Browsing Through A Relic...

The other day I came across an amazing book. It's a road atlas from Rand McNally, and I haven't looked at a printed map in years.

Back in the day (I'm wearing my "old man of experience" hat right now...), convenience stores carried many of the necessities we all need from time to time. I'd imagine many of the things the stores used to carry still carry, like windshield washer fluid, batteries, and Slim Jims.

But, they also had maps.

When you were on a road trip, you'd better know where you were going because if you don't, you needed help. Convenience stores had maps of the surrounding areas. I don't remember them being too expensive. Hopefully, you had a co-pilot who could read the maps so the driver could pay attention to the road. Just opening that big atlas brought back those memories. Of course, the atlas has advantages and disadvantages over maps. They're bigger and heavier--they won't fit in a glove box, but also you don't have to fold an atlas to put it away (there was an art to that as well...).

We rely so much on our phones now. I haven't traveled too much out of my immediate area, but I've used GPS over and over again--even my small town has grown where I don't know many of the new streets. 

The atlas proclaimed proudly, "Travel 2000 and Beyond!" I don't think anyone at Rand McNally (or, anyone else, for that matter...) had any idea what the next century would bring, the least of which, that no one would be using atlases in just a few short years.

The Road Less...Driven

I should trust technology more.

I know many people say they trust technology too much, and that's probably true for me as well, but this morning as I traveled with some of my family along I-90 heading to Seattle, Washington, my phone's GPS said we needed to exit because cars were backing up ahead. The phone calculated an alternate route that would save us time.

We got off the road and began driving through some of the most amazing scenery I've ever seen. About a mile into our five-mile detour, the calm, tempting voice of SIRI told us to turn around.

And for a moment, I almost did.

I don't have a lot of experience with GPS systems. We hardly ever leave our own state and I'm pretty familiar with my own state. Plus, in Utah you just look up--once you find the mountains and/or the lake, you know where you are. But go to someplace new while driving through literal canyons of trees, I'm as lost as a new politician.

The warning came again and again. "Make a U-turn and head to _____" (insert name of road I'm not familiar with). And I considered doing just that, but then I said to myself, "Self--the GPS directed you here. It must have known the road was open and didn't need us to turn around." So we stayed the alternate course.

We ended up pushing on and we drove on the most amazing side road. My son snapped some pictures and took a video, but it hardly does it justice. The drive just got better and better.

Eventually, we got back onto westbound I-90 and made it into town. I need to remember where that exit is and drive it next time we're in town.z On my own, I might not find it. Of course, I could just let my GPS find it.