21st Century Navigation

We have a family tradition: Whenever we go on a driving holiday, we have to get lost at least once. This tradition began on our honeymoon to Mansfield in the scenic Victorian Highlands.



1985 Holden Camira

Driving our trusty 1985 Holden Camira, we decided to head off the highway and "see where this dirt road takes us". Ah, the indomitable spirit of adventure! We drove quite some distance along the dirt road. The scenery was spectacular and crossing a bridge over a babbling brook as the sun glinted off the pristine water, butterflies wafting in and out of the flowers along the bank, was a highlight.

Then then car stalled. The engine wouldn't reengage. Not a splutter not a clank, not a rumble. No matter, it couldn't be too long to the next town, so I took a walk to the top of the next hill to see what I could see. So idyllic. So scenic. So picturesque. So far, far away from civilization. Stuck out there in the middle of nowhere with an overheated engine, no mobile phone, no living soul in sight, and a never-ending road both ahead and behind us. Our spirit of adventure began to wane.

Alas, we were to live to fight another day. A pickup truck miraculously appeared and stopped by the side of the road. The driver explained that he was a wood-turner by profession, but was a hobbyist motor mechanic. He happened to have some electrical wire and other tools in his cab. He rigged the Camira's fan to run continuously and brought some water from the brook we passed a while back to fill up the car's water reservoir. After a bit more tinkering, he got us going again, just in time to watch the sun sink gently over the golden hills.



From: Lifehacker.com

We have since gotten lost, or taken wrong turns, or traveled in the wrong direction on many, many occasions. This is despite that we have learned to bring maps with us (and, it is true, we have learned enough to purchase road maps of Israel dated more recently than 1975 - but only after making that mistake once.) Getting lost has become one of the highlights of our trips, and we no longer become frustrated by two-hour delays caused by missing that all-important turn-off. We have grown to look forward to the inevitable unplanned adventure.

On a recent trip to Machtesh Ramon (the Ramon Crater) we purchased an up-to-date book of Israel road maps. The spiral-bound book contains detailed maps of city streets and highways, as well as information on places of interest. My kids love perusing the book. You can drop them blindfolded  in Rishon L'Tzion, Tel-Aviv or Eilat, even though they have only been briefly to some of those places, and they could easily navigate their way to the closest soccer-card vendor. We have finally joined the 20th Century.



The rest of you, in the 21st Century, no longer need to learn how to read maps. You no longer need to worry about driving past the one highway exit that will get you to your destination. You no longer have to worry if you are holding the map upside down or not. You have GPS.

GPS lets you know where you are and tells you how to get to where you are going. It takes the guesswork out of navigation.

If the regular GPS voices are too boring for you, TomTom, a GPS navigation system, offers Star Wars voice directions. Here's Yoda and Darth Vader in the recording studio:

GPS absolutely has its uses. But not if you are going to Super Bowl XLV in Northern Texas. Organizers  beg you not to use your GPS - it may direct both you and a million other cars down the same route, causing massive traffic congestion. You are strongly advised to follow the map on the back of your ticket. On the back of your ticket? How are you expected to drive to the game, already half drunk, dressed like Steely McBeam, and follow a tiny map on the back of a sliver of cardboard? Don't even think of folding that ticket - not even the "Protection Method" will work, my friend, no matter what you learned on Survival IQ.

But if you are driving to the game, let me know if you need any assistance with getting there. You may end up on a dirt road in Mansfield, Victoria, but at least I know a wood-turning mechanic who can get you on your way again.