Pt 16 2 amateurs at the helm and a GPS with an attitude; admit it or pay the consequences
When Garmin wants an apology for not admitting a missed turn.. and she is willing to take us right down to the end of dirt road unable to turn around...it's game on....
This week is full of attitude and hilarity and I have the video to prove it is real. Well, at least I think it is funny. You be the judge.
After a quiet night in the golf course car park relishing the idea of having it all to ourselves, we lazily peeled ourselves away late the next morning. Ever have one of those mornings where the weather is just cold and drizzly enough that the thought of actually getting up feels like a betrayal of the couch? That’s exactly what we were facing. So, we made an executive decision: why not just stay curled up with a hot drink in our jammies a little longer? After all, our Florida-bound business meetings weren’t going anywhere. In fact, we had a whole series of meetings lined up between us, if, you know, we ever actually hit the road.
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Still cozied up on the couch, it took reality a little while to nudge us into action. There’s something incredible about deciding when and where you go, just riding the wave of your own adventure. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be snuggled up on a couch in my home that rolls, sipping coffee in my PJs, looking out at a new view every morning. Turns out, those “wandering but never lost” types were onto something. I’m officially digging this nomadic life!
After a hearty homemade breakfast, we finally got back on the road, aiming for Beggs, Oklahoma. Funny thing about Oklahoma in the rain: it’s hard to believe this was once a dust bowl. The wet and misty drive through the bustle of highways and endless construction somehow felt oddly cozy. There’s something about the gray concrete, flyovers, and work zones that says, metropolis.
Taking in the concrete and buildings whizzing by, my mind slipped into a light trance. That’s when our Garmin chirped to life to let us know the RV park was a mere two miles away. Excitement was brewing! It felt like forever since our last park. Yet, those two miles felt like forever, and I was ready to bust out an “are we there yet?” but Garmin interrupted me before I could say a word, informing us we needed to turn left in six miles. Wait? Six miles? Had someone missed a turn? Much like asking for directions, a missed turn was not something we were going to discuss. If we could have openly admitted (not me, him) that we missed a turn, perhaps what was about to happen could have been avoided.
I pulled up Google Maps on my phone and iMaps on the iPad, ready to fulfill my copilot duties. Garmin was suggesting a U-turn in six miles, which didn’t sound like a great idea in an RV. But, okay—faith and trust in Garmin, right?
Have you ever seen the movie RV with Robin Williams? It’s about a family on a disguised family trip in an RV that seems magnetically attracted to mishaps. Or, it could be Karma at work here. At one point, Bob, the dad, is desperate to get to a work meeting that could make or break his career, but is forced to take an off-road “Diablo Pass” somewhere in the Colorado mountains which, naturally, is marked as 4WD-only. The scene that follows defies gravity and sanity as Bob practically scales a cliff in an ungraded trail, with the GPS “Lola” chirping at him to “make a legal U-turn when possible” when it is not possible in the least bit.
As we came to our Garmin-proclaimed U-turn, we quickly realised this was not happening in a 45-foot coach. What was she thinking? Did Ernie just have to admit he missed the turn and she’d comply? The U-turn was not happening, but luckily there was a road we could turn onto, though what lay ahead was anyone’s guess with us two amateurs at the helm and a Garmin with an attitude.
The funny thing is, about two minutes down this road, we came to a large, triangle-shaped open dirt intersection. We could have simply done a three-point turn and been back on the interstate lickety-split, without ever having to admit to a missed turn (not me, Ernie). Why didn’t Garmin just say “make a U-turn here”? Well, until someone was ready to admit they’d missed the turn, Garmin was going to have her way.
Instead of taking the obvious 3 point turn (OK maybe 6) that appeared in front of us like a gift from the Universe; a moment where we could have taken the clear “turn around here” sign, or like Alice in Wonderland, chosen to eat the “Eat Me” cake just to see where it leads, Garmin pipes up, luring us into a point-of-no-return left.
Of course, as newbies, we went with her command. Left we went, onto a well-maintained, wet gravel road. Given that we were in farm country, we didn’t question it. After all, to get to the winery in New Mexico, we had to travel along a couple of dirt roads, so why question it now? All three maps insisted there was a left turn ahead, so we forged onward.
A couple of miles in, the road started to narrow ever so slightly as we climbed a bit in elevation. A small creek appeared below us on the driver’s side. My imagination, fueled by the RV movie Diablo Pass scene, had my gut following suit with a knot. “In 500 feet, turn left,” piped Garmin with what I swear was a slight snark to her voice, as if saying, last chance to admit it.
We couldn’t actually see the left turn ahead, but she insisted it was there. As we approached the end of the road, evident by the “Private Drive” sign, we saw the so-called left. We looked at each other, stunned! Garmin was challenging us.
Sure, the left might have been passable for an ATV, but not for an RV the size of a Greyhound bus. And there we were, looking at each other in disbelief, Garmin shining bright, the RV blinking icon on the small screen turning a nice robust left to follow the pink highlighted path of the road, quietly, awaiting our Diablo Pass-style left turn.
There was no turning back—literally. I was not an expert in maneuvering a bus so I asked Ernie, who has years of experience flying planes, driving concrete trucks and big rigs, “Now what?” “Guess I’ll have to back it up” he sighed. I stared in disbelief. “Back it out? For three miles?” And that’s exactly what he did, right after he mumbled something about “if I hadn’t missed that turn….” I swear, Garmin chuckled ever-so-softly. We unhooked the car, and I played look-out, driving forward to make sure no surprise vehicles (or garbage trucks) popped out of nowhere, evidenced by the garbage bins lining the road. I did not want to be responsible for a disgruntle garbage truck driver now having to back up for a couple of miles because we have a Garmin with an attitude.
Finally, we reached the intersection where we should have made the three-point turn from the start. With a quick spin-around, we were on our way back to the RV park, with Garmin proudly quipping “turn right” at the interstate.
Garmin—1, Us —0
Lesson learned: when in doubt, satellite view it out. Satellite maps are now my best friend. When we find ourselves in similar situations, we don’t hesitate. We take advantage of the first area to turn around, and we immediately fess up when we miss a turn or go against her commands. Garmin seems to be okay with our little arrangement.
Pulling into the RV park, after commanded to do so, relief washed over us. We’d made it. But just as we started to settle in, it was as if karma was tapping on our shoulder, something happened next that made me think—maybe she was having the last laugh today. But, I will save that for next week. Same channel, right here so, if you liked this, go ahead and subscribe and I will make sure you get your weekly installment delivered right into your email box promptly on Wednesdays at 4 am. All you have to do is grab your favourite morning drink and join me for the next adventure.
Question for you,
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Pt 14 The worlds largest little skyscraper awaits..this is Wichita Falls
Thank you for reading I appreciate you!
~Karen