Maps on line

MapQuest is one of the easiest to use sources of street maps and directions on the Internet. The only problem I have ever had with them is that they often get lost in the details. Their directions will usually get you where you want to go, but they may take the "scenic" route. I have had a set of directions tell me to travel three miles north to get onto a highway that will carry me south past the starting point--which was less than a quarter mile from an entrance to that same highway--if I had gone south on a local road.

I will, on occasion, use them to get a general idea of how far it is from point A to point B. I will even use them if I have a street address as my destination or if I want maps of a town or city without buying a larger atlas. I do like the Rand McNally road atlases for longer trips where The Navigator needs to see the broader picture. On a state only basis, the old Esso maps were the best. Unfortunately, they aren't available any more. In fact, few gas companies continue to produce road maps. If I want just one state in a book, the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer series not only give you the roads but the topography as well. You can tell if your supposed to be going up that hill or down. Even tiny dirt roads are mapped as is the vegetative cover. They are super.