They are from the U.S. Have you ever tried to use a U.S. map for anything than the highway system? I've biked in Westchester County, NY and further upstate, using the Hagstrom maps, trying to avoid the main roads. Lots of roads on these maps are nonexistent (or no longer existent?), or are private roads, with no indication on the map. On one occasion, I even took a road through the West Point base (no indication on the map that it was a military road), as the alternative would have been a long way away.

There's a rumour that the maps are kept intentionally inaccurate, to catch copyright violations, but I've no idea if there is any truth to that.

poemless:

Which is not to say you can't get lost elsewhere in America,

heh, it's the freeways that used to confuse me in the states, they only let you see the nearby destinations, and the geographical direction ie Highway 501 N, but never the long haul directions or big cities/landmarks that i find helpful in other countries.

poemless:

I have few talents so I don't mind bragging about those I have - have an internal compass that almost never fails me.  I almost envy people who can get truly lost by their own doing and stay that way for any period of time.

i'm the total opposite, get lost as if by destiny in all possible situations, the good news, many of the most beautiful spots i've found ware fruit of getting lost, so now i try and relax and enjoy it, and if it's for work, i leave extra early so i arrive unstressed.

i envy some people whose sense of orientation is uncanny. i was moved around a lot as a kid, and have noticed a correlation between strong orientation skills and being raised in one place, where confidence in one's navigation skills starts early and is strengthened by repetition, building confidence, which then helps to sharpen the instinct even further.

still gathering data on that... anyone else want to share if they were raised in one place and have good sense of direction, or vice-versa?


'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty