The barn

Have you ever ridden a horse? I have. Twice as far as I can remember. Both times as part of a group ride.

The second time they put me up on a horse and told me to pull the reins right to go right, pull the reins left to go left, pull back on the reins to stop. But you won’t really have to do anything because your horse will follow the group. And it did. Sort of.

My horse, much like me, liked to stop to snack along the way.  Getting further and further behind the group.

Finally, the leader came back, got the horse moving again, and said don’t let it do that. But, didn’t tell me how to keep it from doing that.

I soon learned how. Point its nose toward the barn. And it will stop wandering. And pick up speed. And, once again, get you where IT wants to go.

Have you ever noticed that the type of transportation that keeps its horses under a hood does that? Wanders all over the place, stopping at will as you head out? But, somehow becomes very goal oriented once you point its nose towards the barn?

I started out from the casino in Oklahoma on a two lane US highway. Slowing down for towns. Taking turns passing slower vehicles or being passed by faster ones. Suddenly, my vehicle turned towards the freeway and took off. Going home now.

I would be going through Des Moines, where Mary lives. Mary invited me to stop for lunch or overnight depending on when I would be coming through. So the night before I set my GPS. Once for a lunch stop. Once at a truck wash. And once for where I hoped to stop the next night. As I looked at the timing on that I decided a stop at Mary’s didn’t fit anywhere. Going home now.

Apparently, my GPS still thought I planned too many stops. After lunch (at 4 pm because of road construction) it routed me north on I-35 instead of east on I-80 to the truck wash. And I was in rush hour traffic so there was no way to get out of that exit lane once I realized what was happening. East on I-80 was out of the way and the GPS was headed for home, I guess.

Then it decided to play games. When it came time for Walmart it said get off here and go there. No Walmart. I thought it was west of 35 not east so I doubled back. No Walmart. So I pulled into a parking lot and said, “Where?” It said one more exit then east. So I did that. Sure felt wrong. But I am at Walmart so it must have been right. Do you suppose it wanted me to give up and drive right on home?

But I was too tired to do that. And the sun was going down and driving after dark would make me even more tired. If Dave was driving I’m sure we would have gone right on home. But then what? Would I sleep in my RV in our parking lot? Or try to haul everything inside before going to sleep? Or at least figure out what things I would HAVE to  to haul inside? Way too tired to do any of that.

Tomorrow I get to go home. I know how to find it. Just wonder how fast it will make me go there. Sure hope I get to stop for lunch.

TTYL,

Linda