Wednesday, April 1, 2020

A to Z Joy: Atlas

Welcome to the first day of the A to Z Challenge!

Though Atlas, the titan of Greek mythology, is a fascinating guy, my post today is about a different kind of atlas: a road atlas. It might seem like a silly thing to bring me joy, but even in this age of GPS navigation, I love having an atlas with me on a road trip. I don't use it to navigate that often; I really just like to see the entirety of the state I'm in--where I've been, where I'm going, and what might lie between.

The well-known atlas company Rand McNally dates back to the Chicago print shop William Rand opened in 1856. In 2018, the atlas celebrated 95 years of helping people get where they want to go. So this felt like an appropriate choice for the letter A, as we begin this month's journey together. And as an added bonus, an atlas is much easier to close than a road map!

Happy travels, all. Best of luck with A to Z!

(For more of the Rand McNally history, click here)




12 comments:

  1. A road trip just doesn't seem complete without an atlas on the floor of the car! Of course, I could see catching myself trying to zoom in as if I'm on Google maps.

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    1. Haha! It definitely requires a magnifying glass for zooming in!

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  2. OMG! Atlas lover here! The "big picture" is so important!
    Now I make collage books with AAA maps when I do road trips.
    Check out the entries in my Patreon blog:
    https://www.patreon.com/annembray

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    1. A collage book sounds like a fun idea! I love picking up maps from AAA.

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  3. An atlas is important during travels. We use the The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. It's helped us find our way many a time as the GPS doesn't always work in central and northern Maine. Weekends In Maine

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    1. That's a good point! I've run into that, too. Usually when I need it the most :-)

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  4. We call it a refedex :) And I still prefer my refedex to anything on a screen.

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    1. I have never heard that term before! Thanks for teaching me something new :-)

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  5. I love looking at an atlas, to get an idea of space and direction. And you are right, much better than trying to close a road map :D
    Happy A to Z!

    The Multicolored Diary

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    1. I am the kind of person who needs help with space and direction, that's for sure!

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  6. I think of an atlas as a thing of the past, but they are definitely still useful!

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