I made it halfway to California from Virginia by train in 90 minutes

[FJ and G]

if you go to http://maps.google.com/

you can go anywhere in the US. Started in Virginia and followed railroads all the way out to Kansas until my write got tired from scrolling because I was at the highest resolution the entire trip (about 40 miles a shake).

The map is satellite, but if you get lost, you can change the view to "map" and see the label of where you are at.

The program also could come in handy for RR modeling purposes.

My only wish is that the resolution were even greater, which I suspect will be the case within a couple of years.

If you've ever wanted to participate in Orienteering but didn't want to leave your sofa, here's how you can do it.

You can make a game of it or even have races to California from the east coast following a particular highway or RR.

Possibilities are mind boggling.

[jonadel]

David--

Thank you, that is a tremendous site and I will certainly remember it for the future.

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

Thanks Dave. I can drive from Rolesville NC to California in a little less than 90 minutes. [;)] California NC. [:D]

[FJ and G]

What is esp. interesting about the site is that when you change from the topographic to the map view, the railroads are listed mostly still in their 1970s names; names we've all grown up with and come to love unlike merger names like CSX and BNSF.

You can get a good idea of how RRs try to follow the path of least resistence thru the mountains and along riverbanks.