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HawkGTRider:

--- Quote from: doug mcpeek on December 26, 2017, 09:55:24 pm ---I never go through Chicago.

--- End quote ---

I feel you!
After trying to get through Chicago on multiple trips years apart, I'm convinced there is NO good time to try to get into/through/out of that town. Even on weekends, I found traffic to be at a standstill in many places.

As some of you know, I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

RIDEMYST:

--- Quote from: HawkGTRider on December 26, 2017, 11:41:01 pm ---......... I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

--- End quote ---

If you go to the "download" tab on this site and then select GPS downloads in the public section you will find a GPX file with all of the National Parks & monuments. Now granted these are already in the BaseCamp file but having them as waypoints makes them much easier to use as a route planning tool, just copy those points that are near your route and incorporate them into your ride.
Hope this helps! -JEP-

hhemstreet:
Geoffrey - as you know, Beth is an avid stamp collector and would love to know how to join this 'club'?

HawkGTRider:

--- Quote from: hhemstreet on December 27, 2017, 05:02:34 pm ---Geoffrey - as you know, Beth is an avid stamp collector and would love to know how to join this 'club'?

--- End quote ---
I know she is...and you guys might be surprised to see how many stamps are available just in your home state. There are way more than you might think.
It's the National Park Travelers Club.
https://www.parkstamps.org/index.php
In their database, you can put in a state or geographic area and see pictures of all the stamps people have collected. There are a number of filters you can apply so that you can see specific type locations or everything. You can display a map showing where stamps available and see any special instructions for getting them (ie This stamp is under the desk and you'll have to ask for it). Dues are $10 for the first year and $5 for each year thereafter. I consider that one heck of a deal!


The attached picture shows the stamps I've identified in my own personal GPS file. I've got almost 1800 stamp locations identified now. But I just added over 50 locations in just 3 states based on info gleaned from the Travelers Club site. I've read somewhere there are something like 2200-2400 total available. I've actually gotten around 500 stamps I think (haven't counted lately), so there are a LOT more places to go. And so far, every one of my stamps has been bagged via 2 wheels. Do you need an excuse to go for a ride?


I love this stuff.

HawkGTRider:

--- Quote from: RIDEMYST on December 27, 2017, 07:50:03 am ---
--- Quote from: HawkGTRider on December 26, 2017, 11:41:01 pm ---......... I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

--- End quote ---

If you go to the "download" tab on this site and then select GPS downloads in the public section you will find a GPX file with all of the National Parks & monuments. Now granted these are already in the BaseCamp file but having them as waypoints makes them much easier to use as a route planning tool, just copy those points that are near your route and incorporate them into your ride.
Hope this helps! -JEP-

--- End quote ---

That's a very good starting point. From there you can compile info on the parks that have multiple stamps. For instance, Acadia NP in Maine has, I believe, 12 unique stamps. The Great Smoky Mountain NP on the Tennessee/North Carolina border has more than that. It can be a real challenge to get to all of the sites in a big park like those two within a limited period of time. Obviously, we all need more time riding and less taken by all of those other silly demands on our time.
Once you've gotten the parks identified, then you discover there are things like National Scenic Trails that may have 1 or 2 up to 20+ sites spread out across half the country.
https://www.nps.gov/nts/nts_trails.html
Each of those may have a unique stamp. Bazinga! That's more excuses to go riding to places you haven't been before. And maybe you'll find yourself going back to places you have been when you discover they had a stamp and you didn't know about it.

What's really cool about all of this is that when you take a little time at each location to look around, you start learning this interesting country. It's not always good stuff...our ancestors haven't always been the best stewards of the land or the best at getting along with others.
One place I went was the site of a battle with an Indian tribe. One particular chief had been a leader in his tribe at trying to get along with the new settlers. The U.S. Army attacked his encampment and wiped out most of his band while he was away hunting. He moved to another location hundreds of miles away and was later killed when his band was again attacked by the U.S. Army. That really stinks. And this was someone who had spent a lot of effort to get along with the settlers when most his in tribe were against it. It was a different era, but it's still pretty sad to think about some of the things that have happened.

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