Garmin...Google Map...where am I going?

Eric is on the varsity and the junior varsity baseball teams for his school, Portland Christian. He counts the hits, is the warm up catcher, and backs up first for the varsity team. He does not see much playing time for varsity, but Jodie and I don't miss a game.

Yesterday, there was a game at Western Mennonite High School. I put the address into our Garmin. It directed us to go over the Wheatland Ferry. I didn't want to go over a ferry with our big Sprinter van. I went to Google and got a map that directed us to take Highway 99, to 18, to 221. It seemed simpler. If I missed a turn, we'd wind up at the casino...not so bad.

I was not in the right lane for the Tualatin exit off I-5. I could not get over. I've gone that way many times...no idea what I was thinking. I took the next exit and made my way back to the Tualatin/Sherwood Road.

We made it down Highway 99. The Garmin kept telling us to turn everywhere. I left it on so that when we got close to the school, it would let us know.

We got caught in that bottleneck area on Highway 99...took us forever!

The school is on Highway 221, northwest of Salem, between Lincoln and Hopeveil, two small towns I did not know existed. Farmland, fresh air, a very beautiful setting for a school.

We made our way to the parking area. It was a grave lot, except for a couple cement slabs for disabled parking. I parked in one of the slabs. Jodie moved her chair onto the lift. I let her down. The gravel was a slight down hill slop. The lip at the end of the ramp would not go down. I had Jodie get back into the van and I drove to the other disabled spot. Save for the nasty mud hole I had to slog through to open the back doors of the van, I was able to unload Jodie in her powerchair and my scooter without trouble.

People were looking on with curiosity as we unloaded. I got the feeling the the disabled parking spots don't get used much at that school, and they probably don't see many lift vans there.

The boys won. Eric counted the hits. Jodie was not sure about letting Eric drive us home, but I knew he could do it.

We followed the team bus into Salem. We grabbed dinner at a Dairy Queen drive-thru, parked to eat, watched a guy bum some change from a gal sitting in her car a few spaces from us. We watched him go into the market across from us, come out with a brown paper bag, and disappear behind the Tru Value store.

Eric drove us home and did a fine job.

Now, I need to find LaSalle high tomorrow, Sherwood high on Friday, and Horizon Christian on Saturday.

Ahhh...baseball season...