You may have noticed some event listings on our site now contain this graphic: It is a hot link to a new mapping program. The maps can be panned in all directions, zoomed in and out, give detailed directions from any place, change their background, and even show real time traffic problems on the way to the event.

Click on the link below to see these features and follow along with these tips and hints.

Tartan's Landing

You should see a map of the area with a bunch of blue "hot air balloons". Moving the cursor over any marker will bring up a tool tip naming the location.

NOTE: You can view this page and the map by right  clicking on the windows task bar (bottom of your browser which includes all open windows, your clock, and the Start button  among others) in a blank location. Choose Tile Windows Vertically from the menu. When finished right click the task bar again and choose  Undo Tile. Doing this will allow you to read this page and practice with the map at the same time. You may also min/max/close boxes in the upper right corner. Clicking  on the side you are interacting with is sometimes necessary to tell your computer which screen to effect with mouse commands. (It doesn't know your eyes are going back and forth.)

Clicking on a blue  marker will bring up detailed information for the location along with a link to zoom in on its location or get directions. Clicking the X in the upper right of the message or anywhere off the balloon will make it disappear.

To the right or under the map depending on your screen size is a list of locations. Choose the name from the link sending you here, in this case Tartan's Landing with the left mouse button. The map will zoom to the area of Tartan's Landing and an information balloon will open. Choose the "zoom to" on this balloon to get a better view. You could also use the+  and - boxes on the left to zoom the map to gain more or less perspective. You may have to pan around on the map after zooming in very close to orient yourself. If you get lost just zoom back out and move in with smaller steps or use the "zoom to" link in the info balloon.

Near the "zoom to" link on the balloon is another Directions. Clicking on the "to here" link will bring up a box with "Start Address". Click in the box and enter your starting  location with as much detail as needed i.e. street, city, and state then Get Directions. Another window opens with your route in blue on the street map and turn-by-turn directions on the left. Each segment number is a link that if clicked will open a small map detailing the instructions at that point.

Another option is now available Traffic. Clicking on this will highlight all cities shown by a stoplight with color coded highway conditions. Green = normal flow; Yellow = warning ; Red =  problem areas. I don't know how often these are updated but they do change over time and correlate with other sources.

Holding down the left mouse button on the map (Cursor changes to a hand) and moving the mouse pans the map in any direction.

On the right side of the map are the 3 map background types. Left clicking on any of the buttons changes the background: Map:  A pure map without any overlay. Satellite: An aerial view of the terrain. Hybrid: An aerial view with the roads and area names superimposed on it.

Feel free to experiment with these and other features of the maps. They should become easy to used with a little practice. When finished with the map just click the link on top to return to the main page.