September 8, 2009 – Travel Episodes

Got GPS? You better have a map. Got a navigator? Make sure she is not taking pictures. If your navigator is on the phone, you are bound to wind up lost.

It started in N.Y. on our way to the North Pole. As we passed through the town of Jay, Gigi, the GPS instructed me to turn northwest on route 9. We had been traveling on route 9 as we approached the intersection she was referring to. To my left, heading northwest was route 86. To my right was route 9 heading north. Closer to my right was my navigator with the map in her lap, but talking with either friend or family. I made a snap decision and followed route 9. Gigi, in her inimical way, said, “Re-calculating”.

Today we are trucking down the road on our merry way to Perce. I’m following the road signs of HWY 132 and Perce “X” number of miles ahead. Carol is busily taking photos through the windshield. Suddenly, Gigi says, “in point three mile turn right.” “What the …. “says I. And, now we are at the intersection. The road sign says Perce, HWY 132 Ouest straight ahead; Barachois turn right. I say, “Where the heck is Barachois?” and blow straight through the intersection. Gigi says, “Re-calculating.” By now, Carol has caught up, checked the map and said that Gigi was just cutting off some milage by going overland versus around a small peninsula. It would probably have saved us ten miles and we wouldn’t have passed that ugly house on the left.

Later today, we are coming into Nouvelle, on the northshore of Chaleur Bay on our way to Pointe a la Croix where route 132 would junction with route 11. We would take route 11 south into New Brunswick. Gigi instructs us to turn left off of route 132. I’m thinking I was wrong the last two times, so I best be turning. Carol is thinking that something is wrong. Too late, I’m turning. As Carol is advancing Gigi through the planned route, she realized that Gigi wants us to take the ferry across the Chaleur Bay. While it will save us a ton of milage, we’ve no idea if the ferry even exists as it is not shown on the atlas. Two and a half miles later, at the base of another 15 degree downslope, I reach a place I can turn the rig around. It is like a four way stop with the only traffic being the poor souls stuck behind me. By now we’ve decided that even if a ferry does exist, they probably don’t take RV’s, especially ones with a vehicle in tow. And, even if they do take RV’s towing another vehicle, what is the cost? And, how often does it run? So we make a U-turn and head back from whence we came. We re-join route 132 and precede none the worse for wear, just some lost time.

So now we are in New Brunswick. Not much here.