What a fun toy GPS is. My dad gave me a GPS unit for the car, and, after learning how to use it (and suffering through some directions that had me going through fields, yards, and houses, and the occasional suggestion to drive the wrong way on a one-way street, not to mention the awful "GPS signal lost" comment), I decided to allow it to choose the way back from Amish country yesterday.
Shortly after I decided NOT to take a road clearly marked "No Outlet", we ended up on a gravel road (incidentally, a sign proclaimed it to be Ohio's first state road). We travelled approximately 20 miles on gravel, up and down appalachian foothills, all in THE WRONG DIRECTION from home. After more than an hour on small roads, we finally made it to the interstate...
...an interstate we could have reached in about 5 minutes had we just taken "common sense" directions.
The trip out took us 1 1/2 hours (incudling a wrong turn). The return trip took us 2 3/4 hours.
The moral of this story: uncheck "unpaved roads" on the GPS unit before taking trips to Amish country.
7 comments:
What fun is that?!
We take gravel roads on purpose...as long as we can see telephone lines, we keep going!
Oh No!! I'm so sorry!! I hope you will forgive us and try again. Once you get used to Thomas, you'll enjoy him--or Jason if you choose the English U.S.
It's OK, but I was thinking that I might like one of the other languages. I get a little tired of Thomas telling me to "turn back where possible" whenever I take a side trip (like to the store that's on the way home).
GPS mapping receivers are extremely fun to play with, but it's very risky to use them as the sole navigational device in unknown territory - especially if you're using them for road mapping. The map must be completely up to date, and the navigational software needs to be able to distinguish good routes from bad ones. There have been numerous cases here in the UK where GPS-based navigation has led large vehicles down tiny country lanes where they don't fit, and a few cases where clueless drivers have splashed right into a river which once had a bridge (or maybe driven into a deep ford).
I love my GPS for biking, although I always use it in combination with common sense (at least as much as I have), or even better, a map.
Oh, is your GPS the kind that allows you to download different voices? I heard a Mr. T one that was quite amusing.
hahahahahahah, BV, this is the funniest blog post EVER!!! This sounds like me on a Youth Group trip down the street to Celebration Station. I always say....it's not a true event until Katie takes a wrong turn.
You can put the store as a via point and eliminate that problem but I never could remember to do it or how.....
OMG....that was funny. I'm just glad you didn't run out of gas too. That would have been the capper to your GPS adventure.
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