Today it seems that everyone is tuned in to GPS – trusting it to take them where they’re going. It probably works 90% of the time. Perhaps even more.
But when it doesn’t – it can take you on a wild goose chase!
My suggestion: Check the map before you go, so you’ll have a clue if GPS begins to lead you astray.
I was reminded of this again this morning… when the men coming to install our new 
generator system followed their GPS and wound up at the locked gate at the back of our meadow. Funny that their boss didn’t tell them to follow the map, because he knew.
This happens repeatedly, and sometimes it’s a real estate agent who ends up out there. One showed up at my door a couple of years ago, lost and begging to be let through the gate. Had my husband been home, he’d have let him through, but he wasn’t home, and the key was in his pocket.
The agent, who was here from hundreds of miles away, got as far as our meadow, then walked to the house. He explained that he’d be late for his appointment if he couldn’t drive through. He told me which house he wanted to show and I said no – if he could walk a quarter of a mile, he could be on time – or at least close.
I asked Google how to get to my own house...
One day I was curious about how far Google would say it was from town to our house, so I asked. The answer was 28 miles. Well, no – it’s more like 10 or 11. I checked for directions, and sure enough – Google instructed me to head ten miles East to the little village of Laclede, then take a left and head into the mountains. That’s the road that leads to our back meadow – and when the snow gets deep it isn’t passable. Actually, I wouldn’t take a low-slung car on that road at any time. It’s just an old logging road.
One time when we ordered from Home Depot I explained the GPS issue and gave directions to the woman taking the order. She looked it up and said that her computer actually gave her two alternate routes. The other one was even worse! I wonder why Google shuns County roads in favor of logging roads?
It’s not just a country issue…
I thought this was likely a rural problem until an acquaintance in Florida told me about her adventure.
She signed up for a class at a community college in a neighboring town, and she followed her GPS to get there. It got her within sight of the college, but… There was a river between her and her destination. By the time she found a bridge and got to the other side, she was late for class.
Map reading may be “old school,” but I still believe every agent – and every person who makes deliveries or does service calls – should know how to do it. I also believe they should look at that map before they head out for a new destination. It would save a lot of time and trouble.
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