Friday Question #117
How good is your sense of direction? Are you good at reading maps and following them? Do you rely on GPS when driving? What’s your best “I got lost when…” story? Do you get nervous when you have to drive somewhere new?
This question was inspired by a discussion with two other bloggers, who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent! Well, you guys know which blogger I spend the most time with, so I am sure you can guess one of them, ha ha.
I generally do know where I am, and where north/south/east/west is. I usually read a map to see where I am going and follow the map on my GPS, rather than use it – unless I am in an area I am completely unfamiliar with, then I use it. And I can usually drive somewhere once or twice and remember how to get there in the future. I don’t mind driving somewhere new… as long as I am in my car. Ha ha.
I have made a few wrong turns though, and recently, seem to be a bad navigator for Steven! I have noticed I have problems with:
- Highways with similar names: when trying to avoid a detour two weekends ago, I confused I-80 and I-88. We do not go out of the way, but if I would not have realized it, we would have taken the wrong highway out of Iowa.*
- Overlapping Highways: when we were in Kansas City a few months ago, we were driving in areas with overlapping highways, and the GPS was unable to tell us which one to turn on to in time – I should have used a real map.
- Talking on the phone when driving: I don’t talk on the phone while driving anymore, but many years ago, I was driving to Chicago and talking to my Grandma and I missed my turn to go north of the city and drove to far in to the city! Oops!
- General cockiness: two weekends ago (again) I assumed there would be a south-bound connection on to a highway because there was a north-bound one. Nope. Oops again!
This list makes me sound pretty pathetic, but let me assure you, this is the extent of my list.** And when I make a wrong turn, I just have to laugh about it and find my way back. What else would I do?
And note: I rarely drive anymore, as my driving seems to scare Steven (???) so my main car duty is that of navigator.
*Yes, there is more than one highway in Iowa.
**Okay, okay, except for that time in Italy we walked around for 30 minutes looking for our hotel – the internet lied to me! THE MAP WAS WRONG!!!
Themocracy
Hi Kim! I am just catching up on some of your posts – I am like you and have a pretty good sense of direction and if I get messed up it’s for the same kind of “technical” reasons as you – ha ha!
Thanks for sharing the bone scan pictures – they were kind of spooky looking and I was also wondering what those black spots were. I hope it’s nothing serious – keep us posted.
And be wary of those squirrels – they can be pretty agressive – I almost got attacked by one when I was a student at the U of I and was waiting for a friend outside of a classroom building, and innocently eating sunflower seeds…
I have a horrible sense of direction. Well, really I think my sense of direction is good, I just question myself so much and get so nervous in new places that I stress myself out and can’t focus on my sense of direction and just end up feeling “lost” all the time. Like you, I just laugh at wrong turns and normally find my way in the end.
No joke when I did my first triathlon I was more scared of the bike route not being marked clearly enough and getting lost than I was of the actual race.
So should I pick you up for the race on Sunday? 🙂
Seriously though, is Tony bringing the kids down later?
Sense of direction?! What is that?! … I don’t have one. Really. I’m fine in the city, because if the streets are laid out in a grid pattern and are numbered, it’s a little hard to get lost. But otherwise, forget it. I actually have a little compass in my bag (not for that purpose) that has come in use several times!! As for driving… I hate relying on my GPS, because it is idiotic. But sometimes I guess I have no choice…
<3 <3
i know where i’m going, when i’m in colorado. issue with other places is: their mountains are not to the west. this is confusing. i can find places, however, i don’t know street names…even in the town i grew up in. it’s embarrassing. i would say i’m more of a “landmark” type of girl….but that’s not even it.
I think the cost of a marriage license should increase by $100 and every couple should be given a GPS with their marriage license.
LOL. Good idea!
I love reading maps and I do not own a GPS. My Dad has one and everytime I’m with him while he’s using it he still makes wrong turns!! He misses exits and turns too soon etc.. I am much happier just reading a map before I leave and jotting down my directions. I also keep maps and an atlas in my car so if I make a wrong turn or miss an exit (or my google directions fail me), I can figure it all out! I’ve never been to lost I couldn’t find myself on a map.
I have a GPS because I get lost constantly, even with maps. But if I am going somewhere new, I always print out directions just in case and it has helped me out in a few situations.
Hahahahah, no need to protect my identity!
I’ve gotten much better at reading maps, interestingly enough, since I got my iPhone. It’s almost as if I need a route laid out for me. As long as I can see at least one way to get from point A to point B I can use the map to figure out alternate routes. But without a pre-planned route? Yeah, I have no clue.
I’m not good with N/S/E/W and Seattle people talk in those terms. “Head west until you get to the first stop light.” WHAT?! Where is West?! Shit.
I have a compass in my car. It helps. Mr. Darcy has a gps. It helps even more. I don’t like driving in very busy urban environments with lots of one way streets and pedestrians. Makes me mental. For the most part though, if I know where I am going, I’m golden.
Yeah…not good! I always think North is in front of me! haha! Don’t ever count on me to get you anywhere! hehe!
And being navigator is more important & stressful. The driver tends to yell at the navigator if a direction is not told in time. That’s when communication between driver & navigator is most important!
Luke doesn’t know how to read my Garmin Auto GPS. He doesn’t know when it says 300 ft, it means really really really soon TURN!
In KC I am awesome, I can totally direct msyelf. However now in Miami i am a lost fool and can’t even make it a few blocks from the house…seriously the streets here are not a grid and are awful
I’m normally really good at finding a place. These days I do use Google Maps and navigation on my phone (Palm Pre), but if I’ve found it once before, I can usually find it again without maps or navigation. Salt Lake is easy to get around because everything is North South East West named. Like an address will be 3050 South 1300 East. For street names, if it’s a place I’ve been multiple times, I remember what street comes after what, like in Orange County, Calif, I know the major roads there because I grew up there and have driven at least 70% of the roads there over the course of my time driving.
Usually when going somewhere new I get lost at least once. Not necessarily lost every time but definitely drive by the place I need to go. Since I travel weekly for my job and lately new places I’m getting lost a lot! GPS is my bestest friend 🙂 Once I’ve been somewhere once I’m good and can usually find my way with minimal help! Around Chicago, I’m a rockstar. It only took me 13 years to get that way though 🙂
I am proud to say I have a really good sense of direction! I tend to keep a little map in my head and I kind of know where I’m going most of the time. My best “I got lost” story was when I made the unwise decision to follow my friend, mindlessly, in the mountains in Colorado. We totally lost the trail. The sun was almost setting and I was pretty freaked out. Thankfully, we found a back road and a car happened to come along and give us a ride back to civilization. Yikes.
How funny! I don’t think Ted feels safe when I drive either. It’s odd because I don’t think my driving is that bad…. a bit more aggressive than he is, but then in my book he drives like an old….oh- we won’t go there.
Anyway, I enjoy reading maps. The GPS has made my presence in the car insignificant. I used to feel so important being the navigator and now I rank pretty low after that darned GPS.
There is hope for us navigators yet though.
Did anyone else see where the sun is going into its active phase and might really mess with GPS? YAY! I’ll get my old job back!
I am the worst in the world when it comes to directions. I have lived in the same city all my life and I still get lost. I should really have a GPS in my car.
As I first started reading this on my phone, I was like OMG THIS IS SO ME I HAVE TO COMMENT.
Then I realized. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
I am so stoked to have prompted a Friday Question, you have no idea.
My sense of direction is actually pretty decent. I’m a good navigator. A better navigator than I am a driver. So Katie winds up driving a lot while I figure out where we’re going and how best to get there.
As for highways, I’m fine with numbers and can keep them mentally distinguished. But I hate the Chicago habit of naming highways. It’s 90! Not the Eisenhower or Ike. It’s 88, not the East-West Tollway or the Reagan Memorial Tollway. Stick to the numbers people. This is why I can never listen to traffic reports. I never know what the hell they’re talking about.