GPS Maps

[90Xjay]

What are some of your favorite maps in book form for trail rides?
I want something that I can use in conjunction with my GPS.

[TwistedCopper]

I use my GPS in leiu of a map.

[Sparky-Watts]

Originally Posted by TwistedCopper

I use my GPS in leiu of a map.

I use my GPS to find the loo.......

[90Xjay]

Originally Posted by TwistedCopper

I use my GPS in leiu of a map.

I do too Harry, esp on the paved roads and in cities.
For this trip in the mountains, I want to have a good map as well, there are so many trails off of the Alpine Loop and some of them aren't on the Roads and Recs CD Rom.

[mingez]

I use USGS maps, but they are sometimes overwhelming with extra info that I don't need.

I think the Gazateer Colorado Atlas/Map is awesome for and over-the-counter map. There are some jeep trails on there that aren't on any other map. Easy to navigate, CHEAPer than topo maps, and totally user friendly.

Mapsco is good but pricey. However, you can custom order your map thru them...meaning you can get all of the info pertinent to you put on them. Don't care about water, treelines, elevation? No problem! They can eliminate those for you.

I know you won't have your computer with you, but Google Earth has things on it that NO maps do. For the camping trip I planned recently, there were Streams, Rivers, Lakes and trails on Google Earth that I'd never find otherwise. You just need to zoom in, and let the thing render. It'll even give you the placenames of canyons and geological features. And best of all, you can get coordinates (approximate coord's) from GE and enter them into your GPS as waypoints. I LOVE google earth.
It'd be worth playing with before the trip.

[TwistedCopper]

Originally Posted by 90Xjay

I do too Harry, esp on the paved roads and in cities.
For this trip in the mountains, I want to have a good map as well, there are so many trails off of the Alpine Loop and some of them aren't on the Roads and Recs CD Rom.

Yeah, I kinda figured. I was just trying to bolster my post count.

No, Seriously...

Our trails aren't that big or far away out here. We have guppy-sized trails

[Abutterfly]

I went out with my girlfriend... we will call her Thelma.. and that must make me Louise....I don't know anything about GPS... BUT... I have a funny thot about me and my map reading abilities.

Anyhoo, we are traveling to Bryn Mawr to find the graves of her recently deceased father's parents. I said I would tag along for ****z and giggles. When we get together , trouble immediatly follows.

So, we leave and it's about an hour or so away... well about an hour and a half later, we still can't find this hidden cemetery where dear old Gram and Gramps are laid to rest.
Thelma drives like a maniac with her knees while looking at maps and Nextel walkie'n her hubby... we are so lost she walkies him and says.. Mike we are lost... we can't find it.. blah blah.. she's getting ticked off. She hands me this giant map and says.. "Here, find such and such street...." GULP.... I neglected to tell her before take off that I have never read a map in my ENTIRE life...... Okay.. I'll give it a whirl.
She says find K15 and C8 or some crap like that???? I said there is nothing there... she says WHAT????!!!! Oh Jeezuz!! (Cars honking... people flipping us the bird/yelling LOOK OUT!, etc....) I said.. "well, I don't read maps real so good..."
She gets on the walkie and said.. "MIKE!!?? MIIIIIKEEEE!??? Janine can't read a F$#@in' MAP!!!!!!! *$#@!!! **$##@!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, but I AM fun at parties!!! You can't be cute and a redhead AND read a map... I'm sorry , it just ain't happenin'!
So long story short, she read the map and drove while I reached for my second Imodium AD...and we finally spotted the cemetery!
It was huge and by act of God, I actually looked over and saw the stones like 18 rows back!!! I actually redeemed myself!! She says "How in the HELL did you see those names from over here when you can't read a fluffin' map??!!!!

I waited in the car after 2 hours of white knucklin' it down there.......when we were ready to leave, we were pullin out and we both looked at each other...frazzled and relieved and I said... "Lay some rubber, girl!!!' We did a smokey burnout out of the cemetery coupled with some insane laughter!!! So I don't know what it had to do with this post but I will say this... '" I wish I could afford GPS" there, that makes it related to the original post ! Thanks for putting up with my snarky comments....

[90Xjay]

geo-cacheing for dead people...


well......allrighty then

[mingez]

Originally Posted by Abutterfly

Sorry, but I AM fun at parties!!! You can't be cute and a redhead AND read a map... I'm sorry , it just ain't happenin'!

Hahahahahhhahahah. Yeah that's askin' a bit much!!! LOL funny story.

[Jeepr]

I use one of those county map books. They usually have all the smaller roads on them, at least here in Michigan.

[90Xjay]

Where do you get them from?
If they are county maps, then maybe the local court house?

[Sparky-Watts]

Originally Posted by 90Xjay

Where do you get them from?
If they are county maps, then maybe the local court house?

A few years ago they had them at Barnes and Noble and B. Dalton. I got one at B. Dalton that was the whole state, but had each county broken down to one or two pages with all the little two-track roads and cow trails on it....but this is Kansas, and that's about all we got anyway........

[90Xjay]

All we have is a Hastings and a Books a Million ere whatever?

They both suck at having anything I ever go in there for.
I'll try ebay or Amazon.
Thanks for the info.