I recently road-tripped with some friends to western Maryland for a wonderful weekend of boating.
I did not drive and so all of my maps were left in my car. I was not worried because everyone had been to the area in the past and most of our group had smart phones. The smart phones were a wonderful tool as long as the reception was good, but trouble came several times when we had no service. This reinforced my belief that when road tripping or going to a new place, the following resources can supplement your GPS and make your trip go smoothly:
1. I currently use a Rand-McNally Road Atlas for the big picture. One of my next purchases will be the The National Geographic Road Atlas Adventure Addition. This pretty, fun to read, and well constructed atlas is a step up from the standard.
2. A state specific Gazetteer by DeLorme will show all the back roads and secondary roads that you may use on the shuttle.
3. The Trails Illustrated maps can sometimes give you valuable information about camping facilities and other activities in addition to helping you locate the your river access points.
4. Other maps such as locally made maps and U.S. Forest Service Maps can also be helpful.
In addition, when I get home I often draw a map of the shuttle for a new run. Last week, I went to the West Fork of the Tuckasegee for the first time. On my map I showed the put in, the take out, gage location, shuttle route with landmarks, and some notes on the level. This way, if I do not return for a long time, I can quickly refresh myself on the logistics of the run. An added bonus is that making the map helps to solidify the information about the run in my head.
