Monday, April 4, 2011

Lost without GPS

This evening I found myself slightly distracted driving to my Mother's house, which lead me to turn down the wrong road.  Quickly I found myself in unfamiliar territory, which I shrugged off as I had grown up in the area and really how much could it have changed in the last 11 years.  I soon was figuratively smacking myself in the head as I was surrounded by new housing developments.  Belting out the theme song to Weeds (little boxes on a hillside...ticky tacky and they all look just the same) I happily decided to just wander until I either ran into a main road I recognized or gave up and turned on my GPS.  In fact Caroline and I had actually made getting lost into an art form; created on a bored Sunday afternoon we hopped into my car and just drove with a general direction in mind, all the while knowing that GPS would always lead us home.  Each adventure always lead to laughs, ridiculous arguments, food, further confirmation that if you take the lake away from me I'm rubbish at directions, and a great day out.


Soon my stomach reminded me that I didn't have time to dawdle and it threatened to begin eating itself if I did not feed it quickly.  "Simmer down now" I scolded my stomach and reached for my phone, only to realize that I had killed the battery by playing Angry Birds (I can't be blamed...it's like crack for fingers)!  [insert classic horror scream here] What was formally a classic suburban night suddenly turned into a setting for a creepy Hitchcock film.  From darkened houses seeped a sinister yellowish glow warning passersby to approach with caution...thick evergreens hugged the street's sharp curves concealing prying eyes!  Gulp!


What was a technology geek like myself supposed to do!  I continued to turn down random roads while searching my brain for a way out of the situation I found myself in.  I had already considered and discarded the idea of backtracking, I was pretty sure I was moving in the general direction I needed to go in and the stubborn German in me wouldn't allow me to turn back.  Suddenly I thought..."What would Sherlock do?"  Smoke a pipe?  Call for Watson (ack...my Watson was unavailable and so was google)?  Play the violin?  Logic!!!!  Just then a car pulled away from one of the many creepy houses that lined the block and I quickly made the decision to "Follow that car"!  I reasoned that any car pulling out of a driveway had a good chance of heading for a main road.  Hoping desperately that they were not dumping a body or anything equally horrific I followed.  And followed.  Now I was beginning to feel like a creep as I continued to follow.  I then began to practice my police tailing moves, then switched it up to creepy mimic car, just around the time I ran out of ways to amuse myself my unknowing friend lead to me a street I was very familiar with and I soon found myself in my Mom's driveway.


In hindsight, getting lost without my trusty tech to lead me home, was an even greater adventure.  Perhaps on the next bored Sunday afternoon I'll leave the tech at home, get lost, and let the universe lead me home.


What's your favorite lost story?  Do you have any great tips for getting your bearings when lost?  Leave your response in the comment section below.


Can't wait for more?  Then check out my Weekly Blog:  Veggie Girl Eats Out for my review of Sweet Art in St. Louis, MO.  Click here to vieVeggie Girl Eats Out! 

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5 comments:

  1. LOL, this is hilarious and creepy. And I'm glad you got out safely. Speaking of Hitchcock films...

    Once I was driving the "Back routes" from Maryland to upstate New York, which is a 7 hour drive. I use to take the Jersey turnpike towards the New York thruway but there are a lot of tolls, you end up paying $20 for tolls EACH way. So usually when I make that drive back and forth, I hit the back roads through Pennsylvania, which adds on an extra hour of driving time, but there are more places to stop/get gas and NO tolls. Also it is through the mountains so the scenery is gorgeous.

    Once on my way back it was around 1-2 AM in the morning. (Don't ask, I just prefer to drive at odd hours, less traffic). Ok so I'm in the friggin mountains somewhere in upstate New York at 2 AM, night at and OUT OF GAS. I have no idea why I didn't notice before but I was about 1-2 hours from my home and completely out of gas. I had to stop at each scary small town I got to, to find a gas station that was open. These towns are CREEPY. I mean...total back country, I definitely don't look like I live out there.

    One of the towns I got completely lost in, half the town was forests anyway so that just seriously turned me around and I was driving around for nearly an hour trying to get back on the highway. Since it was 2AM no one was around for me to ask directions. I was totally scared because I was lost with the gas at 0, though my car was still running.

    Finally I spotted a late night driver and followed them out to a road I recognized. I didn't get gas here but had to just wait until I came to the next town. Again no gas stations open. I ended up just driving back to my city through forests and scary places just hoping my car wouldn't die. It didn't. But of course in my city gas was available, so YAY! Got back safe and sound. I'm never doing that again...

    xoxo

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  2. @the Atomic Chic
    Thanks! Could you hear the banjos twanging at each town you stopped in? :D How amazing (and lucky) that your tank didn't run out of gas, it's like the tardis of gas tanks (couldn't refrain from the Doctor Who joke)!

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  3. Oh by the way, I just gave you a blog award. =)

    http://atomic-chic.blogspot.com/2011/04/7-random-things-about-yours-truly.html

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  4. No. No favorite lost stories. I love my gps!

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  5. @The Yoga Ninja
    Stick with me girl and I'll make sure you get lost! :D

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