Does the name Mercator mean anything to you? It should if you are between the ages of 60 – 90. They were found in all classrooms of that era – third or fourth grade through high school.

They are the selection of maps that every classroom had. The teacher had an array of maps with the countries. He/She would pull down the one that was needed for a lesson.

I recall using them during the Olympics to find the countries that were participating. By the time I taught sixth grade the maps were helplessly out of date. By then the Soviet Block was broken up and countries were renamed. The renaming has continued right up to the present.

In the good old days, if you wanted to travel, you consulted a map. The bigger highways were listed so you could accurately get to your destination. I traveled a lot with my mother and my grandparents. Our trusty map was with us. We made it from Dunkirk to Yellowstone National Park without a hitch.

My mother was usually the navigator. She read maps well and got us where we needed to go.

Nowadays children do not even know what maps are. They could not begin to map out your course for a trip like that. I recall a project I did in school where we followed Route 62 from the beginning to end. One group finished very quickly so I went to check. They followed the route until they got out of Pennsylvania and thought they were done. I assured them they had a long way to go.

Now they turn on the GPS or the computer link and the complete directions are read to you. If you go past your turn with about a hundred reminders, you get an alternate route to get you there.

I remember using a GPS to go to Berlin, OH. We had two cars. Each one had a GPS. Guess what? The routes were not the same.

Once we figured that out, we let one car be the lead car and the other one followed. I recall going down some back roads. My car was used to going the back roads, but unfortunately the other one was not. I figured she was going to kill me for getting her car dirty.

Once we got close to being back home all of us knew the way. Although it was snowing hard, we made our turns and arrived home safely.

If you are a member of the AAA, you can get your route from them. They will make you a Trip-Tik where you keep turning the pages. These are much handier than the old maps since you do not have to fold them. These were very handy because they were up to date with construction going on. They gave you an alternate route when necessary to avoid construction.

I do not own a GPS so I still rely on maps. I have a road atlas in my car. Of course, I do not travel as much anymore. When Don and I had to go to Pittsburgh for his 65-year Ironworkers pin, I had the AAA make up a route for us. The only drawback was they did not mark where the roads were closed for the baseball game. We found our destination, but we made many wrong turns. We intended to scope out the banquet facility and return to our hotel. By the time we got there, we stayed right where we were only returning to the hotel after the banquet.

The thing I remember about maps is that they were very difficult to fold back up once you opened them. I remember folding the map so we could see the portion we needed. The whole thing was large. It was impossible to follow with the whole thing opened up.

When Dick and I traveled, which was not often, I gave directions. I recall seeing the Atlantic Breeders Facility on our trip to Lancaster, PA, but could not see how to get there. Eventually, we stopped and I asked for directions. A kind gentleman got us there quickly and safely.

Has the GPS made travel easier? It is nice to have someone tell you exactly where to turn, but hearing the chatter is a nuisance. In the end, it is just another new contraption that we had to adjust to!

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.