google-driving

While preparing for my 10-day road trip up to Washington State with Erik (only two weeks away!), I’ve stumbled upon a new hobby: Google-driving – utilizing Google Maps to take a mini (or massive) road trip without leaving your chair. I’d like to think that I coined the phrase, “Google-driving”, but a quick search dashed my dreams of internet super-stardom, as it’s been mentioned before here. *Sigh*. Such is my life.

Anyhow, in searching for routes to various locations, I’ve been having a lot of fun switching between the Map and the Satellite views while following any particular road – the 5, the 101, the 1, the 395, etc. I’ve seen the scars of the lumber industry in Washington. I’ve seen Crater Lake in Oregon in all its deep-blue (as it’s known as the bluest lake on earth) glory. I’ve followed a road through the snow-capped mountains in North Cascades National Park. I’ve crossed the Golden Gate Bridge over the pale, reflective brownish-green waters of the Pacific, as speedboats sped by on the sea below, leaving their white wakes.

It’s a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with the geography of places you haven’t seen before. And it’s an even greater way to spend your idle time at work, waiting for the rush orders you know are going to come in, as it’s a Friday afternoon – and that’s what clients do to mess it all up.