IIRC you can get a basic AAA membership for something like $40, which seems a pretty small expense for the number of maps they can give you and a pretty small expense when looking at a coast-to-coast tour. I don't know if things like the towing services would apply to bikes but if so it would at least give you some options if you were to break your bike and not be able to fix it (from what I recall the cheapest membership option only provides for a 5-mile tow, so it may be of limited use)

As an added benefit if you're expecting to pay for overnight accommodation anywhere along the tour you may find the AAA membership pays for itself in the form of discounts. I took an AAA Plus membership to cover an 8-week trip to the US which cost something like $120 and paid for itself within the 8 weeks I was there.

What I've done before is to bring the detailed digital maps that I have into photoshop and chop them up so that I am only printing out my route with say 10km to either side. I also enlarged detailed areas, and shrunk areas with no detail. It's a lot of work, but you end up with maps customized for your route that fit perfectly into whatever you're using to protect your maps. I can usually fit a days ride on a small 8" x 6" map.

If I get disastrously off track, I buy a map from a gas station.

Just a note about AAA: It is first and foremost a motorist lobbying organizatrion that has taken what can be seen as anti-cycling, walking and public transit positions. Here is one recent example:

http://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork.../news/AAA.html

Perhaps state by state there is hope for AAA in the future - http://www.aaaorid.com/membership/bicycle.asp

Regardless I will take advantage of my friends membership for the maps.

I've found that the Benchmark series of maps (in large booklet format, by state) have good detail down to backroads, including fairly accurate indications of which roads are paved and which are dirt (very useful when trying to determine if a certain backroad is actually going to be a good option or more trouble than its worth). There are some forestry roads around where I live (northern California) which the DeLorme maps don't indicate as being dirt, but the Benchmark does. Although these maps are about $20 per state, you could just treat that as a cost of the tour and tear/cut out just those pages you want/need. Here's the California one, for reference - they do many other western states:

http://www.amazon.com/Benchmark-Cali...dp/0929591496/

Neil

Here's download sites for Missouri and Illinois county road maps

http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/CountyMaps.htm

http://www.dot.il.gov/maps/generalmaps1.html

If your route goes through Pueblo, Colorado, I have made a local free site which includes lodging, food suggestions, best local routes, entertainment and an interactive map. It's only good for a couple days of your journey, but hopefully it will make your stay in Pueblo more enjoyable and easier:)
http://www.alternativecommutepueblo....-partners.html

Love or hate AAA,$48.00 membership is starting to look pretty good....I think they will map if for you also,with a Triptik,at least they used to include bicycles.