To GPS or not to GPS?

Morgantina loves maps, atlases, guidebooks and all their variations. When driving in a a smaller area she really prefers regional maps drawn on a 1:25,000 scale. They're most useful for finding alternate routes, short cuts, nature areas, less publicized archaeological sites, chapels and Madonna shrines. You can't go wrong with these maps detailing major and minor routes, rough stretches and goat paths. They're perfect for finding the a good shortcut without having to rely on the highway; and that was always Morgantina's goal until driving in the heart of Sicily where sign post, map and road don't speak the same language.



While Morgantina likes the challenge of finding her way in and out of a town using map (when at hand), street signs and intuition. Pellew tolerates this tendency more than he appreciates it. Morgantina reasons that her preferred system works all the time because they've always made it home. But this method isn't without its drawbacks since there must be ample time and patience, both of which have been known to wane at an accelerated rate when physiology is a factor.

For this journey Pellew insisted on using a GPS. Morgantina concedes its usefulness. GPS will always tell you where in the world you are. That's a comfort. Want to go to the movies? Just tap on the screen. Craving sushi? Query and ye shall receive a moderately accurate listing of bars probably still in business. Directions to base camp in rural WV? Sure. 3 routes. 2 of which are navigable atop a snorting quadruped, not the XB.

Morgantina hypothesized all the adventure and spontaneity of the trip would be negated by a satellite signal. Geographic ineptitude would increase as navigable skill decreased: a classic inverse relationship between woman and machine. GPS isn't emboldened with conviction or guts. At least when we'd mistake East for West at midday we'd be attuned and engaged with interpretation of the landscape, signs, markers, constructively figuring out how to get to our destination. We'd argue a point. GPS's mistakes would yield a blameless and heartless situation of foggy recalculation. When GPS gets it wrong, we'd be missing what the land and sky are trying to tell us. We might as well don the blinders as we're hunched over stupidly punching at the screen begging GPS to lead us in the right direction. But Morgantina could be wrong.