Thursday, April 19, 2007

Just Another Lewis and Clark Adventure


Guess what?

Wow, it only took you one guess...yeah, you’re right, despite having the navigator lady to guide me, I got totally lost going to the airport to pick up Cousin Kay (aka Clark).

Here's my version of what happened.

I typed Denver International Airport into my Verizon Virtual Navigator (her name is Marcia, for those of you who are interested) and she immediately calculated the shortest and fastest route to my destination.

Completely trusting Marcia, I followed her directions to the letter. Not once (OK, maybe once) did she say, “Recalculating Route” or “Please make the next available legal U-Turn”. I was feeling so proud and full of myself. I kept thinking, this is so easy, why did I stay up half the night worrying about getting lost? I swerved in and out of traffic, navigating the big city streets with ease.

I drove and I drove and I drove, making lane changes where necessary and only getting the finger once (that I saw, anyway). I was oblivious to my surroundings until I was nearly run over by a bus. Marcia chose that moment to make the announcement that we were .4 miles from our destination. I looked about in dismay. How on earth do they land planes with all these houses around, I thought to myself?

I drove around the block several times. (Don’t laugh!) When it became obvious that I was NOT anywhere near the airport, I pulled over to the side of the road and Marcia and I had a little bit of a chat. Come to find out, when you do a GPS search for Denver International Airport (DIA) on the Verizon Navigator Network, there is a slight chance that you will be directed to a car service that will secure your vehicle in their lock down and then drive you to the airport. This service is conveniently located in the middle of the seediest part of downtown Denver and is approximately 16 miles from DIA.

After some gentle persuasion, Marcia "recalculated" the route and I finally ended up at DIA., about half an hour late and only a few minutes after Clark was escorted to the pickup zone by a kindly police man who found her wandering around the airport with a confused look on her face.

Oh yes, my fellow bloggers, you would have been so proud of me.

21 comments:

Ur-spo said...

i don't trust those things and Mapquest routinely lies to me.
I will stick with AAA maps.

WithinWithout said...

HA HA HA HA HA HA!

And now it's double trouble with you and cousin Kay...

Denver, watch out...

LittlePea said...

Hehehe! Well at least you're consistent! You're brother is so sweet. I hope Dale is feeling better. Maybe the visit with Kay will do some good.

dmmgmfm said...

Ur-spo, I have to admit, operator error may have been part of the problem.

WW, you are so right! Denver (drivers) better watch out! ;-)

Littlepea, my brother is a sweetheart. And Dale's blood counts were up a little bit tonight, so we are hopeful...

Girlplustwo said...

proud, indeed. those things freak me out.

you are a wild woman, sister.

Pam said...

"On the road again..."

Menchie said...

I'm so hopeless with directions when I'm driving too. It cracks the hubby up every.single.time.

Cathy said...

But you kept your cool! And you brought us a smile~ Yes - we're proud of you :0)

Anvilcloud said...

You're off the hook. That one's completely down to Marcia.

dmmgmfm said...

Jen, thanks, for one reason or another, I wasn't even scared.

Pam, it's so good to have my travelin' partner back...

Menchie, both Kay and I are directionally challenged. It makes life so interesting.

Cathy, thanks, it means a lot to me!

AC, I am going to tell Marcia what you said (after I get to the hospital this morning).

Gina said...

LOL!

Pink said...

Ha. Never trust a talking machine. Didnt you see 2001 Space Odyssey?

xx
pinks

Bonita said...

Is Marsha a real person who talks to you, or is it a robot voice? If I had one of those gizmos, I could just imagine getting into an extended argument. And, with a robot - that would be so funny! Glad you were successful in reaching your location.

KGMom said...

Is it possible that the friendly GPS has a commercial bent to it, and purposefully directed you somewhere that would require spending money? Or did it assume you wanted to park then fly somewhere?
It just could not have been your error--no no no no.
As Shakespeare would say--all's well that ends well.

Mary said...

LOL! The journey continues. Watch out world!

Glad you still have your sense of humor, Laurie :o) Getting lost on the highway gives me a headache.

Unknown said...

Well, at least you got there, right? But how did you manage to get back? ;)

dmmgmfm said...

Gina, ;-)

Pink, without her I'd probably be somewhere in Mexico right now.

Bonita, it's a robot voice and she doesn't seem to care if I argue or not for some reason...

KG, yes, it all ended well, and that is what is important.

Mary, I actually got the giggles. I think I'm losing the few marbles I had left.

Courtney, Marcia was much nicer to us on the way back. We drove to the hospital and back to Broomfield without any problem.

Squirl said...

I hope his blood count is still going up! And I'm glad you finally got to the airport. I hate driving places that I don't know.

Mary said...

You're giddy.

LauraHinNJ said...

I'm not sure what to say, but that I'm glad you found each other!

dmmgmfm said...

Squirl, we will know more next week. They did a bone marrow biopsy on him today.

Mary, me giddy? OK, you're right...

Laura, me too!