LEARNING NOT TO GET LOST

When I was grade school age, my family would take trips in the summer all over the Southwest. My Dad, who was a contractor, was off during the summer months in Arizona. It was just too hot to work building houses, offices or hotels - roofing, laying cement and all those things that bricklayers, carpenters, hod carriers, and laborers do for a living. It was also a good time to spend with family. The time off would be one-month or up to three-months. Summers in Tucson are often over 100 degrees for 3-months in a row. My dad was good to his employees.

My Dad would drive the family to some chosen location, which was different every year. He had traveled a lot during his own childhood [which is another story] and he wanted to travel and see more of this beautiful country we call the USA. Each year we would load up into the car and off we would go. I remember many of those years with lessons that I learned.

Before leaving the city behind my Dad would stop the car and ask me if I could find my way back home. He would say things like: "I am putting you out of the car here." "Can you find your way home?" I was scared! I couldn't believe he would abandon me in a place I'd never been before. Often this would happen in another State, where I had no idea where I was or how to find home. The first few times, I panicked. I'm sure I looked over at my mother and cried. I hung on even when the door was swung open. I wasn't going anywhere other than where my parents were.

Then my Dad would tell me to look out the windows of the car. He'd ask me to find the tallest mountain and tell him, was that mountain toward the East or West of our home? At night he would have me look at the stars for the big dipper and find the North Star. That way I would know when I woke up in the morning just what direction we were traveling iand of course, what direction from home would I be then. He told me that the pioneers placed their wagon tongues toward the West at night when they unhooked the oxen or horses, so in the morning they could know which way to travel.

Then I learned to tell time by the sun. When the sun is overhead it is noon. The sun goes down in different seasons at a different time each day. What season are you in, and what time will the sun go down? His questions were to teach me North, East, South, and West. He never let up.

He'd ask me to find landmarks, look around for something different on the street or highway we were traveling on. See the surroundings, the buildings, the gas station or market across the street. What highway sign number was the last one and did it change when we came to the next town? Was there a river we crossed, or a bridge? What was the name of the last town we were traveling through? Would there be little towns before we arrived at the next destination?

He also would ask me what would happen if we turned around and drove back to where we last stopped for gasoline. Would I know to turn right or left to get back on the highway? He would ask me if I was left behind, what would I do? He instructed me to always have phone call money in my pocket. I would need to call the police and have money left over to buy a drink or food while waiting. I must always have identification on me, with my home address. Today we are instructed to have our blood type and medications or alergies in our wallets, too. Never leave home without money! This was throughly imprinted on my mind. Money keeps you safe.

My mother was a saver. She would always take along a container for bread, sandwich meat, and mayo to make sandwiches on the road. When we stopped, we would have food to eat and ocassionally Dad would buy soda pop. Often we didn't stop and just ate in the car. You learn what you see and live through. I learned to always take food and drink in the car when I am traveling. Eating food while driving keeps you wider awake. Perhaps the movement of the mouth.

Remember how you used to wet your eye lashes and stick your head out the window, or roll it down, to keep yourself awake while driving? My son found a new answer for himself. He plays loud mind-irritating music and eats a snack to keep himself awake for long-trips.

Back to my story: When we would stop for a rest stop or picnic for lunch, Dad would get out the map (that my mother used while traveling to give him directions). Dad would look it over. He would ask me questions about the map, too. He wanted me to learn how to use a map. He said, I must know where I am, how to find it on a map, then locate where I am planning to go, and to know how far and how long it will take to get there. This helps to know when to stop for gas.

Learning to read the map was a little harder, however, I wanted to be a navigator, like my mother, and be able to sit in the front seat, next to my Dad. I knew I had to learn to read the map first. The front seat was the best, as Dad would often put me on his lap and teach me how to stir the car. Of course, he had his hands on the wheel as well as mine. It was fun!

I learned that each map has a legend/scale that tells you distances. Some list sample miles from one city to another. There are red and black mile numbers. Look for the arrows that tell you how far from this place to the next city. Main highways are marked with large blue lines. Small roads have small red lines, and tiny grey lines are dirt roads. Toll roads are usually bold green or red yellow columns, usually a four-lane highway. State capitals usually have a star inside the black dot marking the cities. Go get a map and really look at it.

It became a game or learning. I always loved learning and lucky for me, I still learn. When I am a passenger in a car I keep my eyes moving. Looking for how we are traveling, looking for landmarks like I was taught as a kid. What buldings, churches, stores, bridges, rivers, gas stations, street work, or signs are we passing?

I find most drivers are not conscious of their surrondings, and should they go to a place they haven't been to before they can get very lost. I have been in the car of many of these people. I have to tell them which way is East and how to get back out of the winding road area they are presently in. They often tell me they don't know how I do it. I can tell you, it was a different experience having the Dad that I had, but the learning was permanent. I don't get lost.

If I'm ever on vacation and wind up in a city that has roads not on the map, I am not ashamed to stop at a gas-station, talk to the cashier about where I am. Then look at a local map, to find my way back on the right road, and off again on my fun vacation. You can do this too! Enjoy life!