How To Get Lost in Dayton, OH with a Garmin

As some of you may know, Al and I ventured to Dayton, OH today.  Thankfully, we have such a caring, trustworthy friend to watch over our babies while we're away (thanks Brie!).  But first you might ask, "why would you travel to Dayton?"  Oh, we wanted to get away and figured Dayton had a lot to offer...Uhh No!  The reality of it is that Al has his practical (hands-on) exam for his paramedic license tomorrow. 

We left around noon and stopped for Wendy's before we hit the road.  Boy, do I love those Spicy Chicken sandwiches!  And the new fries are delish, but I only had a few (stole from Al) as I opted for the healthier side salad.  Back on the road, I started to test Al.  I would name a procedure (V-Tach or Medical Assessment or Duel Lumen something or rather) and he would have to go through all the steps.  We were so caught up in reviewing that we almost missed the exciting crossing over into Ohio!  Oh, but no, we got to see it.  A little bit more and we were in Dayton.  What a drabulous city!  I've been here many times, but must have been so hyped up for guard that I never realized how blah it is. 

Anyway, we were following the Garmin to our hotel.  We had been on interstate the whole time, so when our lady voice tells us to exit at Exit 51, we must have got confused.  And it's easy to get confused when the exit isn't marked except by a tiny sign to the left of the ramp.  No sign above it or before to warn you that it's ahead, that's too easy.  So, we had to get off at the next exit and get back on the interstate to exit at Exit 51.  From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to the hotel. 

We arrive, check in, search for places to eat, study (Al), play stupid games on the computer (Am), and look up directions.  It was between Mexican and Thai for dinner.  Al chose Mexican, I chose Thai, but decided to go with Mexican as he was the one with the big day tomorrow and would need his stomach to be settled.  Plus, we went to Wendy's for lunch because of me, so it's a fair trade!  Anyway, on our way to dinner, we wanted to drive the route to the testing site to know how long it would take and whatnot.  It's about 6 minutes away.  Then it's off to Elsa's. 

As we're walking into Elsa's, we notice the "Bad Juan."  Of course, we picked a restaurant that my friend Chris has talked about many time before.  He's had a couple of experiences with the Bad Juan!  :)  Dinner on my end was yummy, Al's was so-so.  Note to self: Avocado and ranch blended together is a tasty combination. 

Now starts the drive back to the hotel.  First, we miss the exit on the right to get onto 35.  We cross over the interstate and turn around in Rallys.  Before we cross over the interstate, the lady voice is telling us to turn right.  What the heck?  I thought we needed to go left?! Confused now, we drive over the interstate and get on the original ramp.  Apparently, you could have gotten onto the interstate from either side.  The only times I remember seeing anything like that are when there's a divider in the middle and you can't perform lefthand turns.  Anyway, we're going on 35 and it tells us to get onto 75.  That was easy.  The first exit is ours: Exit 51.  We don't miss it this time.  But we do miss the fact that if you stay all the way to the left, it puts you right back to interstate 75.  Of course, so now we are back on the interstate.  I start cracking up.  Not sure why, but it's hilarious.  The next exit isn't until after we get back on 35.  We take the exit that the lady voice tells us and follow her directions.  Too bad the Garmin didn't have road closures in it.  We hit a road block and can't get over the river.  Of course!!

So, we start driving back the way we came and are completely mad at the lady voice.  We don't turn where she says until we hit some road (Veterans maybe?).  We start driving down this road and it's sort of creepy.  It's along the river and looks like there could be many a homeless people living there.  It also looks very deserted.  Ahhhh, then we see the bridge with the terrible lighting underneath it (looks like something from the 80s that used to be cool).  Woohoo!  We made it back to Edwin C Moses (street on which the hotel sits)!  Hopefully, I'll have better luck tomorrow when I'm driving around alone.  :) 


Good luck to Al!  Safe travels to all!
--Am