(Part 2) Best maps according to redditors
We found 174 Reddit comments discussing the best maps. We ranked the 117 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
This comment says it's by H.C. Berann. Here's the Amazon link.
When you are starving, all you can think of is food. This is also true with sex. I wish sex work (prostitution) is legal and regulated all over the U.S. for the safety of the women and their customers. It is so in many European countries currently – Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, etc., but only in some rural counties in Nevada, U.S.A. This outdated morality has kept many American FA’s in misery.
For FA's who want to explore sex work in Nevada, check out this book
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Best-Houses-Nevada-ebook/dp/B00K1KERJ4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483459077&sr=8-5&keywords=nevada+prostitution
I've been into the hobby for 6 months or so. Bought myself an 8" dobsonian reflector, and a couple higher quality lenses for it. I have been keeping a journal of my progress, but I am just doing simple writeups of my findings and the conditions/location of any given night of observing.
I bought a couple books that have been a big help in navigating the night sky.. one is the a sky chart by Celestron:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000665V8
The other is called "night watch" and is a complete beginners guide to the night sky/astronomy and has also been very helpful, and I highly recommend it -
http://www.amazon.ca/NightWatch-Practical-Guide-Viewing-Universe/dp/1552093026
I downloaded a quite powerful app for my iPhone called "GoSkyWatch" and I'd say it's been by biggest ally. It utilizes gps as well as accellerometer/gyro functionality, so by simply holding my phone up it shows me exactly what I'm looking at, and also locates what I need to find.
I've gotten out around a dozen times so far, and am finally getting into a groove and knocking off lots of deep space objects. Of all the galaxies/nebula/clusters I've found... I still gotta say nothing quite affects me like locking onto Saturn and seeing it drift through my field of view. After that though, the first time I saw M81 and M82 galaxies in the same field blew me away, and M31 Andromeda galaxy is always a pleasure. Really looking forward to winter months and getting a chance to look around Orion and it's hidden gems within.
Some good suggestions so far.
I've actually taught with both the [Slocum et al.] (http://www.amazon.com/Thematic-Cartography-Geographic-Visualization-Information/dp/0130351237) and [Tyner] (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Map-Design-Judith-Tyner/dp/1606235443/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367588286&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=tyner+principles+of+math+design) books. I would say the Slocum book is both dryer and more in depth while Tyner is easier to read, but that comes with it being a bit more cursory.
Honestly, it depends on where you are and what you want to get out of it. With a strong enough GIS background and some core principles already understood (generalization, for example), you might only need something like [Designing Better Maps] (http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Better-Maps-Guide-Users/dp/1589480899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367588425&sr=1-1&keywords=designing+better+maps). If you truly want to understand things like how color works, why and when to choose various projections, etc., you probably want the Slocum text.
For what it's worth, much of Cindy Brewer's course material from her Intro Cartography class can be found online [here] (http://www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/GEOG321/321_syllabus.html). It's worth a look.
First of all congratulations on deciding to do this. This will be an awesome experience. Here are a few thoughts:
-Since you'll be near LA you should drive a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). This is the highway up the coast of southern California - very beautiful.
-Since you'll be near Vegas you'll be within a few hours of some of the most beautiful parts of the country (IMHO) - that is the Grand Canyon in Arizona and southern Utah (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, etc.).
-Not too far east of southern Utah is Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Here you'll find the cliff dwellings built by the Anasazi nearly 1000 years ago.
-I agree with /u/IONTOP that a small car would be best. However, make sure you have one with decent power and good range on a single tank of gas. You'll be driving through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, which are amazing, but more fun with a V6 versus a four cylinder. Also, in the western states you may be on stretches of roads with ~300 miles between towns so you don't want a car that only does 200 miles on a tank of gas.
-As you travel through the southwestern United States you'll find yourself in the Navajo Indian Reservation (a.k.a. Navajo Nation). This is the largest Native American reservation in the US and is semi-autonomous from the US government. This can be a fun cultural experience if you decide to make it one.
-If you're into caving there are a lot of options in the Arizona, New Mexico area. See /r/caving for advice and suggestions.
-Buy a large Rand McNally Road Atlas of the US. I'm sure you'll have GPS, but sometimes it's fun just to look at a big map of your surroundings to find interesting things to do. It'll also be a good backup.
-If you don't mind camping then there will be plenty of parks along the way with public campsites. Pack a small two man tent and a sleeping bag and you'll always have a cheap place to sleep. In addition to National Parks and State Parks you'll also find some privately owned campgrounds. One really common chain of privately owned campgrounds is KOA. You can find KOA campgrounds everywhere in this country and they're cheap and reliable. However, definitely stay in the parks if you can - much prettier.
-The National Parks have an entrance fee so if you're planning to go to a lot of them you should consider buying a National Park Pass, which will get you into all of them for a year.
-Since you'll be driving a long way through many different climates in a rental car be sure to pack a tire pressure gauge and an ice scraper/snow brush.
Have fun and be sure to post pics once you're on your way!
On a side note - our friend from Sydney stayed with us last week and just flew back home. I hope to visit your beautiful country some day.
Rand McNally 2019 Deluxe Motor Carriers' Road Atlas and a gas card, if you want to spend more.
This road atlas has rest areas, low clearance
inductorsindicators, and thorough details that a cross country driver will appreciate.just about any state you want ....
https://www.amazon.com/California-Road-Recreation-Atlas-Benchmark/dp/0929591496/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1486500907&sr=8-45&keywords=map+atlas+usa
https://www.amazon.com/California-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/0899333834/ref=pd_sim_14_60?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BZFWVQPP8M10HWEC13BK
have a mind to download or print? ....
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUUnNwTE00WXlLMkE/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUbUZ4WlBDNnpsc2c/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUZkZtX3d1aS1Ybjg/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUdGY0ZUtEbFY1MlpjS2JQWHU3Y0lsYWZqMHBJ/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6-eYcf1HwPUOFFSQVdhd0hiVm8/view
http://www.abandonedrails.com/
http://trains.rockycrater.org/pfmsig/atlas.php
I just came across this post. What you want is this map: http://www.amazon.com/Benchmark-Oregon-Road-Recreation-Atlas/dp/092959150X
This has all the forest service roads in Oregon reliably marked. These are mostly gravel, and they're much more extensive than velodirt and oregonbikepacking. You can pick your own route too, which is a plus. I've spent a few months total on gravel roads, between Patagonia and winding down gravel roads on the stretch of the Cascades between Seattle and Eugene, on my Surly LHT. It's great fun. Even single track can be fun. If you're worried about it, maybe fit some knobby tires and lower the tire pressure. It is a chore sometimes, and I've now bought a Pugsley because I want to make it a bit easier on myself, but some of the most fun I've had while touring is hauling my bike over stretches of nasty gravel roads/singletrack that I didn't anticipate being as difficult as they were.
Just go look for the forest service/gravel roads in that atlas. They go everywhere, and they're often a great compromise between single track stuff and pavement.
My journeys in the NW are here. I didn't do much in Oregon because I'd been on the road for a long time and just wanted to be home, but I did a lot in Washington with a similar atlas and it was awesome.
If you're going to go east, which I cannot recommend highly enough, you will need a copy of the Benchmark Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas, which shows the back roads and campgrounds. Do not neglect this. Take Hwy 31 to Paisley, which was once a two-fisted cowboy town complete with its own whorehouse. From Paisley, use your atlas to find the gravel roads through the ZX Ranch, at 1 million acres the largest in the United States. You want to end up at U.S. 395 at Abert Rim. Hang a right and drive past Abert Lake to the town of Lakeview. At the intersection of 395 and Oregon Hwy. 140, in a red brick building that's easy to miss, you will find the Snack Shack, which serves a hamburger as good as any you will eat anywhere in the whole country.
You will now be in the Great Basin, a vast and impossibly romantic steppe (high altitude desert) that comprises most of Nevada and parts of Oregon, California, Utah, and Idaho. All rain and snow that falls there stays there, i.e. does not reach any ocean by way of tribuaries and rivers. It is probably the most remote area in the country outside of Alaska; for example, the visitor's HQ at the Hart Mtn Nat'l Antelope Refuge is farther away from an Interstate than any other spot in the Lower 48. This cattle and cowboy country; Harney County, east of Lakeview, is the ninth largest county in the U.S., and the 8th largest cattle county.
From Lakeview, there are some choices to make. The shortest route would be by way of Plush, a wide spot in the road with a cafe, through the Hart Mtn refuge. Go up to Steens Mtn., which at 9,200 feet is the tallest summit that you can drive to in Oregon and I think the entire Pacific NW. There's a loop road, and some camp grounds. It'll be on your atlas. Take it. Wind your way back to Burns and U.S. 395, then drive north. If you do that, you'll miss a lot but you will have gotten the essential landscapes. You also will have gone through the Malheur Nat'l Wildlife refuge, famous for the variety of birds. It was the first wildlife refuge in the U.S., set aside a little more than 100 years ago by Teddy Roosevelt.
The longer route would be to take Oregon 140 into Nevada (another spectacular drive) all the way to U.S. 95. Hang a left, and drive north. Look for Whitehorse Ranch Rd. and hang a left. Well-maintained gravel road that ends at Oregon Hwy. 205. You can stay on that all the way to Frenchglen, or to that Steen's Loop Road that I mentioned. Find your way to Oregon Hwy. 78 and rejoin U.S. 95. Look for Leslie Gulch Rd., which takes you through spectacular landscapes to the Owyhee reservoir. RV sites. Go back out and drive to Ontario (a true dump of a town) and find U.S. 20.
Take U.S. 20 through more spectacular landscapes to Burns. Hang a right on U.S. 395 and find the town of Seneca. Take Forest Service Rd. 16 to Hwy. 62 and back to Prairie City. Hang a right on U.S. 26, making sure to stop at the top of the hill for a killer view of the Strawberry Mountains that you drove around on 16 and 62. Hang a left at Oregon Hwy. 7 and drive to Baker City, arguably the nicest little town in Eastern Oregon, and with some surprisingly good food.
At Baker City, get on I-84 toward Portland. But do not pass up the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center about 5 miles out. It's definitely worth the two hours. Tells the whole story of the largest mass migration in modern North American history.
You can do the short way in a few days, and the long way in about a week or so. I cannot recommend the long way highly enough, but if the high desert ain't your cup of tea then do the shorter way and take 395 all the way to Pendleton and I-84. Either way, you'll have driven through a region chock full of Western history, which I can talk about if you want. You'll be way out there in the Great Nowhere, but not beyond help if you need it. If you're carrying a cellphone, Verizon's the carrier to have out there. By far the best coverage. But do NOT rely on it and Google maps and/or your vehicle's nav system to the exclusion of that atlas I recommended.
The roads I've mentioned are very good, but don't be foolishly unprepared. Make sure to have good tires and to know how to change one. Carry more water than you think you will need, and keep an eye on the gas gauge because the stations are few and far between. And this is not sandals and shorts country. There are plenty of rattlesnakes out there, so a pair of suede cowboy boots and long pants are essentials. And have a hat and sunglasses and sun screen. Watch where you walk, especially at the Owyhee reservoir.
I haven't listed all the places, but I've hit the highlights. It's a truly spectacular region of America, not well traveled because it's so far away. That's actually the saving grace. There are places out there that, except for the roads, are otherwise unchanged in >100 years. And you'll have a lot of it mostly to yourselves, with the exception of a pickup truck every now and again.
My favorite State maps are by Benchmark. They make really nice large format road atlases that have a fantastic level of detail in terms of features and tiny local roads (even logging roads where I am in PNW). They are easily findable on Amazon.
https://www.benchmarkmaps.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Benchmark-Road-Recreation-Atlas/dp/0929591607/
First I would recommend getting this map. It's laminated and not too large, but on the back it actually lists every single street which makes it absolutely impossible to get lost. Rome is extremely walkable - can I ask what area you are staying in? The metro is convenient for getting to some areas and same with the buses, especially after a long day of walking, but I'd recommend getting to an area and then traveling by foot all day.
So I am sure you know the usual. The Vatican museum is extremely large and you could spend all day in there if you wanted to, but since you are not a huge museum person you can skip it or do it in one day with St. Peter's. St. Peter's Basilica - definitely spend some time wandering around here as well. It's intimidating in size yet has a cozy feeling to it. Down the street is Castel Sant'Angelo which is where the Popes would go if the Vatican was threatened. Up top are some great views of St. Peter's and of all of Rome - look for the wall connecting to the Vatican, that is where the hallway is that still connects the two.
Piazza Navona should be seen during the day, but I also recommend coming early morning so you can own the square. If you like wine, there's a restaurant near by, Cul De Sac, that had the most options in Rome last time I was there. Across the street is Campo de Fiori which is a flower/fruit market/tourist trap that is fun to wander around irregardless. You can get to the Jewish Ghetto easily from here, but I'll bump back to that later. The Pantheon is an incredibly easy walk from Piazza Navona and two of my favorite churches are right here. The first is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva which is behind the Pantheon to the left (there's a statue of Jesus by Michelangelo by the front alter) and Gesu which is out on the main street. While you are there, go scope out Torre Argentina which are ruins below street level - it is believed that this is where Caesar was killed. In the Jewish Ghetto I recommend starting at the Portico of Octavia - there are ruins here but also some harsh history of what happened to the Roman Jews during WWII. Do you like desert? There's is a bakery nearby that has no name that makes pizza ebraica (Jewish pizza) that is so delicious. It's cash only and is the corner door where via del portico d'ottavia and piazza costaguti intersect.
Do the Trevi Fountain in the morning to get to actually see it but head back at night to watch the bustle around it - don't accept anyone's offer to take your picture for you, but have fun watching other tourists get scammed. Climb the Spanish Steps but head left at the top for a nice walk with a view out over the city - you can head down into Piazza del Popolo and walk down Via del Corso which is one of the main streets in the city with a ton of shopping on it. You can rent bikes at Borghese park (to your back before you take the steps down into Popolo) and ride around - the lake is small but beautiful and there are some fun things to discover. I know you do not like museums, but consider the Borghese Gallery. It requires a reservation and is very small, but contains two statues by Bernini that will amaze you that someone can do that with marble.
The ticket for the Colosseum is a group one that also includes the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (which are connected but each have their own entrance). I recommend starting at Circo Massimo for a view of the Palatine Hill, buying the ticket at the Palatine Hill entrance (weave up to your left) and exploring that before heading down into the Roman Forum (plus you will get some great views up top of both the Roman Forum and Colosseum). Head to the left to pass the line at the Colosseum entrance. The Altar of the Fatherland (giant white obnoxious thing with the winged chariots up top) offers another great view and has the tomb of the unknown soldier housed there. Capitoline Hill has a great museum and stairs designed by Michelangelo (who knew he was a stair designer as well?) - the museum has views of the Roman Forum that are great.
Otherwise, there are four Papal Basilicas (three others than St. Peter's) if you are interested. My favorite restaurant is off of the Piramide metro stop and is just a three minute walk down the street to La Valle del Sacco (I lived near here though, so I am biased). Check out the Protestant Cemetery by the pyramid (by the way, there's a decent sized pyramid here) to see Keats grave, if you are interested (very melodramatic after a rain). The Trajan Forum is a fun ruin location that is not crowded with tourists and has some great history. You can see the Baths of Carcalla (near the Colosseum), San Pietro in Vincoli (church that has the chains that held St. Peter and contains parts of an unfinished tomb by Michelangelo).
You can take a day trip by bus to Tivoli to see Villa d'Este with a gorgeous house and gardens and a crap ton of fountains - the town itself is also fun to wander around. I know you have Orvieto on there as a place you are spending the night, but you could also easily do it as a day trip from Rome - it's an hour by train and something like just 14 euros round trip. It's a very small town. Gorgeous, but extremely small. You could spend a full day there if you meander slowly and stop for a nice long dinner. The sunset is spectacular there though because it turns the stone into an almost clay red. I'd recommend staying in Siena for the day trips you mentioned - it's a bigger city and has more to do and just do a day trip from Rome to Orvieto.
I recommend getting one of these maps:
Stretwise Amsterdam
And make your way to this windmill, De Otter.
Everything you pass will be wonderful. You'll find any number of nice bars, pubs, cafes, canals, and other loveliness.
I'd imagine there's a few out there, but it depends on weather. The state park with hells revenge trail is always busy and is right next to town, so it should be okay for wheeling alone.
You can talk to the BLM for more information on the area.
Having a CB that is properly installed would be a big help, if you see a group going out you may be able to reach them and ask to come along.
The grocery store meetup should be going all year round, just talking to people with jeeps will lead to lots of new friends. My recommendation is to find people with jeeps equipped the same as yours and are going to a trail that has a rating you are comfortable with.
Moab trail book this book is pretty good for getting an idea of the trail ratings, but it's not foolproof, the conditions change month-to-month due to erosion.
You should have a check in system with family and friends about where you are going, with who (a licence plate number of one of your new friends), when you expect to be back in town would be wise.
'Usually' does not equal 'every'. The fact that you have to bring up obscure guides doesn't exactly help your point. The best-selling guides from publishers like Merian, Marco Polo and Lonely Planet follow the design I pointed out.
I would strongly recommend the Borroughs Trail. It crosses Slide, Cornell, and Wittenberg. There is are plenty of good spots in between Slide and Cornell, and a reliable spring coming up slide as I recall. I really recommend purchasing the Castkill maps, as they show you all the springs, trails, and topographic features. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Catskill-Mountains-Trail-Appalachian-Mountain/dp/1934028266 If you plan to do regular trips to the Catskills, this is without a doubt the best purchase you can make.
Just finished taking a cartography course actually and our book was "Thematic Cartography and Geographic Visualization". It's pretty good, just dry. This is the 2nd edition and it's very cheap on Amazon, though there is a 3rd addition as well.
Another extremely useful book all about GIS, geodatabases, etc. is "Modeling Our World: The ESRI Guide to Geodatabase Concepts". This was the textbook for another GIS course I just completed. It's fantastically easy to read and has tons of visuals in it. It's way more interesting/dynamic than traditional textbooks.
don't forget to check out the museum in the Mori building (Roppongi Hills) if you like modern art! Plus you can pay a couple hundred yen extra for admission into the observatory for some awesome views of the city (it's on the 53rd floor IIRC)
there's also a parasite museum in Meguro, although it's kinda hard to find since it's not a major tourist attraction.
If you're thinking of getting off the beaten path, I highly, highly recommend that you buy the Tokyo City Atlas. It puts google maps to shame, and is a must-have for anyone that wants to do some serious exploring of Tokyo on foot. Since the address system in Japan is so chaotic (in comparison to the American standard), having this book really saved me a lot of time and frustration in figuring out where I needed to go. Of course, if you have a functional smartphone over there, then I guess it's not really necessary, but it still might be handy to have a physical backup
wow, beautiful camp grounds. During your quest of driving through all the states west of plain, have you enccounter any unfortunate event? For example: stolen food/items, someone tried to rob you while sleep, tried to car jack, etc.
Also, the atlas you provided is only for Utah, I found this one, will it do the job?
Fortunately Berlin is surrounded by Brandenburg, which is quite sparesly populated and has some very nice hikes to offer in the direct vicinity of the city. I highly recommend to buy this set of four hiking/biking maps and just explore the possibilities. I, personally, especially like the natural reserves in the north.
How much detail do you need? I find a Michelin title no. 970 ("Europe," 1:3 million) is plenty detailed for itinerary planning. I use a Thomas Cook or East View rail map for planning train trips. For driving, I find an atlas more convenient, covering most of Europe at the same scale. The German auto club ADAC published a nice one, but so do Collins or AA (1:900,000 with English legends) or Michelin, or Marco Polo.
I'm doing a similar route this summer too.
-Vienna to Athens, via the Adriatic coast.
I'm doing some broad planning with the computer from home, and discovered a few things:
-Streetview is great for deciding what sort of roads you want to ride on.
-https://maps.here.com/?map=46.16337,24.26012,6,normal is better in some ways than google maps because it allows more waypoints.
it was much cheaper than buying the individual maps. - this was pre smartphone though.
-This site is pretty handy: http://www.opencyclemap.org/
I'll pretty much just wing it once I get there. No fixed plans.
It's good to have a paper map for conversation - not just to help with directions, but telling people where you've been over a beer too.
And FYI that map is here. The rest of the maps are here. I would buy one before getting to the area because there is a big markup at all the shops.
Also The Cicerone guides to the area are really useful. We got the one in the link and the one for the Alpine Pass Route (which we ended up not doing in favor of a modified route earlier and the modification on the map I linked).
If you’re looking for nature related resources, I’d recommend this book!
Backroad Mapbook Cottage Country Ontario https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1926806379/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_I-VEAbE8YPMQB
Well, like I say, the first thing would be to be flexible. Try not to make definite plans. You really could get here and the weather will be fine. Or it could be a complete shitstorm throughout the state. It could be soaking wet at the coast and snowing in the Cascades. So all I can do is tell you my favorite spots in the state, and you'll have to check when you get here and see
One thing to do is get an Oregon atlas.
http://www.amazon.com/Benchmark-Oregon-Road-Recreation-Atlas/dp/092959150X
This is not just a detailed map (which you will need if you go into the back countrty), but also lists a lot of campgrounds. Unfortunately, you have a government shutdown that might continue, so you might not be able to get Forest Service maps at the BLM offices around the state. If they're open by the time you get here, you should do that too.
With that, here are my favorites:
"It's a terrible time of year to go camping, but you never know," said my other half, when I mentioned this thread. Note that a "primitive campground" has no facilities of any kind. Pack it in, pack it out. Bury your poop.
Once again, Google the campgrounds with yurts and cabins. The state of Oregon has a good website that lists state parks and campgrounds. Finally, don't be the sort of dummy who goes out to these places without equipment, supplies, or common sense. Sorry to keep saying that, but it happens all the time out here and people get sick of it.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. After some more googling, this looks like a good option. Too bulky for a handlebar bag, but I could photocopy the pages I need (old school).
http://www.amazon.com/California-Road-Recreation-Atlas-Benchmark/dp/0929591496/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
I was persuaded by this negative review:
> I've enjoyed the Benchmark atlases for years [...] but don't care for the new one. [...] Benchmark has now included so much detail -- every tiny stream, for example -- that it's hard to read.
Bingo! Anybody used this series?
Buy one of these. The spiral bound is much better.
I spent 8 years in the medical field. I feel your pain. Be prepared to work 60 hours per week, schedule will not be reliable.