What is a tulip?

Is it a flower? What does a tulip have to do with roadbooks? Well, a tulip is a drawing of the place (road intersection, railroad crossing, bridge, ditch, washout, or other landmark) the roadbook author wants to share with you to help you find your way. It is the drawing in the center box of the note. Sometimes they are complicated, busy drawings and other times they are simple. Generally, you will enter the tulip from the bottom. You will leave following the arrow point. In the tulip there are many clues to help you go the right way.

The author can use different types of lines to give you a clue about the road types. Is it gravel, pavement, 2 track, single track or HP (off-trail)? The line type will tell you. Pay attention to the line type of each road in the intersection. They are not always the same. With a little practice following a roadbook, you will get to know which line is which.

The tulip will have a tic mark to show you exactly where your tripmeter should match the distance in the note. When you are at that exact point, your tripmeter should match the distance at the top of the box to the left of the tulip. This is the location you want to use to adjust your tripmeter (as long as you are in the right spot). If there is a CAP heading in the right box, the angle you are going when you leave the tic mark is what should match.

There may be notes or symbols in the box with the tulip. A picture of a mountain, cactus, church, school, bridge, tree, tire, or bush may be there. Or there may be notes to help you out. Any information in the center box is related to the location near the tic mark.

Pay attention to the information you find in the tulip. What you find there are the clues the roadbook author gave you to help you find your way.