DRIVING WITHOUT GPS KNOW HOW TO GET THERE
Willie Nelson's tour bas drivers Gates "Gator" Moore and Tony Sizemore, who've split Willie's driving duties for nearly 40 years, offer their tips for driving without GPS:
Prepare to overshoot
Tony: "If I know I have to get off on Omaha Street, I study the map for street names just beyond Omaha. That way, if you see'em fly by, you say, "Oh, I missed it, I have to go back."
Ask for directions
Tony: I've never been afraid to call ahead. But asking for instructions is an art. Gates: People say, "head out on Main." Which way is out? Or, "Hit 27." Hit it how? Insist that they be as specific as possible.
Use the numbers
Tony: For interstates, generally, north-south routes have odd numbers, growing larger from west to east. East-west routes are even numbers, getting bigger from south to north. That's not the kind of thing you're gonna learn from GPS.
Use billboards
Tony: Even with GPS, read the signs. It's always nice to see "Holiday Inn, Exit 81," when that's your Holiday Inn. And if billboards are advertising the city you meant to leave behind, you know you might be headed the wrong way.
Unplug
Gates: Don't be afraid to override the GPS. We did it last night. We'll go 30 miles out of the way to bypass a city we suspect will have heavy traffic by the time we get there. Tony: If you're coming from Chicago to Nashville, people assume you come down 65 through Indianapolis. But if you take 57 on the Illinois side you hit 24, it's 20 miles faster with no major cities in between.
When all else fails, just fake it
Gates: If you're lost, keep it to yourself. Act confident, even if you've got no idea where you are. Make a couple turns, make a few educated guesses, and more often than not you'll come out all right. If somebody asks why you're late, say you rerouted to avoid construction. Either way, you'll come out smelling like a rose.
Prepare to overshoot
Tony: "If I know I have to get off on Omaha Street, I study the map for street names just beyond Omaha. That way, if you see'em fly by, you say, "Oh, I missed it, I have to go back."
Ask for directions
Tony: I've never been afraid to call ahead. But asking for instructions is an art. Gates: People say, "head out on Main." Which way is out? Or, "Hit 27." Hit it how? Insist that they be as specific as possible.
Use the numbers
Tony: For interstates, generally, north-south routes have odd numbers, growing larger from west to east. East-west routes are even numbers, getting bigger from south to north. That's not the kind of thing you're gonna learn from GPS.
Use billboards
Tony: Even with GPS, read the signs. It's always nice to see "Holiday Inn, Exit 81," when that's your Holiday Inn. And if billboards are advertising the city you meant to leave behind, you know you might be headed the wrong way.
Unplug
Gates: Don't be afraid to override the GPS. We did it last night. We'll go 30 miles out of the way to bypass a city we suspect will have heavy traffic by the time we get there. Tony: If you're coming from Chicago to Nashville, people assume you come down 65 through Indianapolis. But if you take 57 on the Illinois side you hit 24, it's 20 miles faster with no major cities in between.
When all else fails, just fake it
Gates: If you're lost, keep it to yourself. Act confident, even if you've got no idea where you are. Make a couple turns, make a few educated guesses, and more often than not you'll come out all right. If somebody asks why you're late, say you rerouted to avoid construction. Either way, you'll come out smelling like a rose.
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