I drove by myself into the Michigan town of Ann Arbor on a recent afternoon and I did so alone and didn’t use GPS or attempt to read maps while driving. I’ve lived next to this town on and off for nearly the past 30 years, so the roads and streets aren’t THAT unfamiliar to me.

Most of you might know Ann Arbor best for being the location of the University of Michigan, or maybe the summer art fairs. And I think it’s a big football town or something? 😄

Despite my seeming familiarity with Ann Arbor, after driving there to and from recently, I decided that if I were a driving instructor, I would devise my own driving test line item. That would be requiring my students to do the Geddes Road westbound to Geddes Avenue route into and back from Ann Arbor without missing any turns.

When you look at this pic, look at Geddes Road on the upper right, then the little loopy thing in the center below the River (I don’t have the software to highlight it for you all):

So there I was heading west on Geddes Road then south on Huron Parkway. I knew that somehow I’d have to turn left and head east in order to turn right and head west on Geddes Avenue, but dammit, I really looked for where I was supposed to turn and missed it! So I had to head south on Huron Parkway for a bit to find a place to turn around, and of COURSE there wouldn’t be any spots to do that right away. I turned around and headed north, hoping I’d find my turn this time around, but NOPE, I missed it again. Not wanting to arrive too late where I was going, I took the “familiar” route via Fuller Road west into downtown Ann Arbor. Ugh, so many traffic stops and congestion by the famous University of Michigan Hospital! I made it to my destination on time, but I was still feeling like I’d failed my own driving test that I didn’t know at the time that I was taking!

After my trivia game was over, I tried to make sure I wouldn’t miss my turn onto Geddes Avenue heading east to my home!

And at first, I didn’t. I made my right turn on Geddes Avenue via Observatory and Forest prior to that.

“I almost forgot how pretty this stretch of road is,” I thought to myself while listening to a peppy tune by the 80s girl band The Go-Gos.

But then, but then… (please pardon the upcoming profanity, don’t read it aloud to your kiddos) – GOD DAMMIT, I MISSED MY TURN AGAIN!

So instead of taking Geddes Road back home, I took Huron River Drive back and hopped back on Geddes Road east via Dixboro. But this a pretty route that hugs the Huron River, so it wasn’t too bad.

Still, though – I shake my fist adamantly at whomever did this road design! And as (deity of your choice) is my witness, I will conquer the Ann Arbor Bermuda Triangle!