The GPS is a wonderful item to direct you wherever you want to go at a rapid pace or through some elaborate detours which can take you to faraway places when all you want is dinner.
While on a weekend vacation, Grumpy and I were about 7.5 miles from the restaurant downtown he suggested, so we programmed the device for a direct route as we were famished.
I knew the general area where the restaurant was located, so I was surprised when the GPS gave us directions the opposite way; I didn’t want to create a scene, so I remained silent. The direction the GPS was taking us was suddenly no longer 7.5 miles, but 14 miles. Maybe I was wrong; however, an industrial part of town was not in my itinerary and the more we drove, the uglier it became.
We found ourselves on a one-way street which led us to the ferry. Ferry? Where in the world are we? Since my sense of adventure was not kicking in, I was beyond being angry but left it alone for the time being. We approached the toll gate and asked for a ticket; the attendant was very nice and asked if we were over 65. OK! I get it… must be a joke.
Being a senior citizen has its rewards because the cost of the ferry was only $1; we can afford that! But where are we going? Enjoy the voyage, take a few pictures, and take it as an adventure, which we did, since we could not turn around.
Arrived at the other side of the canal in about 10 minutes, disembarked and asked the GPS one more time to tell us where we were headed. By this time, it showed we were going in the wrong direction all the time and it would take us about an hour to recalculate the route.
We drove and drove for a long time, getting lost and going through some rough parts of town, whatever town it was, and continued on our way to the restaurant. By this time, I heard from Grumpy he would stop at the Wal-Mart, get some TV dinners, and get back to the hotel to heat them up in the microwave. I was not having dinner at the Wal-Mart anytime soon.
We eventually arrived at the center of town where the streets were filled with pedestrians and cars and sounds and music and everything making noise. The wait at any restaurant was over one hour and by this time we had been cruising for over two hours; we were not about to wait another hour. We found a public parking lot, left the truck, and continued on foot to the first restaurant we could find. Besides the prices being outrageous, the food was good and after our meal, we left to get back to the hotel and some peace and quiet. This time, the GPS took us to the right place.
Next time we ask the GPS to find us a restaurant, I will make sure is a direct route, not through the ferry and not through the bad part of town.
Or maybe I’ll just re-calculate the GPS.
