Customer Reviews

Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Just back from nine-day trip from Chicago to Southern California on Route 66. This set of maps was our main guide to The Mother Road. Artwork seems crude, but when you get out there and start driving you'll find that it's generally sufficient, and when you get in trouble (translation: Lost, it happens to all of us sometimes!) the written description is enough to get you back on track!

Throughout my 10 year interest in Route 66, I've read just about every guidebook there is that will get you from Chicago to Santa Monica. Hands down, Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series is not only the best bang for your buck, but it's also the most accurate. Sure, fancy slick pages with nice color photos are nice to look at in most guidebooks on the market, but they won't do you much good when they misdirect you. Jim & Jerry have created the standard all guidebooks should follow.

Easy to read, wonderfully artistic and simple to fold to boot, The Route 66 Map Series makes navigating the old road a Sunday drive in the park. Each individual state map contains detailed written directions broken into sections--as well as an encapsulated history of the Mother Road in that particular state. Pen-and-ink master Jerry McClanahan fills the maps with drawings of classic 66 icons like the Capistrano Courts and the Lone Yucca Motel signs. My nomination for the Series' best feature: The maps include modern-day Interstate exit numbers so you can join or leave Route 66 at your leisure--indispensable when you're motoring west on a schedule.

These are maps of route 66 as it presently exists;however, they are not very helpful (lacking details) for someone taking the trip. Much better to buy ROUTE 66:EZ GUIDE FOR TRAVELORS by the same authors of the maps. I recently bought both and took the trip with my wife this month of October 2007. The maps just stayed in the glovebox. The book is head and shoulders above the maps.

Ross & McClanahan have hit upon just the right mix of "can't miss the next turn" accuracy and "hey let's go there" completeness. The Mother Road beckons and there is no better scaled-down representation of it to guide your journey of exploration than their Map Series.

The Series consists of eight large maps, one for every state Route 66 graces. Each map portrays the road, its varied paths holding unique sights to savor, and complete directions in plain English to find them all.

Do not be misled by the "16 pages (April 15, 1994)" statement here at amazon.com. Ross & McClanahan have done their roadwork over the years, culminating in an updated year 2000 version. And the fold-out maps are the size of four 8.5 x 11 inch pages; convenient and handy for the driver/navigator. I travel with two sets: one remains in the car for ready access on the road and the other visits with me in the motel at night, there to remind me of the day's treasures and to help me plan for tomorrow's.

One map for each state, complete and accurate, up-to-date for 2000. You could easily spill the cost in pocket change behind your car seats squirming around with an inaccurate Route 66 text, or waste the same amount burning gasoline following poor directions. It is all unnecessary, because Ross & McClanahan have created the ideal Route 66 Swiss army knife, and Here It Is!

Well, I see Amazon says there are 16 PAGES in this "book," but the REAL deal is that there is a separate fold out map for each state Route 66 passed through. I love that old road, but there is just no way Rand McNally (or others) are going to show you Route 66. It was de-certified in 1985 so as far as road maps are concerned it ceased to exist. DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT! 80% of that wonderful old road is still out there to be enjoyed. These maps tell the story in words and pictures . . . don't leave home without them.

Last year me and a friend rode Route 66 on our Vespa scooters. There is no way we could have followed the old road without it. The directions are easy to follow, and the drawings are nice to look at. The only thing I would change is to add directions for some of the lesser known alignments listed, such as the nine foot wide sections in Oklahoma. I guess that would take up too much room though. A group of my friends and I are doing 66 on scooters again this year. I have told each person particiating to get a copy of this map set. You should too, if you plan to drive or ride Route 66.

I used a combination of guides & maps on my first full-length trip on Route 66. I was not at all familiar with any area where Route 66 is located, and hadn't taken a trip of that length before. With my then-12 year old daughter in tow (not the best navigator at the time!), I wanted to have as much help as possible.

I had several books, one of which was a turn-by-turn, mile-by-mile guide. It was certainly in-depth (and "mostly" accurate), but the driver really can't use it safely alone - unless you want to pull over constantly, you absolutely need a navigator willing to keep their nose in the book most of the trip. My daughter read alot of it, but there were times it was a bit cumbersome to read the detailed directions. In a few cases, I discovered there were typos, mistakes or inaccuracies. One direction in the book caused us to veer very far off track, because at a particular fork in the road, it didn't specify which road to take. Since the natural curve of the road suggested going to the left, it "seemed" that direction would have been 66 and the deliberate turn off would not have been. Alas, it was not so. I double-checked the "Here it Is" map against the other guidebook, and in the Here it Is map, both the written directions and the map were much more clear and specified which way to go at that fork in the road. At that moment, I wish I'd had the Here it Is map in front of me, because I wouldn't have made that wrong turn. The maps were immediately placed beside me for the remainder of the trip!

I disagree with the previous reviews that the map series is "cartoony" in any negative connotation. Yes, it's simple, but it's well detailed (and accurate!!) enough to follow 66, even without the aid of a navigator. Perhaps it depends upon your expectations - no, it's not a Rand McNally map, so if you need to make side trips or otherwise stray from 66, by all means, have an atlas with you (which should be a must for any trip anyway). The Here it Is map series was made to help you follow alignments of Route 66 - and it does that job very well, very clearly and very **accurately!**

Don't travel 66 without it!

While these maps may not be the only tool you take with you on your route 66 trip I certainly would not leave home without them. I found the map series invaluable. The trip is a tricky one so make sure you have these maps in the glove box.

This map series is perfect for finding your way along Route 66, since the road's not always marked. Aside from the great directions, the artwork is also unique and fun.