No GPS For Me.

Why use GPS? Don't you enjoy getting lost? The feeling of discovering a new place and really seeing it, instead of driving like a robot, awaiting the next instruction from  a disembodied voice?

One of the saddest things I ever saw was a dear friend - used to think he was one of the smartest people I ever met - become panicked when his GPS stopped working and he had to find his way to the highway without the wisdom of a satellite telling him when to turn.

I was a traffic reporter for over a decade, for God's sake. I had a road map of Seattle in my head 24/7. I no longer live there, but I like to think I still have a magnet in my brain pointing towards North. But, I get lost a lot when I'm in a new city. And, I know the momentary fear of being out of my depth. But, I also know the triumph of finding my way out of the woods and the confidence of telling others which way to turn.