The Double Cone Quarterly
Window to the Wilderness
Summer Solstice 1999 || Volume II, Number 2

MAP MANIA!
 Test your Topographic Know-how

Last Spring's Map Mania puzzle drew many accurate and correct responses, with the prize going to the first one in with all points identified correctly. Map savvy coupled with quick action paid off for Andrew Ricciardi, who can now boast a copy of the Wilderness Act Handbook of 1998 as part of his library. Good mapwork, Andrew.

Here are the answers to last quarter's Map Mania puzzle:

The Snippet: 

  • Pine Ridge
The 3-D DEM: Lopez Point 7.5' Quadrangle
  1. Big Creek
  2. Devils Canyon
  3. Vicente Creek
  4. West Fork of Limekiln Creek
  5. Limekiln Creek

OK, here's the game: both graphics below correspond to actual places somewhere within the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest. The first one is a small snippet of one of the various USGS 7.5' topographic quads which cover the area. The second, larger, graphic is what is called a digital elevation map (DEM) which is essentially derived from the information on the 7.5' quads, only rendered in 3-D. The DEM in this case represents an entire 7.5' quad. Here are a couple of hints -- the location of the snippet is visible on the DEM, and think along the lines of ranches and rocks. Good luck!

Here's what we ask of you:

  • For the small topo snippet, identify the location of the segment any way you can.
  • For the larger DEM, name each of the geographic features designated by the numbers 1 through 3.
When you've got all this figured out, send your findings by email to  Gordon Johnson , with the first one to correctly identify all the locations being the Big Winner. So what's in it for the Big Winner, you query? Well, we just received a few more copies of the Wilderness Handbook of 1998, so the winner can expect one of these fine and super-informative booklets in the mailbox shortly after dominating the competition. So pull out all those dog-eared topos of yours and get to work!
OK, think you have it all figured out? Email your answers to Gordon at  gjohnson@c-zone.net

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