Benchmark Maps

Benchmark on the Lewis & Clark Trail in March

Admin — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:12:02 +0000

There are few greater fantasies in outdoor recreation than reliving the Lewis & Clark Trail. It spans the breadth of the United States and becomes more awe-inspiring the further west you go. This month Benchmark Maps will visit two highlights along the trail, Portland and Missoula. Please stop by our booths to discuss the latest in Benchmark products for the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

March 10-14 in Portland, Oregon:

Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL) Convention & Trade Show

March 23-24 in Missoula, Montana:

Great Rockies Sports Show

Here are two recreation highlights along the Lewis & Clark Trail:

Montana Road & Recreation Atlas – Recreation Page 21, Landscape Maps Pages 55-56

http://visitmt.com/listing/categories_NET/MoreInfo.aspx?IDRRecordID=2181&SiteID=1

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is offers year-round access to waterfalls, volcanic cliffs, lush forests and grasslands. Multnomah Falls is must see for anyone visiting this beautiful divide between Oregon and Washington.

Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas – Recreation Pages 14-15, Landscape Maps Pages 37-38

Have you visited Fort Peck or Columbia River Gorge? Post your stories and photos in our comments section below.

BONUS: View the latest from Montana photographers at http://visitmt.com/experiences/montana_extras/montana_photography/

Women’s Bike Essentials

Admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:58:50 +0000

My grandmother tells me the single most important thing you can have on a short ride or a weeklong tour is this: A bright neon yellow windbreaker. Everything else is second to being effectively protected from everything that comes at you on your ride with the visibility, breathability, and sun or rain protection afforded by this one item.

Here is our full rundown:

1. Windbreaker – Pearl Izumi Barrier Convertible Bike Jacket

2. Deep Cooling Bike Helmet – Giro Atmos

Easily adjusted on the move, stays where you put it, enough material to keep your head safe, plenty of vents to keep your head cool, this is a win all around!

3. Bike Jersey – 83 Sportswear, Inc. “Love in Paris”

Really, I haven’t had a jersey I didn’t like. Get it for the pocket and be sure the stitching is tight and you’re good to go.

4. Bike Tights – Novara Mezzo Capri

Just don’t wear yoga pants. They don’t stay rolled up. A comfortable pair of bike tights or shorts can make a big difference in your overall quality of experience. Try a few on to get the fit you like.

5. Shoes – Giro Sante Bike Shoes

For the most part, if you’re riding on a trail, you just need comfortable shoes with good support and socks. For street riders or racers – get something that gives you a little more support and clicks in nicely. As with shorts or tights: try several styles on to get the right fit.

6. Hydration – Camelbak

Don’t go for a ride without properly hydrating before, during, and after your adventure. Camelbak makes this easy, so no excuses. Stay hydrated!

7. Trail Map – Benchmark Atlas Map App for iPhone and iPad

Knowing where you are going is half the battle! Try our Map App with Recreation Guide for California, Oregon, and New Mexico.

http://www.benchmarkmaps.com/products-page/mobile-apps

Do you have gear that you love? Have you purchased the same item multiple times? We want to know about it! Drop a comment or visit us here:

Twitter: @BenchmarkMaps

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenchmarkMaps

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/benchmarkmaps/

Hidden Gems: Skip the lines and get straight to the action for winter 2013

Admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:06:14 +0000

Wolf Creek Ski Area – Located between Pagosa Springs and South Fork, Colorado

Colorado Road & Recreation Atlas Page 124, B2

Off of Highway 160 about a five hour ride from Denver in Southern Colorado, you’ll find a park with the most powder available in the state. Rarely will you find long lift lines, leaving more time for skiing in the average 464” of natural snowfall each year. Six miles of cross-country trails, 1,600 skiable acres, and runs for every skill level. You have got to see this hidden gem!

http://www.wolfcreekski.com/

Showdown – Neihart, Montana

Montana Road & Recreation Atlas Page 81, C7

One of the most family friendly ski areas in the Western United States. The snow will insulate you in cozy mountain heaven as you enjoy 34 trails, 3 chairlifts, two terrain parks and a 400 foot learning conveyor. An affordable package for learners, great rental options, and short or no lines bode well for families with a variety of ages and skill levels. Skip the lines and get straight to the action at Showdown!

http://www.showdownmontana.com/

Powder Mountain – Eden, Utah

Utah Road & Recreation Atlas Page 37, H10 & Page 90, C6

Consistently rated in the top 5 by SKI Magazine for Snow Quality, Powder Mountain has over 7,000 acres of skiable terrain and is Utah’s largest ski area and one of the largest in North America. On a busy day, the ratio of skier to snowy acres is 1:2. Basically, if you are close to Powder Mountain it would be a shame not to experience the terrain covered with 500 inches of pristine powder every season. They call themselves the “Snow Shangri-La” and that is no joke!

http://powdermountain.com/

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park – Mead, Washington

Washington Road & Recreation Atlas Page 65, H9

Mt. Spokane has a small cult following. There are whole communities of people who grew up learning to ski and snowboard on this mountain. The night skiing is fabulous and the sno-park has wonderful tubing and sledding opportunities. For some reason, most of the season this little mountain that could will boast short lines and open runs for all to enjoy. It still boggles the mind how accessible and beautiful this terrain is. It’s possible that with four mountain ranges, Washington just has so many opportunities for parks that it allows for many hidden gems such as Mt. Spokane!

http://www.mtspokane.com/home

12 Places to Play in the Snow with your Kids

Admin — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:05:19 +0000

1. Eagle Point – Beaver, Utah: http://www.skieaglepoint.com/content/tubing

Take the kiddos tubing down some of the longest runs in North America! A two-hour session is $15 and with the lift, you will be able to get a bunch of laughter-filled runs in before time runs out. Take along some friends and enjoy a group discount!

2. Canyons – Park City, Utah: http://canyonsresort.com/lodging_packages.html

Try something new with the Hot Deals at Canyons: 7 for 5 or the Family Adventure Special guarantee a good time at one of the newest parks in Utah. And when you are ready for a getaway adventure, there are some great specials for Mom and Dad, too!

3. Sasquatch Jib Park – Crystal Mountain, Washington: http://jibcrystal.com/
Do your kids love to snowboard? Wait until they see this! Rails, pole jams and more to try new tricks out and do some wild shredding! You will be amazed what they come up with at the park with just a little snow and imagination.

4. Mt. Shasta Ski Park – Mt. Shasta, California: http://skipark.com/

Children’s packages are available for all skill levels, from never having seen a slope to ‘skied since before birth’; both cross-country and downhill options are available on this 14,000 ft Mountain and kids under 12 get a big break on lift tickets and ski rentals.

5. Whitefish Mountain Resort – Whitefish, Montana: http://skiwhitefish.com/

Take the Amtrak train to Whitefish with the kids for skiing, snowmobile tours, sleigh rides, and great family deals for dining, sleeping, lift tickets, and renting skis and snowboards to take advantage of all that beautiful powder. The season is just ramping up at Whitefish.

6. Cooper Creek Square – Winter Park, Colorado: http://www.coopercreeksquare.com/index.php

Technically it’s not snow, but it IS a winter park! At Cooper Creek Square you can take the kids ice skating in the middle of a quaint little shopping area decked out with holiday lights and regularly visited by a variety of live entertainment acts. Do a little shopping or relax with your family and enjoy the view!

7. Mt. Bachelor – Bend, Oregon: http://www.mtbachelor.com/winter/index.html

Otter Mountain Childcare Center is state-licensed and offers care for children age 6 weeks to 12 years. There is a 2 hour ‘Little Rippers’ lesson for beginners age 3.5 to 5 years and snow school for kids age 3.5 and up – rentals included!

8. Brundage Mountain – McCall, Idaho: http://www.brundage.com/the-mountain/snow-sports-school/bears-for-kids/

Brundage Bears Kids Program offered daily for skiers age 5 to 11. Includes lunch and lift ticket! This is a long-standing tradition in Idaho and kids have options to fit every skill level. If you plan on spending some time on the mountain, check out the 5-Day Bears Select Card to save a little.

9. Science of Snow Week at Arizona Science Center – Phoenix, Arizona: http://www.azscience.org/

It’s snowing inside the science center! Themed activities, live demos, make snowflakes, and play in the snow. Learn how snow forms and what causes it to snow outside at the Arizona Science Center. Make it a habit and purchase a center membership to take advantage of future offerings. What will they come up with next?

10. Reno/Tahoe – Nevada and California: http://www.visitrenotahoe.com/

Snow play areas and Sno-parks abound near Reno and around Lake Tahoe. In Nevada these are somewhat informal and easy to attend and play – take a sled, toboggan, or inner tube and let ‘er rip. California has a Sno-Park program run by the state parks and rec department on their side of Lake Tahoe.

11. Ruidoso Winter Park – Alto, New Mexico: http://ruidosowinterpark.com/

Especially if you are coming from south of snow, this is a great place to take the kids to see it for the first time! Just let the kids watch the videos on the website, they’ll be begging you to take them.

12. Skiing, snow coach rides, ice skating, winter hiking – Cody, Wyoming: http://www.codywyomingnet.com/winter_recreation/

Wyoming is full of gorgeous National parks and wilderness areas and Cody, Wyoming is a star for this show. Kids can ski, snowmobile, snowshoe, ride in a snow coach, ice skate, and take a winter hike in this beautiful snow-covered landscape.

Playing in a Winter Wonderland for the Holidays

Admin — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:18:52 +0000

With the holidays upon us, we couldn’t be happier with the current weather systems! It’s going to be a White Christmas in the Western United States. The Rockies received a big weather system that dumped over a foot of snow on almost every ski and snow recreation area available. The coast, especially in Washington received record amounts of snow as well

– Mt. Hood Meadows tops that list with 19“ on Thursday the 20th! The mountain will be open this weekend after trees that couldn’t bear the load of snow are cleared from the roads.

Here’s some video footage from On The Snow:

^{http://youtu.be/aZ3RdmUtD3U}

onthesnow.com

On The Snow also has some amazing forecasts through the Holiday week.

Here’s one for the West Coast:

^{http://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/582331}

And an article on what to expect through the week in the Rocky Mountain States:

^{http://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/582329}

It’s going to be a White Christmas for the Western United States! What a gift!

22 Crafts with Old Maps and Atlases

Admin — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:33:24 +0000

With the holidays in full swing, we thought we’d offer some guidance on what to do with your old maps and atlases to make room for new gifts on your shelf and in your glove compartment or travel pack.

A Holiday garland:

Here are some gift crafts:

Make your own decorative bow

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/12/16/make-your-own-gift-bows/

How about tags?

http://bisonaustralia.blogspot.com/2011/06/tag-team.html

Or wrapping paper:

http://postcardsandpretties.blogspot.com/2011/08/faves-maps-globes.html

Here are some Map and Atlas crafted gifts for you or your loved ones:

Atlas Flowers

http://rosenotes.typepad.com/rose_notes/2009/08/a-friends-inspiration.html

Atlas Pinwheels

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pinwheel

Frame it

http://www.20×200.com/blog/2010/11/how-to-frame-your-art.html

Decoupage a table

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-decoupage-furniture-83918

Or a chair

http://roddyandginger.blogspot.com/2011/06/3-good-reasons.html

Feeling really ambitious? Make clothes!

Paper Dress

http://www.annex.net.nz/Travel-wardrobe

How to make a paper bow tie:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4885475_make-paper-bow-tie.html

For the Home

Map Coasters

http://www.casasugar.com/DIY-Map-Coasters-2563819

Atlas book covers

http://sweetandlovelythings.tumblr.com/post/167488142/provokeasmile-fairlightday-sweethomestyle

Modge Podge a lamp shade

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/theoldlampshed/product/vintage-map-handmade-lampshade-large

Or craft a pendant light

http://paisleysprouts.blogspot.com/2011/06/diy-map-pendant.html

How about a new bulletin board?

http://evarose.onsugar.com/DIY-magnetic-map-board-14904366

Make a mobile

http://lindy411.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-mobile-for-nursery.html

Here are several home map DIY projects:

http://www.simplicityinthesouth.com/2012/09/eleven-diy-able-ideas-for-using-maps-and-mod-podge.html

Other Crafty Ideas

Make flowers

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-paper-flowers-from-recycled-maps-165756

Paper Airplanes

http://www.vintagejunky.blogspot.com/2011/11/big-boy-room.html

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q-ST0LmgCNw/SoTJDpvdr6I/AAAAAAAAAJU/HN96QRveFp0/s1600-h/airplane+globe.jpg

Scrapbook embellishments

http://media-cache3.pinterest.com/upload/218283913158647165_NLjsD3Rg_f.jpg

http://scrapbooking.about.com/od/3dembellishments/tp/diyscrapbookembellishments.htm

10th Mountain Division Huts and Some Great Snowshoeing Gear

Admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:00:14 +0000

Colorado is a state filled with hut networks worth the effort to ski, snowshoe, and in the summer cycle up to. The most famous and intricate of these is the 10th Mountain Division Huts that lay in a network between Aspen, Vail, Eagle, and Edwards.
The inspiration for the huts came to Fritz Benedict after visiting the Haute Route in the Swiss Alps. Benedict wanted to create a network to rival the one in the Alps, and many claim he outdid himself.
Each hut has its own character and story. The 10th Mountain Division Hut (the network’s namesake) is named to honor the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army who trained in Colorado’s Eagle River Valley on a site known as Camp Hale in December 1942. More than 11,000 troops trained for over two years until they were deployed in 1945 to Italy and played a serious role in many of the battles during WWII.
Being the most popular network in Colorado, most of the huts are reserved almost a year in advance. It’s possible to purchase another member’s reservation if they post it. Find more information at: huts.org
Although skiing to the huts is the most popular winter mode of transportation, snowshoeing is becoming increasingly more popular. Here are is some great new gear to try out for your next snowy hike:

2012 Geography Awareness Week

Lauren Perez — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:45:42 +0000

This week is Geography Awareness Week!

Thanks to the 1987 legislation signed by Ronald Regan, Geography Awareness week exists to promote geographic education in American public schools every third week of November.

Each year, a new theme is celebrated. This year’s theme is “Declare your Interdependence!”, urging today’s youth to observe their connection to the rest of the world. We couldn’t have suggested a better subject; today’s quickly evolving landscape of global interconnectivity is an increasingly important topic to dissect with our future leaders. We’re on board with that!

Traditionally, schools and organizations come together to create week-long lesson plans to promote geo-literacy. We’ve taken a minute to collect some fun and interesting resources we’ve found to help teachers (and geophiles alike) to promote geographical interconnectivity.

1. National Geographic

National Geographic is at the forefront of Geography Awareness Week. This year they partnered with the Geography Collective and Daniel Raven Ellison to create Mission: Explore, a digital geography lesson plan. This plan takes children through the concept of food interdependence, offering Badge Stickers and a Teacher Guide for an on and offline (printable) geography curriculum.

2. Maps.com’s World Wall Maps

Maps.com has partnered with Wallzilla to produce some stunning (and huge!) wall maps of the world. What makes these maps so practical is their self-adhesion, allowing for extremely easy set up and tear down, which has made them quite popular in the education sect (no nails or tape!). There are dozens to choose from, map styles ranging from contemporary and colorful to the more subdued and antique.

3. OverlapMap.com

OverlapMap.com is a free service that allows you to visually compare geographic bodies quickly and easily. For instance, did you know that India is roughly the size of the Midwest? Honestly, this was a new thing for some of us here at the office. Look at that. We learned something! Who says Geography Awareness Week was just for kids!

4. Harnu

On the subject of interconnectivity, Harnu is another free resource for teachers and parents to explore the world’s culture in a real time, contemporary forum. Placed on the Google platform, users comment on social and cultural events and ideas, tagging their activity to a specific region. This allows for students to make a spatial connection from the news they hear about to a real place on the map.

5. Education World’s Geo Lessons

Education World has compiled a vast list of geography tips, lessons, and curriculum resources. From Cross Country Tetris to Playground Maps, they’ve produced a plethora of ideas to keep your classroom excited about geography.

Happy Geography Awareness Week! What are your favorite resources?

Special Presentation On The Life Of H. M. Gousha

Bridger — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:29:48 +0000

The one name most associated with road maps and road map collecting, above all others, is H.M. Gousha. In its 70 years, the H.M. Gousha Company printed over three and a half billion road maps and atlases for hundreds of customers. Yet very little is known about the early history of the company and even less about its founder, Harry Mathias Gousha II.

At the upcoming West Coast Map Meet, Curtis Carroll will reveal how Gousha entered the map business and track his early successes at Rand McNally. He’ll also discuss the glass ceiling that existed at Rand and how Gousha courageously started his own road map company, riding the wave of the Roaring Twenties and then struggling to keep afloat through the Great Depression. Plus he will identify two important mentoring figures who made Gousha’s successes possible and the 1935 event that brought stability to the business but also resulted in Harry Gousha leaving the company he founded at the young age of 48.

October 27, 2012 at 4pm in the University of the Pacific’s Jacoby Center, Stockton, California. Admission is complimentary. Directions to the event can by found on the Road Map Collectors Association website: roadmaps.org

How Benchmark Atlases Planted an Acre of Trees

Lauren Perez — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:43:37 +0000

As summer comes to a close, and fall is swooping in to give us all the much anticipated coat weather, Benchmark Maps is delighted to give the Arbor Day Foundation our first donation installment via our Atlas + Tree Matching partnership. Since our kick off in July, we have successfully planted 204 trees across the western US – that’s ONE ACRE of nothing but trees! We are thrilled to keep them coming.

Since the 2012 summer fires that raged across the country, we’ve been keenly aware of the devastation brought to hundreds of thousands of American households and the surrounding forests. In an effort to give some relief to our neighbors, and as a preventative measure against potential flooding in the now tree-less areas, we formed a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation: for every atlas sold on our website (or from the 800 number provided) we will help by planting a tree in its place. For more information about our efforts, check out our philanthropy page: www.benchmarkmapsgivesback.com

We are looking forward to years of tree planting with the foundation so our customers have a destination to map that is just as beautiful as their predecessors. Onward!