Who remembers how to read a road map?

I do, I do!

I learned when I was about 8 or 9. I would sometimes travel with my father, and he would hand me the folded road map and ask me to tell him when we reached certain checkpoints. I could still do it today. In fact, I’d rather have one of those on hand than try to navigate with a phone.

There’s a thick book of local street maps in the trunk of my car, even though a lot of the streets and connections have changed since I bought it. I still have atlases and paper maps of foreign cities in my library.

As long as your map is up to date with streets in Santa Monica, I can do it. Although I’d much rather navigate while someone else drives.

It’s Boston Common, by the way. No S.

I could get there, yes! I have always been a cartophile and still prefer to use an atlas and maps over GPS. I don’t quite trust the disembodied voice.

Road trip!!! I’ll load a really big Sack O’ Snax!

No problem. Would likely crank I-80 west most of the way. Could even give your a reasonable eta window for arrival.

As good as ever which was not very good. (The damned print is too small!)

I probably wouldn’t even know which way to hold it. So that’s a big no from me. (peaking at my GPS)

I use road maps to make simple strip maps for EZ reference to get to unfamiliar places.
First step in using a map is to orient the map. Also dead reckoning and a comped can be helpful.

I still use them! My Atlas has notes for where to stop along the highways for food and bathroom breaks.

On long road trips we often stop at the welcome center for a road map. The old fashioned fold up kind.

GPS is sometimes wrong, it sometimes doesn’t work, and it doesn’t give you a perspective of a large area and what’s where like a big map.

Edit: @gondwanalon What do you mean orient the map? You mean turn it so it’s in front of you the direction you’re moving?

I still use road maps to plan a journey as they give me a better overall impression of the route than any digital source.

Yes, my grandfather always had tons of maps and drove everywhere. No problem here.

Of course.

I haven’t read one since 1994, but I think I still could.

It was 50 years ago (Feb, 73) that I drove from Santa Monica (just north of the pier) to Boston.

From there I followed my ex-Navy friend to his house in Hopkinton, which is basically the Marathon route.

Actually, we didn’t need a map.

The guy I picked up in Santa Monica gave me directions to the eastbound 10.
Then we just followed the 10 until we saw signs for Atlanta.
From there we followed the signs until we found the northbound 95.

I do, but I lost my driver’s license from failing a dementia test by one point. So I would have to walk.

On the return trip, we went west through Buffalo, and then down through Erie, PA.
In Erie, I bought a set of studded snow tires, which I only used once.
Without them, I had to slow down to 15 MPH to change lanes. With them, I was able do so at a supersonic 45 MPH!

Eventually, we wound up on the Chuck Berry Freeway, AKA good ol’ Route 66.
IIRC, 66 ends in Santa Monica where it meets route 1.

@JLeslie Orienting the map is just turning the map so that it matches the actual terrain (the streets or terrain features on the map match the streets and terrain features on the ground).

If the map has north, south, east and west indicated then you can use a compass to help orient the map.

Wow, @Brian1946, you made the exact trip detailed in the question! I wish I could give bonus points for that.

Excellent! I can read a map like the back of my hand. Whats GPS? ha!

@Jeruba I guess this is a case of 3 GMTA. ;)

@gondwanalon I always hold my map with north pointing up/ahead no matter which direction I’m driving. When I first started using gps it was horrible for me when the setting would spin around always in the direction I’m driving. I’m used to it now, I can do it either way, but a paper maybe I would always point north.

@JLeslie whatever works for you is good. That’s doesn’t work for me. If I’m facing south then I’ll orient the map so that south on the map is facing the same way I’m facing. If I’m facing east then the map will also be aligned in the east direction. If I’m facing south west then … you get the idea.

Yes. They are needed when we travel to northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Cell service is shoddy up there and not reliable.

I try.

But the plot is sort of hard to follow, and the ending sort of leaves me hanging.

I mean, yes, of course. Before GPS apps rendered them useless I had an entire library of maps of various counties in my state. I had road atlases in every car. I was very map proficient.

▲Uh oh- apparently the geo whiz has drawn a blank! ▲ Probably got high, and then tried to read a Mobius stip map, to find his way back home to Nowheresville. ;p

WMTA: Wasted MInds Think Alone.

I use an atlas…...no gps. So, yes, I am very capable when it comes to maps. Some people seemed surprised that I drove from Washington state to South Florida using an atlas and never turned on the radio. I listened a little to book on tape but I mostly drove in silence, not on interstates much of the time. It was a very very good experience…..pure time….we need that yet hardly ever have it. Very healing.

Yes, definitely.

Would rather have a physical map for a long road trip. Otherwise you’re going to hit spots where your GPS doesn’t work and then you’re screwed.

Yep! I love them. I have several in my car. They help you see the big picture. When i ride with my grandson I show him where we are on the map. He can draw on them to remember where our houses are located.

They are also useful in a disaster. They can be a blanket, sun shield, insulation inside your clothes, or even become fire starter.

Yeah, our interstate system is easy to navigate. I still have a glovebox full of maps. Don’t use them as much but still have them. Back in the day I used to have to pull coordinates off topo maps.

I remain excellent at reading maps.

I do.

I do. I used to use them on a regular basis when travelling before digital maps and directions. However, I might only need it to get from Boston Commons to I-90. From there I know most of the route from memory. It’s I-90 to I-290 in Chicago, I-55 Chicago to St. Louis, I-44 to Oklahoma City, I-40 to California, then follow the “Old US 66” signs or dig out the map for the last few miles through LA.

And here it is, April 5, the day for celebrating this skill!

https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/reading-a-road-map-lost-art/?fbclid=IwAR0DqwhCeTQ5C8PHtif-6Nxkp9RBPf7sUBxTVi7yfmq6E3l7TKBjuaZ7j9k

I have found that young people cannot read analog clocks either.

@Blackwater_Park Nor script handwriting.