Flashback...Travels With Technology

On our second day of travel (from Springfield to Detroit) I got really good with Jason's Droid.  Google maps and GPS location finder are totally cool, but takes a little practice to add-in points of interest or to veer off the path (and not get lost).  I sadly tossed out the printouts from MapQuest at the next gas station break (that is so 2007-2008, I guess).  Beforehand feeling so prepared, I now realized that I was a waster of tree pulp and totally out-of-date. 

As the GPS co-pilot, I was intent on keeping us on target for the final destination; but my propensity to veer off the plan often crept up.  I would see an intruiging billboard boasting the finest little winery in southern Michigan, or even better, the one that said "Chocolate Garden---next exit, then left 1 mile"  Now, I'm not really a chocolate lover, but anyplace that combines the names of tastiness and beauty in one title, must have something sweet and irrestible to look at and consume.  When I mentioned it though, the guys in the car only moaned. Jason did pretend to be somewhat interested (at least for a few seconds)..."Do you really want me to exit?" He must have been clued in when I said "Chocolate Garden, next exit" ??   I pretty soon figured out the male ploy to avoid the time-delay.  You know, "the Dad-trucker-style-traveler" emerges covertly, which is "don't stop until you get there."  He hesitates, and continues the speed limit, until we get right to the exit.  "Here it is!" I yell. "What?  This one? Are  you sure?" ....all the while, we blow past it....so wrong.  I see the secret smile..."Oops, did you want to go there?" he says, and happily keeps on.

I did manage to get off the path in Ann Arbor....the crucial place one MUST go to when in MI, and that is Zingerman's Deli.   I have several times sent Zing's yummy deli-style gift baskets, but never had the chance to taste the to-die-for food myself.  "We HAVE to stop at Zingerman's!" I plead....I snatched up the Droid (which now was becoming my fast friend) and poked in a search for Z's.  The diversion from the Interstate was clearly so easy that even Jack could navigate his way there, so they only complained a bit.  I tried to entice by oozing about the imported cheeses, the fantastic home-baked breads and sweet treats, and the New York style deli sandwiches (made to order and to perfection).  We found the deli, no problem, and emerged with on a few embarrassed complaints from them as I pulled out the camera.  Boy, did their attitudes change when they viewed all of the luscious food offerings!  We managed to taste nearly everything of worth in the Deli, and came away with a basket full of yummys to eat at the hotel:  creamy French Gouda, Italian hard salami, a fresh-baked crusty baguette, a nosher-sized sourcream coffeecake, and a pile of heavenly brownies.  My dream, to eat at the infamous Zingerman's...fulfilled :)

The Droid brought us all the way from KC to our hotel lobby with no issues (Jason only argued with it one time) and since then, we have used it all over Detroit....can I even remember the days of planning a roadtrip with a paper map?  I tried to get Jack interested in plotting his route with a marker on a real map, "Why would I do that? I can see us moving right on the screen.  Aren't we the little blue dot moving along the purple line?"  That seems wrong.  Will my little guy ever learn to read a map or plan a route on his own, or will his sense of direction always be governed by an electronic droid-friend?  If his satellite crashes, then what?  I love the technology, but totally believe in the old-school method...just as accurate, only takes a little longer (and some brain power).  Seems a bit wrong to avoid thinking about how you will get somewhere...perhaps Jack's generation will grow into early-dementia from lack of brain use...relying too much on technology.  Anyway, we got here no problem...that's the point I guess :))