If you haven’t been paying attention, the OpenCycleMap now officially kicks ass!

Andy and his evil henchmen have added elevation shading, contours, and even corporate sponsorship from Cloudmade!

Of local interest, you can now see:

1. the proposed York- Hanover Trolley Trail (map),
2. the proposed Lykens Valley Rail Trail (pdf) (map),
3. part of the proposed Lower Allen Township Trail System (map)

Watch out, Bikely! OSM is coming for you!

I went for a little cruise around Marysville this evening, gathering GPS tracks for OpenStreetMap. I rolled up to a stop light, and no sooner had I put my foot down, when a viscous, evil, snarling hell-hound sprang from the bushes and made like he wanted to eat me.

I jumped off my bike the tried to keep it between me and the fell creature. We must have circled each other - dog-fight style - a dozen times before his owner came out to see what all the fuss was about.

She seemed to be of the opinion that by keeping my bike between us, I was instigating her mutt’s aggression. She even went to far as to grab my handlebars a few times to try to make me stop.

As soon as I saw an opportunity, I wrested my bike free, jumped back on, and fled with all haste.

Today: 5 miles
August: 70 miles
2008 Utility Miles: 224
2008 Total Miles: 426 miles

It has recently come to my attention that all the maps from the National Park Service are in the public domain.

That means the same techniques that work for out-of-copyright maps work here, too.

So, just in time for your 4th-of-July festivities, here is Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center!

I’m also working on Valley Forge and the Gettysburg Battlefield.

_{Valley Forge National Historic Park}

_{Gettysburg National Military Park}

Let Freedom Ring!

There is a lot of cycling infrastructure in the DC area, and some of it is starting to appear on the OSM cyclemap!

I was in the general vicinity last week for a business trip, and I saw lots of bicycle commuters in Rockville and Bethesda.

Brandi and I got out for a bit of a hike yesterday afternoon. We did a section of the AT from Whiskey Springs Road to the town of Boiling Springs, PA.

I carried my GPS, so now you may follow along on the map.

Spring and fall are the best times for hiking, because the weather affords one the opportunity to sport stylish hats.

The last mile or so before Boiling Springs is across farmer’s fields, which kind of sucks. There were no trees here to break up the wind, and I nearly lost my sexy hat a few times.

There are about 230 miles of the AT in Pennsylvania, and I have about 180 left to do.