Today is Read A Road Map Day. A day for people to figure out how to actual use a map, and not rely on GPS or a phone to tell us how to get from one place to another.
I will admit, there are times I prefer an actual paper map. Mostly because I am used to them and comfortable with them. Most times, I can even fold them back up, which has long been a challenge for many people. And it’s not that hard.
It’s not that I don’t like GPS, but it’s not foolproof. There have been times GPS has wanted me to drive through water, since it had no concept of where the actual road might be. It has also led me down some pretty sketchy roads. Usually they pan out and I get where I’m going, but someone might want to explain to the GPS system that most people like roads that have been in use in the past half century or so. All roads are not created equal.
The first road map was supposedly the Turin Papyrus from around 1160, which showed the area around Thebes in Egypt. It’s really more of a topographical map since there weren’t a lot of highways in the area at that time. Another site claimed the first road map was the Britania Atlas from 1675. But I’m thinking both would be out of date by this time.
Which is really one of the big problems with printed maps. It doesn’t take long for them to be out of date.
But they are still a handy thing to know how to use. Just in case there is a glitch in the GPS system.
Today is a day meant to encourage the reading of actual road maps. Even take a trip using one for navigation. So take out an actual map and unfold it. Use it to go somewhere. Now fold it up again.
That’s not right. Try folding it again. Or maybe just ball it up and throw it in the back seat.