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Long time travel mapper and county collector

Started by bejacob, June 18, 2015, 09:04:33 AM

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bejacob

I'm pleased to join this forum as I have been tracking my travels on U.S. highways and roads for nearly 40 years. The web has made the task much easier, but I still maintain my trusty road atlas where I highlight the routes I've traversed. Every few years I buy a new atlas to keep up with new routes and it always takes a while to copy over the information from the previous one.

I'm also a county collector. My twist on the hobby obsesion is that I mail a postcard home from each county seat documenting the date and time of my visit. I'm nearing the halfway point, which I think is moderately impressive given that I've only been serious about it for the last 4 years. Any counties or county seats I visited before I began collecting postcards are marked with different colors on my county collecting map http://mob-rule.com/user-gifs/bejacob.gif.

Again, I'm pleased to join this group.

-Brian


froggie

Welcome to the forum.  There are a fair number of travel mappers and county collectors here as well, though a few of us have "looser" rules when it comes to the county collecting.

Regarding travel mapping, I'm assuming you're the same bejacob that's on CHM.  Given that the CHM owner has all but disappeared over the past year, there's a group of us who are working on reinvigorating the website, using this forum as a base.

bejacob

Thanks froggie.

I am the same bejacob from CHM and I have seen some of the discussion about reinvigorating the website. I'm not sure if I will be able to help as I'm not a technical person, but I am excited to see things happening and will help if I can.

As for county collecting rules, the fact that we can all make our own is part of what makes it fun.

SignGeek101


hotdogPi

Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

bejacob

Thanks for the welcomes from Massachusetts and Winnipeg.

Now I just need to figure out how I want to participate. For me county and highway/route collecting is almost always a solitary activity. My friends and family don't enjoy driving a different route just so I can add a new line to my map.

Still, I imagine as I read more of what's here, I'll find topics where I can add my two cents. In the meantime, the road awaits.

Rothman

Yeah, my family wouldn't put up with me just driving around clinching roads and counties, either.  However, we all do at least like going out on road trips to see new places -- sightseeing.  I know William Least Heat-Moon said something like there's something worth seeing in every county in the United States and I tend to agree with that.  There are over 400 sites managed by the National Park Service, for instance.  Add in the BLM and USFS sites and the options increase exponentially.  For the most part, state parks were not designated on whims, either.

So, there's lots of stuff to see out there; just make achieving your county and road clinching goals a big side effect of seeing all of it.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

bejacob

Quote from: Rothman on June 20, 2015, 10:41:42 AMSo, there's lots of stuff to see out there; just make achieving your county and road clinching goals a big side effect of seeing all of it.

That's how I started. Now many of my trips are planned with the sole purpose of collecting more counties. As for clinching more roads, I only go a little out of my way to make that happen, so there's still hope.  ;-)

As my grandfather (who began collecting counties in the 1940s) said, "I love to travel, but it's more fun when I have a destination in mind." Of course this came from the man who drove every mile of federal, state, and county highway in Wisconsin just because they were there. I guess it's in my DNA.

sipes23

Quote from: bejacob on June 20, 2015, 09:54:34 AM
My friends and family don't enjoy driving a different route just so I can add a new line to my map.

I feel your pain. Welcome to the forum.



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