The Way It Works

OK, when I had only a bunch of ADAC maps, I’d pretty much just try to do all the roads they recommended on my way through an area. Since Corsica, I’ve been following the Michelin maps. I get a fairly detailed map of a region (say, 1:200,000,) which shows all the minor roads, and highlights nice roads with a green line. I’m not sure what their criteria are, but they’re good at it. The maps I have show just about everything down to a logging road. I look for the real squiggly green lines and try to put a few together on my way to a general destination – say, Barcelona. Since I have no real timeline, and no hotel reservations, I make spur of the moment decisions about which turn to take. If the friggin’ low fuel light goes on, I’ll make new decisions based on where Michelin says the nearest gas station is.  If the weather is good & I feel like it, when it gets late in the afternoon, I’ll start looking for a campsite. Otherwise, I start looking for a hotel.  After a while, you get a feel for where you’ll end up and where there might be a nice place to stay. Lonely Planet comes in handy. I’ve usually been pretty lucky in finding good places to stay. (Not like some other trips. In Morocco, I once slept in a dumpster.)