WHICH ROADS TO TRAVEL

Daddy sat at his desk in the office with an atlas and his old Remington Rand manual adding machine keying in numbers between here and there. I didn't ask why he did it, only how far away was the destination. He had a way of figuring out where to stay although it was not certain if reservations were made ahead. We all knew to go on a holiday meant some long days in the car to get there. We were, after all, nearly at Canada's border in the Midwest, a long way from anywhere. Let's say we are going to Bangor, Maine to eat lobster on the coast.

We know in the mid-fifties there were not the Interstates like there are now. One didn't hook up with four lanes in Minneapolis/St. Paul and ride it all the way to the coast. No, it was the time of two lane roads nearly all of the 2,000 miles to the restaurant overlooking the water.

Now, all of us who have computers and a touch of savvy can hop on to the 'net and google Mapquest. The beauty of Mapquest is it includes construction zones and it will help you calculate your fuel needs. Although it is a great service, there is even something better than a handful of papers.

Let's say we are going to Maine. Global Positioning Systems are readily available in all price ranges. Our "old" unit was bought in 2004. It gives us play by play moves, which is great for finding places in big cities and lakes in Minnesota. Unit can be updated via the computer. Ours does not show construction zones. It will show us gas stations, restaurants, and hotels. But if a business goes out of business, it would, unless the unit is updated, will only bring us to the address.

BUT.....

There is IPhone by Apple. That is all the applications, (called an APP for that), except Daddy. It appears the APPs are extra and available at the APP Store. It is fabulous technology and to see Ryen use his is as natural as daddy would have handled a two party line.

Let me ask you, what's your APP?

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