Author Topic: Looking for the original maps and books  (Read 6183 times)

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Offline m610

Looking for the original maps and books
« on: July 23, 2023, 01:42:33 am »
In 1979 I purchased the whole set of maps and guides from Bikecentennial and set out from Goldsboro, NC for Sacramento, CA. Obviously, I did not need nor use all of them, and unfortunately, the ones I did use have been lost. I mailed each back home when I no longer needed them, and after that, they disappeared.

Now, 40-some years later, I am typing up my journal entries, and for the sections where I had no journal, I am reconstructing my trip from memory, which surprisingly, has not been difficult.

The difficult part has been retracing my route. For the purposes of what I am writing, I don't need to include the details of my route, but I'd like to. Plus, being able to zoom in on the terrain or town helps jog the memory. Google Maps has been helpful, but there are sections where what I remember and what I see on Google Maps do not agree. In these cases, being able to see the Bikecentennial guides I had with me would help greatly.

The part of my ride that I am working on now is from Modoc, IL to Springfield, MO. I well remember riding through those mountains, which were probably in the Mark Twain National Forest. I also remember camping along that route. But I don't know for sure which road I took or where I camped. I do remember that there was a stream and a waterfall at the campground, and kids were jumping 10-15 feet into the pool below. The only campground I see on Google Maps is nowhere near water and waterfalls.

I remember staying at the Lazy Louie Bicycle Camp and talking to Louie for quite a bit. Anyway, so I have that point on my route reconstruction, but the hilly part that came before, and the campground, elude me.

After Springfield I rode through Kansas, starting with Pittsburg, then heading north for a bit, then west. I met the ??? in Sterling and stayed in the dorm at the college that night. After that it was west on a really deserted highway, then riding an amazing 155 miles that day before rolling into Garden City, made possible by an early start and for once, light winds. I'm sure you remember the winds in Kansas if you were traveling east-to-west.

I'm still trying to reconstruct my route through western Kansas, and being able to see the original maps would help greatly.

I can't find the original guides on eBay or Amazon. Does anyone know where I can get copies?

Thanks, Mike

P.S. The photo is of me in Crossville, TN. I had just crossed into the central time zone.

Offline m610

Re: Looking for the original maps and books
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2023, 02:06:17 am »
Correction: "I met the McMurphys in Sterling and stayed in the dorm at the college that night. "

Offline m610

Re: Looking for the original maps and books
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2023, 08:44:14 am »
Here (attached) is the map of my route from NC to CA, as best as I can figure from my notes and memories. NC to IL is from my journal. CO to CA is from a recap I wrote soon after I landed in CA and it includes my route hitch-hiking after injuring myself trying to get over Monarch Pass. The middle third was difficult to reconstruct but I'm pretty sure I got it right. I have clear memories of certain towns, so I mostly just connected those dots.

Mike