May the Force Be With You

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." ~ Henry David Thoreau

I believe the single greatest invention for travelers has been the portable GPS systems we can now take with us in cars to direct us to our destinations.  They are so much better than maps.  I hate maps.  There is so much pressure.  Or maybe that is just when Kahuna and I travel.

Kahuna and I have always enjoyed any weekend getaways that we could plan.  Before kids, this used to be a somewhat regular event.  He liked the opportunity to visit someplace quiet and relax from the work week.  I liked getting somewhere to relax from the ride to that somewhere!  As I have stated before, my side of the family has excellent sense of direction.  Kahuna's is a little more challenged.  So, in the days before GPS', we had to travel by map...if Kahuna had stashed one.  There was no MapQuest, there was no high frequency direction finder.  Just Kahuna frantically throwing a map at me in the car with only seconds to the suspected exit, and the next exit 20 miles (possibly) out of our way!  AND...even if I could figure out whether we need to exit or stay on the freeway, I still have to get the map unfolded first.  You can imagine our frames of mind when we showed up our first night anywhere.  Usually we would be talking to each other again by the next day, but only if our day trip plans did not include the use of a map.

So, the GPS is not just a direction finder, but in our case, a marriage saver.  I am thankful.

Sometimes, though, the GPS is not worthy of that kind of hope and gratitude.  Take, for instance, our first GPS, Maggie.  (Something about those devices having their own distinct voices demands that we name them)  She was AWESOME at first.  Her reliability waned as the years went on, however, until finally, my friend and I and our kids found ourselves lost in Kentucky because Maggie had a mental and technological breakdown!  After that final straw, we were reduced to MapQuest.  

Until this Christmas.  

This year, I got a new GPS for Kahuna.  A Tom Tom.  It has been great!  It is more compact and easy to use and, the bonus is...IT WORKS!  But my favorite part of our new Tom Tom is that I no longer have to listen to boring directions.  Our new GPS is DARTH Tom Tom!  Yes!  Darth Vader leads us on our journeys with such wisdom as (and you have to picture this with Vader's voice and breathing or it means nothing), "Turn right to get on the freeway.  STAY IN FORMATION!", and "I see Obi Wan has taught you well."   Wrong turn?  Be admonished as Darth breathes, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."   All of Darth Vader's commands and comments make traveling a light hearted and fun adventure.  But if you read my post yesterday (and if you didn't, you should because this will be much funnier.  Link Here.), you will understand after watching this video why I REALLY invested in Darth Tom Tom.

Enjoy the video.  Right now, I 

Gotta Mosey