A Good Map

In my travels, I've found that there really is no substitute for a good map. A physical map. Something made of paper and ink. Something that doesn't rely on batteries, a power supply, an Internet connection, or a satellite. A GPS is handy in many situations, but if one wants to wander down country roads a detailed physical map is a must -- and a state road atlas is even better.

For Texas, the best one I've found is Mapsco The Roads of Texas (ISBN 13: 978 0 7625 6833 8). I picked up my copy locally at One Map Place in Carrolton, TX for $21.95. It can also be found at the publisher's site -- Universal Map. Oddly enough, there isn't currently a reasonable offering for it on Amazon. This spiral-bound pot of gold shows all the roads in Texas, from the interstates to the dirt roads that one might mistake for a tractor trail if not for the sign with the county road number. Best of all, it actually names all of them. It doesn't offer great detail in the urban areas, however. If you need detail for the suburbs of DFW or Houston, you'd be better served with a city-specific road atlas -- or put the old GPS to work.

The DeLorme Texas Atlas & Gazetteer is also quite good, and while it shows all the county roads, it doesn't name all of them (at least in my 2005 edition). I have also used DeLorme's New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer with very good results.