Home again; home again

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Jiggety Jig!

I'm home from my nearly three-week-long whirlwind trip to Arkansas which included seeing folks in Mtn. Home and Mena, AR, and West Plains, Ava, and Forsyth, MO.

I saw my niece graduate with honors (in two bachelors degrees) met my paternal half-sister, Millie, for the first time, saw dear cousins - 1st, 2nd, and 3rds! - two aunts, and two new family members recently married into our clan.

Thanks to the new, malfunctioning Garmin GPS I traveled what seemed to be the entire length of the Ozarks National Forest, in the dark...took a 10-mile detour down a washed out logging road that ran along an overflowing creek (the size of which would be called a river up here.) Beside having no where to turn around, it crossed three low water bridges, one of which had 12" of flood water gushing over it. I persevered but wasted a lot of time.

I pulled in at 1:05 a.m., tired, hot, tired, and ready to quit driving.

For the entire trip the skies were mostly overcast, until yesterday. The sun was broiling my skin through the glass.

I missed the exit South of Sioux Falls where I usually stay; the roads were congested because of all the construction so I simply pushed on through.

I stopped to stretch and jump about several times. The traffic was very light so it was all good.

Today is cloudy, raining, and 49°. Just about perfect and I plan on doing nothing at all.

Sam is beside himself with joy at my return.

I don't know what Wes did to the house, but it smells good and is remarkably tidy.

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Comments (7)

eld6161
9 years ago
Welcome home! I can't believe you took that trip yourself! Kudos to you.

I have had Garmin mishaps. I now use my iPhone for GPS.

But, here is what I used to do for a long trip. Every few hours I would end the route and start it over. I found that it made fewer mistakes.

We were in Florida once, looking for a Dunkin' Donuts. It took us down a deserted road, clearly one that never seen a Dunkin' Donuts. Anther time it took us to an out of business Dunkin' Donuts, but I forgave it for that!
cooper8828
9 years ago
I also use my phone, and I also restart to get more accurate directions.
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User
9 years ago
I don't trust those things. Too many stories that didn't end well in the middle of winter on a deserted logging road. I don't travel but when I did - long before anything like GPS- I drove from one highway sign to the next and always stayed in the general direction I needed to go. Now I check google maps if I go anywhere I'm not familiar with. I print it off and take it with me, both versions map and satellite. And I study it while I'm still at home so if I have any question I can find out before I'm on the road.
Shades_of_idaho
9 years ago
Welcome Back Caroline. Very happy for you to have arrived safely home. Also admire your courage. I really need to become braver about making trips. I want to go see some friends only 250 miles away and I have been the rout enough times to know how to get there with out even looking at a map. Even so I freak out when it comes time to do it.
agmss15
9 years ago
What an adventure!

If you ever come to Maine do NOT use GPS. Unless you have a Bond type car that turns into a hovercraft or a plane on demand. GPS regularly tries to lead people leaving or arriving at my house up the hill and through the woods into a pond and beyond...

On the other hand the Maine Gazetteer is fabulous.
PRO
Anglophilia
9 years ago
You were in my father's old neck of the woods in the Missouri Ozarks! He was born in Mtn Grove, not far from West Plains and Ava.
caroline94535
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Mtn. Grove!? Oh my, Anglophilia! My first husband was from Mtn. Grove and we married in Ava. In the mid-70s his father owned the Sinclair station in Mtn. Grove.

My Aunt and her husband now live in West Plains and my newly-found sister lives in Willow Springs. My sister-in-law lives just outside Ava.

It's a small world, after all!