I’ve had a bit of a scare.

A big bit of a scare.

You may have heard of our little kerfuffle out here in Northern Virginia (or actually, the entire Eastern Seaboard). We had a wee bit of a storm, it only lasted maybe forty minutes. However, the initial hit was like unto a large Mac truck cruising through our complex. It is a testimony to something or someone or Providence or [insert preferred source for thanks here] that we didn’t have any trees coming through our windows or roofs, Poltergeist-like (see number 4), and only lost power for two days.

When we awoke Saturday morning the husband and  I knew that we should not open the fridge or freezer. Instead we decided to drive until we found a place open where we could get food. “Surely,” we foolishly thought, “Reston wasn’t as badly hit.”

It was.

We were nearly to West Virginia before we found food and power (and air conditioning) in Historic Leesburg, a lovely little place experiencing a little trouble with their County Courthouse railing.

Loudon Country Courthouse’s Fence

We had a lovely meal at a little deli and a little walk and then thought maybe we could go put our feet in the river. We went on a little hike to a particularly rancid little beach, but the hike was shady and that was fine. Then we thought we’d take Historic White’s Ferry across the water to Maryland and head home.

This is where our day became Zombieland.

It was impossible to find power. It was impossible to find gas (well… almost impossible because I wouldn’t be here typing if it had been completely impossible). It was impossible to find anything open-slash-to do.

It was even impossible to knit on a 115 °-heat-index-day.

I had flashbacks to 9/11 and trying to find the Red Cross Shelter in NJ. This time it was finding a hotel with AC (or a hotel at all).

“Full.”
“Full.”
“Sorry, full.”
“Full up.”
“No room at the inn.”
“I heard there are rooms in Winchester, VA.”
“Yes, we have rooms on a walk-in basis only.”

So we went home. We checked on the cat (she’s fine fine fine). We decided that since we’d left the windows open and the place was coolish during the storm (at least the temp had dropped a bit during it) that we might be okay*. So we stayed the night Saturday night. Power came on (mostly) at 3am, but the AC was broken. The Interwebs were broken. No one knew anything and most of the phones didn’t seem to connect. Again, shades on 9/11.

And this, my friends is where my little paper thing comes into play. We were a little scared driving around  in the car  that Saturday.

I didn’t have a map.

I haven’t used a paper map for years. I used to have a Thomas’ Guide when I was in LA which I used like a Bible (and which was as dog-eared and loved, to be honest). It was a lovely thing. A thing of beauty. And I have spurned it.

And I have paid the price.

Once the power went down, the towers went down, the phones were out, the 3G/4G was out.

And we were blind.

I mean, as the daughter of a geographer I’d be hounded out of the corps if I didn’t have a decent sense of direction (oh look… we’re heading west… I think West Virginia is this way…) but beyond that? We had nothing. I navigated this country blithely with my children in the back of the car, 100% at the mercy of a cell phone tower outage, using nothing but an iPhone to make it through Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.

I was an idiot.

Lucky, yes.

But an idiot nonetheless.

We had to scramble to get to AC and Internet for work and for sanity, so we went nearer my husband’s work in New Jersey (he works remotely from home most days). We visited some sights and had a very nice dinner in Philly.

Thing 2 at the Camden Aquarium

We were in a lovely hotel with a pool and AC and all that, and hoping things were better in VA, we decided to come back today. The boys wanted some ocean action so we took the most direct/easy route and went to Atlantic City.

Big Score!

Things 1&2 getting their beach on

And what did I do before heading out to come home?

I bought a map.

I recommend you do a bit of that too.

It’s a scary thing, flying without instruments. I think I won’t be reading on an electronic device tonight either.

*I know, we totally sound like wimps, but it’s shocking to be put into this position when you’re living in a world that is NOT SET UP to run without power. Our air flow in the apartment is lousy. We have no way to preserve foods other than a refrigerator. It’s creepy just how dependent we’ve become.