The other day I was reading an interesting article about memory called Turn Off GPS — and Turn On Your Brain. The main idea was that relying on a device to get you places can make your brain lazy, because that devise doesn't allow the hippocampus part of the brain to activate.
The article gave some great suggestions, including trying to get to destinations in different ways, trying to draw a map of your neighborhood, using a paper or digital map the next time you plan a route (then trying to get back home on your own), and using environmental clues to get places.
This morning Hubby Tony and I used that last tip when our errands took us to a part of the metropolitan area we don't get to much. We know the major roads there, but nothing about the residential streets. Before completing the errands, we decided to walk in the area. The high temperature was forecast to be almost record-setting hot, so we decided that earlier in the day was better than later.
We used the Interstate to get close to the destination, got off and drove east for a couple of miles, then turned south down a major road. So far we were in familiar territory. Three miles down the major road I saw a brown sign on the right (the first environmental clue!) that indicated a County park. It turned out to be a lovely area with athletic fields, picnic shelters, a playground, and a small water feature. Paved paths looped throughout the park to each of the different areas.
The first path we took just looped back to the bathrooms, the but the second one exited out the back of the park and into a neighborhood. We kept walking. That street dumped out into a residential collector street that seemed to have quite a bit of traffic but didn't have a sidewalk. After checking for vehicles, we crossed into a second subdivision, and that subdivision spilled into a third. About then I was getting hot and tired, so we backtracked our way to the park.
It was early enough in the day that the sun was still in the eastern
sky (environmental clue!), The roads were straight enough (another clue!) that we could guess that we were
paralleling the major road we had driven on. We went down a couple of roads that said No Outlet (a clue that we'd be turning around and exiting quickly). We also passed a few houses that had children's toys in the yard (a clue that it was a family friendly area).
After retrieving the car we took it to complete the first errand. Tony is much better at navigating than I am, so as we were headed to the second errand I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign for one of the streets we'd walked on dump out onto the arterial exactly where I thought it would.
We do rely too much on technology these days.
ReplyDeleteSaturday I went to a Parkinsons charity walk at Logan University. Even though I'd been there a couple of years ago, I looked it up on google maps, figured out how I was going to get there, and took off. 270, to 40, to 141, to Clayton, to Schoettler.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful campus.
DeleteIt's been a long time since I've used anything other that google maps for directions, I probably should try navigating somewhere without it. I used to be pretty good at navigating with a paper map! The area you walked in sounds like a area we have by us. The path goes through the woods, past a lake with a observation area and then into a subdivision,
ReplyDeleteI doubt I'll ditch Google maps anytime soon, but it was a nice challenge to see what I could do without it.
DeleteIf anyone were to navigate based on my instincts, they'd never be seen again. My husband used to ask me "right or left here," only to know which way not to go.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like Youngest Son. He's getting better, though, and I bet you could too.
DeleteA great challenge. I like the technology, though! We get into some marvellous adventures when I misread Gillian GPS, though!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to deliberately defy the map app and see what happens.
DeleteHumph! My GPS is a crack smoking wench. It will have me circle a block or take me off 2 exits early to wander along 10 miles of country roads rather than going 2 miles more down the interstate to directly reach the destination. I keep a road atlas in the car... THAT hasn't failed me yet.
ReplyDeleteThe tech that has absolutely ruined me is spell check.
Sometimes I wonder where those GPS systems get their information. Once I was told to get off Interstate 270 at a non-existent exit. Good thing I was familiar with the area.
DeleteAnd I probably rely on spell check more than I should.