Mountain Directories East and West

Interesting. After seeing this, I looked at Amaon for Mountain Directory East and found one for $746!! It was a 1999 edition. Has this become a rare book for collectors? I guess that I should take care of my 2013 edition.

Have you checked the Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas? We got the large scale laminated version for our trip out West this coming year. Planned a trip on the GPS then used dry erase pens to verify the roads on the atlas.

RoyF, I saw those crazy prices too, I think they must be an attempt to scam but don't know why anyone would fall for it!
Joelc, that looks interesting and appears to have a lot of useful information. Thanks for the suggestion.

Outrageous prices.

RoyF wrote:
Interesting. After seeing this, I looked at Amaon for Mountain Directory East and found one for $746!! It was a 1999 edition. Has this become a rare book for collectors? I guess that I should take care of my 2013 edition.

The used stuff sellers obviously do not watch all the thousands of books they have up for sale on Amazon. They use computer programs that watch the prices charged by others selling the same item, and adjust their price up or down accordingly. However when an item gets scarce and only a few sellers have it to sell then that software enters a positive feedback loop and you get bizarre pricing.

The big question is: where are the eastern US mountains hidden? I've only seen foothills. Tho there are a few semi-mountains in the NE.


This is a mountain



Foothills

Wow, may have to find my old copies. Could pay for the next trip's gas.

The truckers map found at truck stops is great. Low clearances and truck routes are all marked. A much cheaper option if you cannot find the mountain directories at a reasonable price.

We've used the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers & RVers' all the time because we love driving in mountains. However, every time I recommend it on forums I always state to buy it directly from the publisher, not Amazon. I can't believe folks would pay Amazon's prices when it could be had for under $20.

Regardless, we highly recommend the purchase..but not through Amazon. :)

In regard to the mountain vs foothill comment, it's not so much the elevation as the grade and elevation change. This Florida girl prefers to know what to expect and choose the least difficult route.
We were on the Blue Ridge Pkwy in Sept. in NC and came upon a couple at a pull-out whose class C brakes were on fire because they were inexperienced in mountain driving. There were a LOT of ranger reports for stranded motorists in trouble in the Smokies. As camp hosts we heard a lot of their calls. Be prepared!

Just to be clear, the Amazon copies are not from Amazon itself, but from used book dealers. Those prices can vary all over the place, depending a lot on availability and demand. Clearly this is one where the supply is limited, and probably the turn over is also slow.