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| ‘The Flintstones’ (1960 season one open) Hanna-Barbera Productions |
Now, the fun er, horror begins!
On way way home, the first time driving from Cafe Van Kleef, Google Maps tries to misdirect me through Oakland, then succeeds in providing me with the wrong instructions once I get to the freeway entrance that was closest all along.
Next I am repeatedly urged to remain in the rightmost lanes coming to a fork in the road, when at the very last second, Google s changes it’s mind and says “take the left fork”. By then that is impossible without my crashing headlong into the divider. And as I see Highway 24 veering away from me, I am now heading towards San Francisco, west and not east!
Ignoring Google’s inexplicable prompts, I instead put myself, with no time to lose, onto the nearest off-ramp, and am now Berkeley bound. I don’t know what the heck Google Maps is calling out, but I am plainly on my own and in unfamiliar driving territory. However, when I spy an exit sign for 13, I take it but miss the sharp right turn leading from the ramp.
Lost!
Great, now where on the surface streets of Berkeley do I go?
Finally, Google Maps gets its bearings and leads me through the industrial district back to the freeway. It fortuitously proves to be northbound Highway 80! Thank Heaven!
Electing later not take the interconnecting Highway 4 to 680 (besides, I’m boxed-in at the moment and can’t make the turnoff even if I wanted) I just stay the Hell on 80 and come in the side route via Vallejo to Fairfield from the north and west. Having to overshoot home, I nevertheless manage to eventually return to my domicile, safe and sound, albeit bewildered!
That Google Maps! The one time I really needed to make the crucial move, and it failed me utterly! This sadly, isn’t the first time but that has happened, but in the freeway maze that is downtown Oakland, I was reluctant to trust my judgment.
Boy, was that a mistake!
This time it proved to my detriment.
