Dear Conchers:
 
For those in the U.S., Delorme makes a great 4 CD set called Topo USA
(about $70-80.00 in computer stores)or www.delorme.com/  This is a great
program for looking up place names; plus there are sixteen screens of
topography maps resolution down to the finest being a screen of about
5,000', and a cursor that marks the longitude and latitude so you can
get an approximation of the long's and lat's for those areas you shelled
prior to getting your GPS.  The maps do have some obvious crude drawings
in the finest resolution (the rivers and lakes sometimes are computer
boxes and lines instead of natural looking map features) but this is a
minor complaint. With certain machinations you can get 3D resolution on
the maps and email maps, but I have not gotten that far with the program
yet . . .
 
Comments about geography and place names:
My adopted state of Florida has a wide spot in the road called Two Egg.
I wanted to stop to look for land shells there just to have that town as
a data tag.  There are varying stories about the name, either a person
dropped a dozen eggs and only two were left, or a child came in wanting
to buy two eggs, etc.
 
While shell collecting in Kentucky down south of Louisville, the closest
geographic location was a town named Wax (a person's name? did they
produce wax there?)  For those going to Louisville, south of town along
Interstate 65 near Munfordsville, get off the road and explore the
rolling hills of Hart County.  There is an active Amish community, where
their mode of transportation is by horse and buggy.  You are driving
along the state roads and when you pass, they will wave.  It is a quaint
and beautiful area.
 
Alan Gettleman
Merritt Island, FL
 
P.S. to Bob Dayle: The Blue River is a neat little stream which has
naiad molluscs, which was great fun to pick up the dead shells twenty
years ago when it was not against the laws of nature and man in Indiana
to do so.  But for a ex-Texan such as yourself, you must admit that
little Ohio River south of where you are now is an impressive site.  I
was amazed (i.e. disappointed) the first time I saw the Rio Grande (Rio
Bravo) in Brownsville.  You would not have even got your knees wet
crossing into Mexico (what a disappointment for a river that makes an
international border).