22 March 2011

The detour.

It's always a treat to hang out with my knitter friends, and that's exactly what I got to do this past Sunday. Five of us got together to shop, visit, and eat exotic food in North Kansas City before dropping by the Russell Stover outlet. Before we left, though, I had to get to the meeting point in Shawnee.

The plan was to meet up at a friend's house at 11:15. Mind you, I've been there a zillion times, but always in the passenger seat with my nose in my knitting. I needed some help with directions. Himself scribbled a few lines on a sheet of notepaper.

"Okay, you go here, then turn left, take this exit, turn right, take that exit, turn right, and follow this road to their house."

Piece of cake.

After a round of smooches, I headed for I-35. All went well until I was ready to look for the Johnson Drive exit. Where did all of these orange signs come from?

Turns out, there's a wee bit of construction going on up there. By "wee bit", I mean that the entire landscape has changed. Now there's a big uphill and a slope and a cliff sort of thing with on ramps and off ramps to spare. Oh, and someone stole the road signs. The big Johnson Drive exit sign was flat gone. In its place, about a tenth of a mile past the exit, was a three-inch orange rectangle with tiny black print that said, "Johnson Drive this way".

Well, that was helpful. At least I knew where I should have turned. With visions of unplanned trips to Nebraska flashing before my eyes, I muttered under my breath and looked for the next exit. Lo and behold, three was another three-inch rectangle with tiny print. "Johnson Drive detour this way." I took the turn like Mario Andretti and scowled at the road.

Four lights, six stop signs, and one roundabout with only one outlet later, I made it to my destination only a few minutes late. We had a great time, ate way too much, and fondled every skein of yarn in the store. I had absolutely no trouble finding my way through the construction on the way home.

I took a back road.

1 comment:

Mags said...

Hey,
Exactly the reason we got a GPS...okay that and I always have trouble with directions and maps!!!
Friends,yarn and chocolate sounds like a perfect day! Glad you made it okay. xo