We left Frog City relatively early, that is about nine o'clock. We drove along I-10, passing through Lake Charles and entering Texas! Here it was that, our destination being Galveston, I relied on recall from years ago and chose to exit at Orange. (Proof of this idiocy above.) Thus it was that in order to reach our goal we found it necessary to drive through Port Arthur. (Texas's second-least scenic area.) Several miles farther along a "Detour" sign, but with no further information, appeared. 'Tis some French word, I thought, perhaps meaning "Don't you wish you were somewhere else?" (Idiocy proof number two.) I blithely drove on along the road for a good many miles, came to a right turn that paralleled the seaside, and though the road was now considerably narrower, continued on. Continued on, that is until suddenly and with no warning, the road ended in a salt marsh. (Idiocy: q.e.d.)
Sparing detail, I managed to get turned back along the pathway from which we had come. It was a dozen miles back to the highway which bore the number we wanted. Turned onto it and soon came to a notice that the road was closed "12 miles ahead." So we turned around, asked a service station attendant how to get to Galveston (Brief respite from idiocy.) This took us another dozen miles back to Port Arthur and the location of the "Detour" sign. We took the detour. Ultimately, and much later than planned, we boarded the ferry that took us across Galveston Bay and into the city where we found a place to park for the night.
Travel tip: If you are traveling along I-10, destination Galveston, exit at Winnie, not Orange.
8 comments:
I had a similar experience on US 40 in Pennsylvania a few years ago. Detour schmetour, and then suddenly I found myself on a one-lane gravel road to nowhere. No worries, fine sir; we all fall prey to occasional idiocy.
By staying home in winter, I avoid demonstrating my foibles. Well, I wish that it worked that way. Which is to say, you don't have to travel to . . . I'm going to stop now. :)
You are too hard on yourself! Enjoy the ride. :)
Jim, think of these experiences as mere glitches on the road to high adventure. Too, it is comforting to know there are others who wander off on their own "adventures."
Chuck, indeed, I don't have to travel to demonstrate...I'll stop now, too.
Rebecca, you are right. It is all just a part of life's adventure.
At least the detour gave you material for a blog posting. That's something.
John
John, it is important that we see the blessings in our trials, isn't it? Or, as the little kid said, There has to be a pony in here somewhere!
Ha! Probably not much fun in a large vehicle. But, I too, am subject to the need to prove that a detour was really a requirement.
Shark, the advantage I find in much of the Midwest is the township/rangeline grid, which often insures an "alternate route" when the failure to detour fails,so to speak. But in a saltmarsh...
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