Claudette, Angie, Susie, Dixie, and Me.

We were eastbound on Interstate 26 traveling in excess of seventy miles-per-hour when the tire shredded. It was the front tire on the passenger's side of the car.  There was a steady stream of traffic as we pulled over on the wide shoulder of the highway.  It was 10:45 in the evening when the car rolled to a stop. Claudette immediately began to call Triple A on her cell but then realized we didn't know exactly where we were. After starting the navigation application on my cell, Dixie instantly informed me, after finding a GPS signal, that we were 7.1 miles west of Exit 187. Who was Dixie? Dixie is the name I've given the female voice on my cell phone navigation system. Claudette has Susie and her car has Angie. I developed quite a relationship with Angie on a trip from Phoenix to Goose Creek alone.  We have friends who have the British entertainer John Cleese's voice on their system.  Of course you must be accustomed to the British terms used in motoring. For example, he uses the expression "give way" instead of "yield".  These navigation system are a credit to modern technology originally developed for the military.  There are 24 satellites that orbit the earth that are the backbone of the system. Through the transmission and reception of radio signals the received data allows for the accurate location of any earth bound vehicle properly equipped.  Therefore, I was sitting in an automobile looking at a map on my cell listening to a female voice give instruction.  During the long wait for the tow truck a state trooper made an appearance and queried us about our situation and offered assistance. He said we could call him at "star-HP".  I guess it is fitting that their number has a star since they represent law enforcement.  My father always referred to a highway patrolman as "the man". I am not fond of flashing blue lights but must say they were a welcome sight that night. 

It seemed to take forever for the tow truck to arrive.  Forever was about an hour and a half.  Shortly after he put on the spare tire he noticed it was flat. Lightning had been flashing continuously while he worked on the car, and now it began to rain. Noisy heavy drops began to pound a rhythm on the car as the tow truck operator began to attach cables to the car to pull it onto the tilt bed truck.  We had reached the decision that we must tow, i.e. haul, the car to a gas station to get air for the tire.  The time was past midnight when we piled into the cab of the tow truck.  The rain was pouring down, and the lightning illuminated what I believe was an old man building a boat with a bunch of animals watching.  The umbrella I had was made for a thin person, a very thin person. I got drenched. Claudette's fingers were moving on her phone at a maddening pace. Susie tells us that there is a BP station a few miles away.  Dixie was silent due to the death of her battery. Claudette decides to call the gas station due to the lateness of the hour.  She finds that the first two stations listed don't answer and the third is over twenty miles away but is open all night.   The rural roads are narrow with little traffic as the heavy rain limits visibility of the highway lit by continuous lightning. Some of the thunder claps were so close I'm sure some of my dental work was damaged.  Claudette and the driver engaged in a lively chat about speed traps in local municipalities. We followed Susie's verbal directions to the gas station and got air in our tire to continue our journey home. One unfortunate thing was Susie sent us in the opposite direction from our destination! But then she did send us to the closest gas station.  The question then became, "Should we go to breakfast at Waffle House before home?"

What would we have done without a cell phone and navigation system?  I'm not sure.  A navigation application on a cell phone is helpful whether you're searching for a gas station on a stormy night in South Carolin or cupcakes in Georgetown.  And, voice commands really make it simple to find what you need.

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A good explanation of navigation systems and how they work can be found at Garmin's website.