Ok, so I've been kinda vocal about the shortcomings of the Nav System in the past. However after my afternoon yesterday I take much of my gripes back....

Last week I had to head up to Cape Cod for work and decided to take the MINI with me. It's a route I've driven several times and since I grew up in the New York Metro area, I know pretty well. I let the Nav System plot the route up last weekend mainly so that it could keep track of how far I still had to go and how much longer the trip would be. Once outside of DC and once outside of NYC when I took a re-route that the system wasn't expecting it just stopped replotting the route for a good 30 minutes. I guess it just couldn't figure out what the heck I was doing!

Anyways, I was driving back yesterday. Took the scenic route back (Merrit Pkwy to the Hutchison Pkwy, and down to the Cross Bronx, and the Nav System kept up this time, but that's not the main story) Hit a torrential rain storm around exit 8A on the NJ Turnpike that stuck with me until I got through Delaware.

When I get through the toll plaza at exit 1 on the Turnpike, traffic slows to 25 Mph and stays that way all the way accross the Delaware Memorial Bridge in pouring rain. (And a hello to the BRG/W S I encountered on the Bridge). After making the agonizing trip accross the bridge, I pay the toll, get 100 feet past the toll plaza and stop. Traffic is not moving. Took 15 minutes to move 6 INCHES!!!

So now the pressure is on the Nav System, I flip the route preference to "avoid highways" and it directs me off the road. So in a few minutes I'm off I-295, and a mile south of where I was and trying to get onto US-13 which it turns out is only moving slightly faster than I-295's blisteringly fast pace of 5 feet an hour... So now I zoom the Nav System in real tight, find some parallel streets going through some residential areas and am moving again. (If I cut through your neighborhood yesterday, sorry I was desperate) My 25 MPH through residential neighborhoods still being faster than the main roads.

Well after crossing over I-295/I-95 several times further south and not seeing any improvement, I let the Nav System continue to guide me on secondary roads out of the state. 2 and a half hours after I first hit the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I finally get out of Delaware.

If it wasn't for the Nav System I'd probably STILL be in Delaware (ok well maybe not, but it would have taken me at least 3 hours or longer to get accross a 20 something mile wide state). Yeah I could have had a map, but how often do you carry maps with you for routes your reasonably familiar with, and have the detail to show you residential streets?

So anybody know what the heck happened on I-95 in Delaware yesterday that had the entire state (all 12 feet of it ) tied up in knots?

 

I love my NAV, especially since I can do this with it now....