GPS and Women's Intuition

As I travel around the country I can't help but notice the increased use of GPS units in all kinds of vehicles. Some I can understand but others I wonder about.

There is definately an advantage to over-the-road truck drivers who make deliveries in places they may have never been before. Just enter the cargoes' destination and they are guided to the drop off point. Or, the four-wheeling enthusiast who goes off road in search of adventure. Punch in a few locations and they can always find their way back to civilization. Other vehicles that benefit from such precise mapping and guidance are emergency vehicles, taxi cabs and couriers.

The ones I wonder about seem to have a common trait however; they apparently have more money than sense. I'm thinking about those who spend close to a quarter of a million dollars or more on an R.V. Those big, beautiful motor homes and coaches that are somewhat limited as to the roads they can navigate.

Many of the opulent rigs are seen daily criss-crossing the country on interstate highways with their GPS either mounted on the oversize dash or being displayed on a laptop computer somewhere near the driver's captain's chair. Now, I may not be on Einstein's level of thinking but how smart do you have to be to read an oversize road sign displayed on our interstate highway system? Does someone really need a programmed voice telling them the next exit is the one where they want to turn? Or, don't they believe the sign that informs them if you want to go to Topeka turn right next exit?

It just seems to me if they can't read a map or simple signs they might really want to consider what would happen if suddenly there was no satellite communication. Would there be drivers wandering all over the countryside or parked on the side of the highway wondering: "What next?" Ah! Maybe it just helps to clarify the meaning of men and our toys.

For years I have pulled my R.V. across the U.S., all through Mexico and Central America with only a road atlas. But, I have my own form of GPS - my wife. Women are natural navigators. If Christopher Columbus would have had a female navigator he would never have gotten lost and landed on our shores.

Gentleman, if you doubt me consider this. As we travel and enter a city we have never been in before, women have a natural gift to tell us how to get to the mall. But the intuition doesn't end there. Once inside the mall, where they have never been, they can go straight to their store of choice without even consulting the little "You Are Here" diagram. Now, their instinct is in high gear. Once in that store they can proceed directly to the exact department and sometimes even the rack where the intended purchase awaits.

Think about this. If you are traveling and somehow take a wrong turn getting lost (which as men we never admit) and your wife begins the litany of: "Do you know where you're going?" Or, "Why don't you stop and ask for directions?"

Just simply reply: "This is a more scenic route to _____ (insert the name of the city)." And ask: "How do you want to go to the mall from here?"

Have a fun Monday!