The Lowly Road Sign

Sometimes, the most basic forms of communication are the best. Consider highway road signs. They provide nearly all the information you need when travelling, with the exception of perhaps knowing which gas stations have the cleanest restrooms.

But with our GPS units filled with endless data on everything from road conditions to entertainment, we no longer rely on the lowly road sign for information. Or do we?

This morning as we drove along I70 in Kansas, my husband (who was driving), looked up from his cell phone and asked, 'How far is it to Salina?'

'I have no idea,' I replied, thinking he had to be joking since he had the Garmin to guide him. Certainly this gadget could provide something as basic as distance from current location to the next town?

He handed me the road atlas. 'Here, see how far it is to Salina.'

This was getting ridiculous. I hate looking at the road atlas. For one thing, I refuse to wear my glasses, which makes it almost impossible to discern Kansas from Kentucky, let alone find a speck in the center of Kansas labelled 'Salina'.

I considered tossing the atlas out the window, but stopped when I noticed the green road sign. A simple beacon delivered to me in a flash the information my beloved so desperately sought.

Noting my reluctance to look at the atlas, he asked again, 'Come on, how far is it to Salina?'

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my forehead, as if trying to divine the information from the interstate goddess. '54 miles,' I answered.

'Seriously,' he replied. 'You didn't look. How far is it?,

'54 Miles!'

'How do you know this?' He eyed me suspiciously.

'The road sign.'

'The road sign?'

I sighed. 'Yes, the little green signs on the side of the road which tell you how many miles to the next city.'

'Oh!' He replied with a sense of awe.

Perhaps we've gone too far into the technological abyss...

That's all for now. I have to find a toilet. Perhaps the Garmin... no, wait, I think I see a sign....
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry