It also saved me some time with re-routing they can tell the speed of other drives using that brand and based on their speed it can determine if there is a traffic jam/jumper to bumper.

I'm not saying GPS's are perfect I think it really depends on the brand and how much you pay.

I always carry a map for emergencys tho.
 
I've been carrying a Rand McNally road atlas in each of my cars since 1985. I have a GPS that I got free with a set of Continental tires from The Tire Rack, but have yet to hook it up. I'm not a complete Luddite, however. I use Google Maps to find addresses in dense urban locales and print out a local map to carry with my road atlas.
 
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
I figure I helped the state of Washington in their efforts to be environmentally responsible, by not burning any fuel in the state.

lol there's only one kind of paper they care about saving.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I don't use paper maps but look ahead of time for directions on my phone of the computer and get an idea of where I'm going and if I need help I use my phone. I don't rely on a gps, it usually gets me lost. I used one on a 4,800 mile road trip last year and it was ridiculous. Made us get off freeway exits then get back on, wanted us to get off the freeway to take surface streets for 2 miles then get back on the freeway, also tells us to keep right on the freeway, then unknowingly 1/2 a mile ahead our exit is on the LEFT, (Genius Seattle).

Although a few weeks ago I was driving through Salt Lake City and my iPhone told me to turn down the wrong way of a 1 way street.


My Mom's GPS would do stuff like that. I figured out it was due to it being set to 'Shortest Distance' in it's settings. Like, if there were a big curve in the interstate but you could get off and take surface roads to 'cut the corner', it would have you do that. So you would up driving a little less mileage, but it was a big PITA and usuallu took more time.

I can't remember what she had; I think it was a Garmin.
 
I don't use paper maps. I look it up online first if I need to and use a quality GPS unit, updated with new map, corrections and software/satellite fixes. (This is key!). If any areas look confusing/strange, I just use a traffic camera or live feed in the area to get a clear understanding of it. Technology is your friend.....
GPS unit is backed up by an updated (paid) map app on both my iPhone and ipad.
Power issues aren't an issue either due to solar, car chargers.
Personally, I'm happier that things are going paperless.
 
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