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Off to the races!

We are in Lexington, KY not far from Man 'O War Boulevard. It was nearly midnight when we arrived, courtesy of major slow-downs on I-40. The Scootabout did us proud, crossing Black Mountain handily and averaging 38+mpg overall so far. I am amazed that such a little car was not buffeted by the big trucks, she actually feels quite secure on the road. 

But we've crossed other mountains as well and have a few left ahead. Most of them learning curves. I have a relatively new phone which is now loaded with multiple apps for traveling, navigating the conference, and mapping the Chicago Metro. I've loaded templates for my workshops and NCSLA participant lists, hotel and conference registration forms on my laptop. And then there is the issue of actually navigating downtown Chicago and a conference center the size of Staley once we get there. So while I'll be learning about new library technologies in workshops, I'll be learning to use new technologies to get there. And the learning has begun.

What I've learned so far: 

*The hands free phone works great if a) you took the time to actually properly label friends' phone numbers (work, cell, home, etc) when you entered them into your iPhone and b) their names are short and easy to pronounce

*My Garmin GPS works better than the SYNC GPS mostly because it's faster to download and doesn't require a reliable phone connection or a computer to preprogram in advance

*Do NOT try to use voice commands with the GPS on, "Recalculating" seriously messes with the car's limited vocabulary, and when the two are arguing, it's really easy to miss your turn--not unlike having children in the car. Not a happy throwback.

*Many apps do not a consensus make--Ford's expensive SYNC technology offers traffic reports that in no way agree with the free WAZE phone app, which only really works if there is another WAZEr in the area and that person is truthful. Neither one was really accurate and we still got stuck in traffic. Airball for technology.

No rush today. We can't get into our room in Chicago until 3p so we'll mosey up and maybe practice riding the Metro tonight. And checkout GasBuddy on the way . . .