One
of the electronic devices accompanying us on our trip was our Garmin Nuvi. Ms.
Nuvi, as I call her, proved to be worth her weight in gold despite the fact
that she’s a slow starter and a bit temperamental. We went around cities – not through them – and her guidance was invaluable. Mike also used his GPS,
but it doesn’t talk, and sometimes the driver really ought to keep his eyes on
the road as opposed to reading directions.
“In
one mile, take ramp right,” Nuvi would warn us.
“Take
ramp right,” she would say, “then stay left.” Wow! You just can’t know those
things in unfamiliar territory. Add to that fast-moving, unforgiving traffic,
and Ms. Nuvi is a godsend. As chief navigator, I have a lot of respect for her.
She
does have some glitches, though. When we start again after turning off the car,
she seems confused as to where she is. It takes a few minutes of calculation
for her to give reliable directions. Mike finds that frustrating since waiting
is something he just doesn’t do. In derision he calls her “Numi,” which she
resents, of course, and a vicious circle of man pitting wits against machine
develops.
“Give
her a break,” I advised, taking up her cause. “She doesn’t like being called ‘Numi,’
and besides, you didn’t pay much for her.”
“That’s
true,” Mike acquiesced.
A
time or two, I admit, she was way off, her map describing something other than
the road ahead of us. That was not helpful, and I looked like an idiot sticking
up for her. Who knows what she was thinking – what quirk of the satellites
brought her to this waywardness. It appeared that she deliberately allowed Mike’s
GPS to win. Still, I wouldn’t leave home for the unknown without her, and with
her, I believe I could conquer Portland. KW
[Photo 1: Ms. Nuvi waits silently on the dash for the next time she's needed. Photo 2: Mike enters brush in search of a geocache somewhere -- might be anywhere.]
I like the Google Maps app for iPhone. We tend to use that rather than our Garmin. It's fast, gives directions out loud and is accurate (no need to regularly update maps). Also, if you're looking for a place, you just type it in like you would and Internet search and it will bring up the address. Handy!
ReplyDeleteMike didn't think of doing that or he would have. But I wonder if Google maps will search by coordinates. Also, we could both see Nuvi's map, and that was helpful.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with using the iPhone is the small screen. I like being able to see the display of the Nuvi perched on the dash.
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