dave's map creations
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:17 pm
Now that we're in the throes of winter often stuck indoors like hibernating bears, I have recently created four custom topographic maps of selected interesting Sierra wilderness timberline areas. Links to three small 1:1 scale crops from those maps:
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map1.jpg
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map2.jpg
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map3.jpg
Each map covers a wilderness headwaters basin at a magnified 12624:1 scale versus the standard 24000:1 7.5 minute USGS maps. That scale equates to 5 inches per mile instead of 2.63 inches. At that size the data is at 210 pixels per inch so there are 1050 pixels per mile. Each map is at most 5040 pixels in maximum dimensions in order when split into 2 by 3 panes fit onto 6 standard 8.5x11 paper sheets that can be taped together. I've printed out all these maps on cheap standard higher quality ink jet paper with my Epson R2880. Each of the below headwater basins all share a common structure of being somewhat level timberline country with benches and plateaus containing many lakes and ponds and surrounded on three sides by rugged higher ridges and peaks with the outlet drainage being open. The four areas I've mapped are:
The Upper Fish Creek headwaters basin above Tully Hole bordered by Red Slate Mtn, Red & White Mtn, and Izaak Walton Peak.
The Upper North Fork of Mono Creek plus Laurel Creek headwater basins that is just south of the above map.
South Fork of Bear Creek headwaters basin bordered by Mt Hooper, Mt Senger, and Seven Gables.
East Fork of Bear Creek headwaters basin just east of the above map between Seven Gables and Feather Peak.
All white maps areas beyond the drainage basins are dimmed 20% in brightness in order for basins overall form to better stand out.
All USGS black and blue lake annotations have been removed, the brown vertical lines etc repaired, and replaced by a much smaller less conspicuous Arial fonts.
All unnamed ponds have been numerated, many approximate elevations added, and I've amused myself naming many otherwise unnamed features. The 3 crops just show a few of these assigned sometimes whimsical names and I am certain to continue adding, changing, and eliminating names as I look at them longer. Also welcome any other's inputs on various features.
The elevation line brown has been standardized, cleaned up, and special colors have been assigned to the thicker dark 200 foot interval lines. Each 1000 foot interval, ie 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000, 13000 etc have special bright colors. The four vertical 200 foot interval lines between each 1000 foot interval have a set of individual colors that are more subdued while being different enough to be recognized next to the other colors. Those colors repeat between each of the 1000 foot lines. I tweaked the colors for several weeks after viewing prints and believe the current selections work well.
Although I've been an old advanced Photoshop user since I began working on Kodak Pro Photo CDs in the mid 90s, I've done all this current work with Gimp, a mature though somewhat awkward freeware ap, and in fact started the work less seriously as an excuse to become better familiar with it. At this point am not sure of how I might make the maps public if at all, but am interested in any frank comments or opinions or humor from the many mountain savvy members of this board.
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map1.jpg
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map2.jpg
http://www.davidsenesac.com/_a-z_evad/map3.jpg
Each map covers a wilderness headwaters basin at a magnified 12624:1 scale versus the standard 24000:1 7.5 minute USGS maps. That scale equates to 5 inches per mile instead of 2.63 inches. At that size the data is at 210 pixels per inch so there are 1050 pixels per mile. Each map is at most 5040 pixels in maximum dimensions in order when split into 2 by 3 panes fit onto 6 standard 8.5x11 paper sheets that can be taped together. I've printed out all these maps on cheap standard higher quality ink jet paper with my Epson R2880. Each of the below headwater basins all share a common structure of being somewhat level timberline country with benches and plateaus containing many lakes and ponds and surrounded on three sides by rugged higher ridges and peaks with the outlet drainage being open. The four areas I've mapped are:
The Upper Fish Creek headwaters basin above Tully Hole bordered by Red Slate Mtn, Red & White Mtn, and Izaak Walton Peak.
The Upper North Fork of Mono Creek plus Laurel Creek headwater basins that is just south of the above map.
South Fork of Bear Creek headwaters basin bordered by Mt Hooper, Mt Senger, and Seven Gables.
East Fork of Bear Creek headwaters basin just east of the above map between Seven Gables and Feather Peak.
All white maps areas beyond the drainage basins are dimmed 20% in brightness in order for basins overall form to better stand out.
All USGS black and blue lake annotations have been removed, the brown vertical lines etc repaired, and replaced by a much smaller less conspicuous Arial fonts.
All unnamed ponds have been numerated, many approximate elevations added, and I've amused myself naming many otherwise unnamed features. The 3 crops just show a few of these assigned sometimes whimsical names and I am certain to continue adding, changing, and eliminating names as I look at them longer. Also welcome any other's inputs on various features.
The elevation line brown has been standardized, cleaned up, and special colors have been assigned to the thicker dark 200 foot interval lines. Each 1000 foot interval, ie 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000, 13000 etc have special bright colors. The four vertical 200 foot interval lines between each 1000 foot interval have a set of individual colors that are more subdued while being different enough to be recognized next to the other colors. Those colors repeat between each of the 1000 foot lines. I tweaked the colors for several weeks after viewing prints and believe the current selections work well.
Although I've been an old advanced Photoshop user since I began working on Kodak Pro Photo CDs in the mid 90s, I've done all this current work with Gimp, a mature though somewhat awkward freeware ap, and in fact started the work less seriously as an excuse to become better familiar with it. At this point am not sure of how I might make the maps public if at all, but am interested in any frank comments or opinions or humor from the many mountain savvy members of this board.