Small Town News

Lacking a sense of direction doesnt stop the trip

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All my life I've known I belong in the "Lost and Found." Don't ask me to take you anywhere I haven't been before or take me with you to help with directions. Without a rising or sinking sun, I'm lost. Then I married a man with a similar driving problem. We reproduced, and one child can't tell right from left when in a vehicle.

Recently we took the craziest trip of a lifetime and haven't functioned well since. We drove to Boston, Massachusetts, the wrong town in Massachusetts for our lodging, but the weather, the people, everything was wonderful. We were in Washington D.C. both ways. This is a must destination for our historychallenged teens.

Coming home, my husband said, "1 don't want to hurt your feelings, but I simply can't drive through New York City." I was OK with that but saw above and ahead the highway number we were on, cars on both sides. I knew we would shortly be eating apples. Going with the flow was the only way. Now I have pictures of the new Yankee Stadium and the Statue of Liberty plus the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Delaware. This state is really our largest as we circled around in it for an entire day.

When we drove with our children, usually west, we saw no need to tell them we might be off course. Anywhere the road went turned into something beautiful or new to us. As long as it was daylight, we were fine. A few times we were caught at night and had to sleep in our SUV, station wagon, or sedan. This became worse as we aged and thought we might never stand again.

This happened to us alone one winter driving to see ALABAMA'S farewell performance in Las Vegas, which was my special birthday present. About midnight on a lonely highway we realized we could see no lights and really did not know what part of the west we were in but knew Las Vegas was ahead. I took the back seat. At least we had a nap and sense to continue. Then we found ALABAMA was beginning its tour in Nevada, later to come to Dallas. Houston. Oh well. We enjoy driving. The show was a winner.

If one is patient enough in the USA signs for cities and miles always appear somewhere.

This week, as retirees, we set out from Trinidad to Kilgore, believing Kilgore was out of Tyler on Highway 31, our highway. A friend we wanted to visit lives there in Country something. On a narrow highway in the middle of deep forests we knew it. We were lost. My husband hates to turn around and will go forward to check out all he can before going back. Highway 259, 354, whatever, on the way back west said Kilgore with the appropriate arrow. We took it, saw a cafe and went in. As geezers we recognized a table of four of them. I went over to ask how to find this place with half a name. All four talked at once: "Go left, right, two red lights, circle the college. If you don't see your road to this place, you missed it."

After eating breakfast we set out, not knowing what to do in a matter of minutes. We kept driving where buildings, beautiful churches, old homes, town and other facilities were. We stopped three times, tried to follow these new directions. Then I looked in a telephone book, found Country Living, on another street. Some knew that street. I was near tears, but my husband was on a hunt. Then road construction interfered, but one of those workers actually lived in Kilgore and knew our turn. We made it, visited with Frances Grayson, a former history teacher for H.C.J.C. with a home in Trinidad. What a wonderful visit we had. We laughed, discussed situations at home, and really wanted to stay longer. We may have had difficulty getting there but made it home with no trouble as usual which is a puzzle.

One friend of mine will never turn from a side road onto a busy street not going her way. She will drive with the traffic until she finds a saner place, makes her turn, gets in the correct lane and off we go. Maybe this is why once we were lost in Athens.

Another friend had advice: "Always drive in the direction you want to go when you don't know the way to go."

I'd still need a sinking or rising sun at some revealing level.



Copyright 2010 The Malakoff News, Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 The Malakoff News Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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