Truly loved this post. I spent a summer externship tasked with digging through boxes and boxes of Grand Canyon National Park artifacts, to help construct a timeline of the park’s boundaries. The experience made me realize maps are anything but stagnant. And as a river guide in Grand Canyon I “lived” by my river map. Little wonder I named my chocolate company Map Chocolate. Can’t stop thinking about centerlines now! thank you for this beautiful post.
I'm so glad you appreciated Courtney's post, Mackenzie. Your externship sounds fascinating, especially given your strong connection with the park and the river that runs through it. I, too, have been thinking about centerlines as I've been traveling these past two weeks. As I've criss-crossed geographic boundaries to be with people important to me, the obvious centerlines seem to be love or family but could just as well be change or loss.
I've always loved paper maps - I pored over them as a child; loved the National Geographic maps of all kinds, especially historical ones, bird migration maps, etc. I thrill to the creative ways they are folded; love the colors. Wanted to be a cartographer until I found out how much math I'd need to use. Got a part of this wish when I worked in publishing with the Economist Intelligence Unit on an Atlas of Europe in the 70s. Love ancient maps too. One of the losses of my life was the theft of my car when my AAA maps of driving across the USA, all annotated, disappeared from the car. I had used those maps as a diary. Paper maps and atlases focus my longing to travel. I find on line maps extremely frustrating, difficult to control, subject to bandwidth concerns and awkward. On the other hand, the focus in feature in Google Maps is brilliant.
I am feeling vicariously the loss of your AAA maps/travel journal and diary. I wonder if whoever stole the car ever understood or appreciated what they represented? Maybe we can imagine the thief discovering the maps and using them to find an unexpected path of their own. I, too, love paper and the art of old maps. I'm amazed that you were permitted to take the maps home from the college libraries to use as art!
Also, going to the Map Room at Dartmouth College Libraries was a unique thrill: I could take old maps home, explore with them and then make them into collages or wallpaper or wrapping paper. Wonderful.
When I was a young woman, my best friend worked making maps for USGS. I loved maps, especially world maps and globes, as I longed to travel the world. When I was working in the 90s, I traveled all over the country, having to fly into one place, drive to another, etc. I loved the Hertz maps of the cities I flew into, and collected them for years. But I was born with an excellent sense of direction and have never been lost, not even in Venice. I've been turned around a couple of times in my life, enough to make me appreciate how frightening that can be.) But I think GPS apps are great, and am glad they make our lives easier.
Thank you so much for sharing this excerpt. I love reading about travelers' experiences, and this one is unique. Also, for me, relatable as I traveled for work. That type of traveling allows you to sight see, but is not like vacation. I'm looking forward to the finished book!
I'm looking forward to this book too, Sandra, both for a deeper understanding of how maps are made and for the ways in which our internal sense of where we are in the world is affected by where we find ourselves or where we dream of going.
All so very interesting. Since I am from Tucson, the mapping gal has quite a background. Loved her thoughts on our community. Thank you for sharing all this news!
Love this. It made me think of the book "Out of the Woods: A Memoir of Wayfinding" by Lynn Darling. It's a look at midlife through the lens of maps and navigation, among other things. Worth the read.
Truly loved this post. I spent a summer externship tasked with digging through boxes and boxes of Grand Canyon National Park artifacts, to help construct a timeline of the park’s boundaries. The experience made me realize maps are anything but stagnant. And as a river guide in Grand Canyon I “lived” by my river map. Little wonder I named my chocolate company Map Chocolate. Can’t stop thinking about centerlines now! thank you for this beautiful post.
I'm so glad you appreciated Courtney's post, Mackenzie. Your externship sounds fascinating, especially given your strong connection with the park and the river that runs through it. I, too, have been thinking about centerlines as I've been traveling these past two weeks. As I've criss-crossed geographic boundaries to be with people important to me, the obvious centerlines seem to be love or family but could just as well be change or loss.
I've always loved paper maps - I pored over them as a child; loved the National Geographic maps of all kinds, especially historical ones, bird migration maps, etc. I thrill to the creative ways they are folded; love the colors. Wanted to be a cartographer until I found out how much math I'd need to use. Got a part of this wish when I worked in publishing with the Economist Intelligence Unit on an Atlas of Europe in the 70s. Love ancient maps too. One of the losses of my life was the theft of my car when my AAA maps of driving across the USA, all annotated, disappeared from the car. I had used those maps as a diary. Paper maps and atlases focus my longing to travel. I find on line maps extremely frustrating, difficult to control, subject to bandwidth concerns and awkward. On the other hand, the focus in feature in Google Maps is brilliant.
I am feeling vicariously the loss of your AAA maps/travel journal and diary. I wonder if whoever stole the car ever understood or appreciated what they represented? Maybe we can imagine the thief discovering the maps and using them to find an unexpected path of their own. I, too, love paper and the art of old maps. I'm amazed that you were permitted to take the maps home from the college libraries to use as art!
well, the ones I took home were discared after new ones arrived for the library.
Also, going to the Map Room at Dartmouth College Libraries was a unique thrill: I could take old maps home, explore with them and then make them into collages or wallpaper or wrapping paper. Wonderful.
yes! I adored going there!
When I was a young woman, my best friend worked making maps for USGS. I loved maps, especially world maps and globes, as I longed to travel the world. When I was working in the 90s, I traveled all over the country, having to fly into one place, drive to another, etc. I loved the Hertz maps of the cities I flew into, and collected them for years. But I was born with an excellent sense of direction and have never been lost, not even in Venice. I've been turned around a couple of times in my life, enough to make me appreciate how frightening that can be.) But I think GPS apps are great, and am glad they make our lives easier.
Thank you so much for sharing this excerpt. I love reading about travelers' experiences, and this one is unique. Also, for me, relatable as I traveled for work. That type of traveling allows you to sight see, but is not like vacation. I'm looking forward to the finished book!
I'm looking forward to this book too, Sandra, both for a deeper understanding of how maps are made and for the ways in which our internal sense of where we are in the world is affected by where we find ourselves or where we dream of going.
All so very interesting. Since I am from Tucson, the mapping gal has quite a background. Loved her thoughts on our community. Thank you for sharing all this news!
this sounds so good and right up my alley
Love this. It made me think of the book "Out of the Woods: A Memoir of Wayfinding" by Lynn Darling. It's a look at midlife through the lens of maps and navigation, among other things. Worth the read.
I am so intrigued--I will read it!
This book sounds really interesting, Lisa. Thank you for the rec.