Near Parkes, canola in full flowerI’ve just loaded TomTom GPS on my iPhone and am tinkering with it. It doesn’t take long to realize this sweet spoken new passenger is going to be a distraction. “After 15 kms keep left to Moogee”. Waahhh! It wasn’t her mispronunciation that was disturbing, it was because Mudgee is north-east and we want to head north-west to Narromine. Ignoring her demands we whizz past the exit while I tell her we are going via Orange to settle her down.
At Molong, we’re happily following her insistent voice “After 100 metres take a turn left towards Forbes.” Surely Forbes will take us south!
A minor argument erupts right now. Hubby stops the car, jumps out and commands in an angry tone as he slams the door “You sort it out”. (He’s actually off to buy lunch but likes the dramatic effect).
Stung into action I check what Google Maps has to say, via Cudal it suggests. I’m sure that’s a dirt road. So with a sigh I dig out the low-tech paper map and decide to go via Parkes.
I’m so pleased with the yellow canola fields I forget to complain about how flat the land is getting.
If I had my way, I'd throw our gps (also tomtom on iphone) out the window while traveling at high speed.
ReplyDeleteI hate it.
My husband is in love with it.
On our way back to Vic on Tues, we were halfway between Moree and Narrabri on that looooong, straight stretch, when out of the blue the voice tells us to turn around where possible and head in the other direction!
We went through Parkes on Weds morning - what day were you there?
Maybe we passed one another?
Love the lines in the canola.
Give me a paper map any day, gals!! Although my kids swear by all this e-stuff!!
ReplyDeleteYeah me too ... the lines ... the yellow ... the flatosity ... the argument ... drive on McDuff ...
What a lovely image!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's funny how that happens nowadays - with all the technology we have, from time to time it tends to fail us. That's why it's good to have a back-up plan :)
This is why I refuse to get a GPS! Google Maps can still mislead, but maybe not as much.
ReplyDeleteLetty as it is me who is the techno geek in our family I can't complain. However, I stopped using the GPS at Broken Hill -- she is just too stupid -- your story made me grin. However, I think GPS is great for finding the way around to a particular destination within a city. Perhaps she is just a city girl.
ReplyDeleteWinam, the reason I went with the GPS is that there is not always mobile coverage to be able to access Google Maps.
Megan, backup plan paper map won't be discarded any time soon.
Julie, love that word "flatosity"
Letty, meant to say that this trip is being reported after we got home (it's just too much for me to do it on the road). So we were in Parkes a couple of weeks ago. We didn't come back via Parkes ... went through Dubbo and Wellington instead.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Love the contrast to the grey sky.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the blooming mustard fields all over Rajasthan, India, in January.
Ah, marital bliss. GPS is a wonderful thing but you have to show it who's boss.
ReplyDeletewv midwri
Is this an Australian word, looks like it.
Paula, it took me a while to figure out how to make myself boss (I turned her off). To me the VW looks about as mangled as Ms Tom Tom's efforts at Australian place names.
ReplyDelete