We decided to drive to the Coast this past Saturday. We thought we would try out the new GPS system that was given to us for Christmas to get there*. As we drove along Highway 26, ready to make the turn to get onto the Freeway (84) the GPS system told us to continue straight on our way through the streets of Gresham, and then Portland. As we turned onto a busy street I looked to see how many miles we had left of this segment. 15. 15 miles of Portland city driving. This was going to take forever. So we turned around and went back the way we came to the route that would take us to the Freeway. We kept the GPS system on and laughed our asses off as the woman’s voice told us to make u-turn after u-turn. And then when we actually got on the freeway she kept telling us to get off the freeway so we could get back on that whacked route it mapped out for us. God, it was so funny. We are easily amused, I guess.

Eventually we were on a route that the GPS was happy with so it stopped bugging us for awhile. As we neared the exit for highway 101 it told us to take the next right. I assumed it was the exit for 101. It wasn’t. It was a dirt road that was actually closed. It looked like a logging road! What the hell?

We actually made it to the coast just fine using a good, old fashioned map.

Once we got there we had fun. We went to Seaside first and wandered around the beach for awhile. Then we went to Ecola park . And then it started raining, so we went home.

It’s a two hour drive which is a little long for a day trip, in my opinion. Next time we go we’ll spend the night in a hotel.

*On a little side note, before our little GPS adventure, my mom was telling me about this news story she read about an Oregon couple who ended up stranded in a snow bank after following the GPS’s directions for the shortest route to their parent’s house. Scary stuff! I also found it interesting in light of our adventure. Who knows where that logging road, had it even been open, would have taken us!♥