Hi everybody! My name is Paul (not hard to guess). I like road maps, and I like drawing them too (not hard to guess either). I've been drawing my own designs of roadway systems and interchanges since I was 6. I decided when I was 14 that I wanted to visit/drive on every state highway in my home state of Illinois (not clinching, just touching). Adding a roadway to my collection entails taking a picture of a shield for that route (no big green highway signs allowed), and the IL collection was completed in ten years. Now I want to collect all the Interstates and US highways, as an impetus to go on cross-country road trips. I also like brainstorming about improvements/additions to the Interstate highway system.
Long story short, I have a lot of reasons to be here, all of those reasons are nerdy, and I think being nerdy is awesome. Looking forward to hanging out here!
Welcome from Massachusetts!
Welcome from Alabama, Paul!
Welcome to AARoads from snowy St. Louis, Missouri!
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From a fellow cartographer, welcome to the forum! Used to hand draw maps when I was young as well, not so much since college though (where I would sometimes doodle interchanges and small maps in the margin of my notebooks).
Welcome from greater Cincinnati!!
Welcome from southeast Missouri!
Welcome from plowed Winnipeg!
Greetings from drizzly Seattle!
Hello from cold Pennsylvania!
Quote from: Alex on February 11, 2016, 04:35:26 PM
From a fellow cartographer, welcome to the forum! Used to hand draw maps when I was young as well, not so much since college though (where I would sometimes doodle interchanges and small maps in the margin of my notebooks).
Can definitely relate to the doodling of road map stuff in my notebooks in school, instead of paying attention haha
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone!
Curious why a guy from Illinois has a Vermont route shield as his avatar...
Welcome. You're certainly in the right place.
I've drawn maps since I was probably about 6 also, and still do today. The various computer programs and games just aren't the same thing as actually putting pencil to paper, at least for me. I don't think my wife completely understands it, but then I don't think anyone in my family ever did either. I don't know that I completely understand it. It's a weird drive.
Quote from: froggie on February 15, 2016, 07:30:34 AM
Curious why a guy from Illinois has a Vermont route shield as his avatar...
Pahaha I thought that would throw some people off. I figured I would use a shield from the last big road trip I took. As of today, that last big road trip was to New England to see some fall Colors in October. I could have chosen one from NH, ME, NY, CT, RI, or MA, but VT is the only shield with any color to speak of so I chose that one. When I fly to WA/OR in March I may choose to replace my picture with a sign from there :D