Maps? I Don't Need No Stinkin Maps!

We have been on a few quick mini trips recently. Travel time about four hours each way. But it was travel to areas I am not very familiar with. One trip was to meet some old friends for a few hours just outside Disney World in Orlando and one to visit for a few days on the west coast of Florida in a small town called Land O' Lakes.

I have been to both areas before but in the case of Disney, we were to meet at a particular hotel and on the west coast it was a different way to travel. Disney was in the day time, West coast was night time, very late night time.

Yes, we have a Tom Tom somewhere in the house, but decided to use Map Quest instead for Disney. Everything was okay until the final few miles where attention to details is all that matters. Within minutes we were lost as the directions would say "if you see this you have gone to far". Arggh.  Finally we pulled into another hotel which printed up directions using Google Maps. We got there in a few minutes but even then one direction turn was wrong. But I thought, next time we would use Google Maps. Slow learner I am!

The trip to the west coast was started at 1:00 am in the morning following a few hours of broken sleep.
Again the first part of the trip went fine, but for some reason at one point Google Maps took us away from a road we should have taken and within minutes we were lost again! I had to stop at a gas station at one point and then later I had to ask a policeman another time. We had, of course, drifted into neighborhoods we didn't belong. Eventually we got on track and arrived okay.

I know the GPS would have been better but I have found it wrong on occasion too. But my point to all of this was I had failed to use a map to get to where I was going. I am a great map reader, able to plot my way around. But it had never entered my mind to bring one or use one.

The internet and gps has made me rely on technology instead of the basic stuff. Guys pride themselves on knowing our way around. Stopping for directions is a no-no. But sometimes you have to swallow your pride and ask and hope for the best.

I hate asking for directions!! I know where I am going!
Now where is that Damn map?

time to put a pot of coffee on

ray