Sure, "Getting Lost is Half the Fun," But...

I read an article this morning which said that the state of Georgia has dropped nearly 500 small towns from their official state map. The reason given was that they want to remove the clutter from the map, making it easier to read. Towns with populations fewer than 2,500 were simply erased.

Now, I don't know about you, but the next time I'm touring Georgia on my motorcycle, I'm not going to be looking on the map for places like Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, and so on -- cities I could easily find by following major highways and interstates. I'm going to be looking for little hole-in-the-wall places like Bogart (pop. 118), Eden (pop. 750), Experiment (pop. 2400), Isle of Hope (pop. 1200), Mountain City (pop. 829), and Doerun (pop. 828) -- well, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. I'm going to be visiting burgs you can only find by following roads like Booger Holler Pass and Maybe You Ought To Turn Back While You Still Can Lane. (Yeah, I made up those roads, but the towns are real.)

So what. It's just Georgia, right? But what if other states follow suit? What if Oklahoma decides its maps are too cluttered?

Any true adventure rider will tell you that you never experience the essence of a place unless you immerse yourself in its backroads where the culture and heritage of the communities shine brightest. The old guy behind the counter of the little Mom and Pop gas station not only owns the place, but probably helped his father build it. He can tell you about all his neighbors, about the year the courthouse burned down, about the community center they built the year before last, about how Mabel down at the post office makes the finest brownies known to mankind. On these less-traveled byways, you'll meet people who aren't afraid to walk up to you with a smile and an extended hand. They'll want to know where you're going, if you need anything, and "Hey, what type of motorcycle is that?" They'll be genuinely please that you avoided the four-lane and the Walmart Superstore and visited their small town.

What does it say about a state that doesn't want to promote these rural communities? A state that doesn't value its history and culture?

Just one of many rural communities that could vanish from Oklahoma's maps if ODOT's mapmakers decide to follow Georgia's lead.

Fortunately, Rand McNally, North America's biggest commercial mapmaker, has said that they are not going to follow Georgia's example. "Our criteria for keeping towns on the map is not just population," said Joel Minster, the company's chief cartographer. "We won't take a town off the map if we can confirm there's still a landmark, even if there are no people there." The mapmaker generally deals with clutter by varying the size and style of the print on its maps.

Endless skies of blue, clean air, and grain silos -- just a few of the treats waiting for you off the beaten path.

Next time you're traveling through Georgie, skip the free maps at the welcome center and go with Rand McNally's. Better yet, stop in at the welcome center and let them know why you won't be using their map.

Ask any adventure rider; he'll tell you that true adventure lies off the beaten path, along the rural byways, through rustic towns whose culture, heritage, and history still seep from every pavement stone and crumbling cornice.

Will Oklahoma eventually follow Georgia's example? I sent the following email to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation:

Good morning. I saw a recent article about the state of Georgia dropping hundreds of towns from their official state map due to small population numbers in those towns (the article cited any town with less than 2,500 persons). The reason they are doing this is simply to make the map less cluttered and easier to read. It seems to me that a simpler solution would be to make maps with different font faces, larger surfaces, and perhaps multiple sheets.

As an avid traveler in Oklahoma, I know the real pleasure in traveling comes from following Oklahoma's rural byways and visiting these small, unheard of, and often forgotten communities. I'd hate to see them dropped off Oklahoma's official maps. Anyone can travel the major highways and interstates that connect a state's major cities, but to understand the history of an area and to truly experience that state's culture and people, you must leave the well-trodden paths. Without accurate maps, fewer and fewer travelers will be able to accomplish this ... which I find sad.

Please assure me that ODOT mapmakers have no plans to follow Georgia's lead on this.

Thank you for your time.

I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer. Meanwhile, get out and explore. Interact. Live.