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I just downloaded the new file from mapcenter.  When i convert it I get no errors! 
This file shows as dotted lines instead of solid lines (this is OK)
But it still shows the actual road, plus another straight (er) line that looks like it was drawn by an engineer.

This will work for me.  Thanks for the help folks.  If not for your knowledge I would still be messing with this.

thanks for the help.  I will try it tomorrow.   

If you mean the link to mapcenter, that's not my website. It looks like they are having some issues with their site, in the meantime, Mark posted a file above that you can use.

Ok, thanks for the reply.  I thought I might have said or did something wrong.  

I have Mark's file working in mapsource.  It's strange because it has the line for the road showing the turns, but it also has a line for each road that is a point to point that runs along the same route.
Plus when I built it it had a ton of errors in the batch file.
I will keep my eye on mapcenter as well

using the demo of mapwell,  when you click on the GPS icon with GPS connected, it opens a new screen. I picked memory card, then clicked on GPS and it said:

The map should only be uploaded to the unit for which it is intended.
If this map is uploaded to a GPS unit other then it is designed for, it will render the unit inoperative.
Do not operate the GPS unit during the transfer!

I guess this could also be mean don't use on the wrong kind of GPS.
I have a Nuvi 760.

I have uploaded both files to that site, see my post above. When you say you can view the data, what did you mean, I thought in your first post you wrote that you could? In any case, the files have been projected correctly as per the .prj file and the source website and are typed as unpaved roads.

I installed Arcview 9.x and was able to view the unpaved road .shp file (I did not look at the worksites files).  I do not know how to use Arcview so I could not export it to something that I could "overlay" to a mapsource map that let me figure out exactly where each section of stone road was.  

Yes this file is going to show a lot of short unpaved roads that don't connect.  What we are doing is making a route through PA where we try to connect a lot of these stone roads with paved roads for a route that will be ridden by dual sport motorcycle riders.  I am doing only the PA part of a Maine to Ga route.

I wrote the person at Penn State University who's email address is on the site, but he did not respond (yet).

I downloaded the 2 files you made. I looks like the worksites file is just that, places they are working on the stone roads. The other file looks promising.  I am viewing it with mapwel, but it's only a demo version. When I looked at the section about loading it into my GPS it said something to the affect of only using it on the GPS that is registered with application or it will render the device useless and I stopped .  Can't afford to brick my GPS.

Now I need to look at what mapsforgps posted.

Thanks for the help so far guys.  This is stating to look promising.  Now I need to read more on how to convert this .mp file into one I can load into mapsource.

Not having much luck with getting your site to work for me either.  I don't know the answers to put in the lines about names and stuff.

The original URL (below) also includes information about GIS Data Projection Information. Not sure if that info is needed so the info in the shp file gets centered correctly on PA.

Plus there is 2 sets of files. unpavedroads and worksites.  Since I can not really see the data I don't know if worksites is for roads being worked on and unpaved is something else.  The worksite.shp file is much larger then the unpaved.shp file

http://www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu/resources/gis/gis.html

thanks for the help Boyd.  I think at this point I will hope to find someone that already has the software installed and knows how to use it to convert this one set of data for me
Then later when I have the time, I can figure out how to do it myself.

thanks Boyd.  It's OK if it don't route.  I keep switching back and forth between maps in mapsource already between the garmin maps and the PA topos I got here.

I checked out link to tutorials but don't see anything that jumps out and says"convert .shp to X".
sorry to sound dumb, but I don't have a clue about this one.  I must have downloaded and installed 20 different applications since I first posted this question, looking for something that works.

This is a "one shot" deal.  Once I have this shp file converted to a map for mapsource I might never need to do another one.  The converted product would make a nice addition to your free maps list

I am learning a lot from everyone on this site, but I need help with this one.  I am trying to turn the files (linked below) into a map I can use in Mapsourse.
The zip file comes with the following files.  .avl, .dbf, .prj, .sbn, sbx, .shp and .shx.
I have been able to view the .shp file and it looks like what I am looking for, but I need it in mapsourse.

It is a map of all stone roads in PA.  I need to use mapsourse to route down these dirt roads.

thanks for the help ahead of time.

http://www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu/resources/gis/unpaved_2009.zip