“Let’s leave today so that we won’t have to leave so early in the morning,” my husband said. That sounded like a good idea, since there was a slight chance of snow in the forecast, and our train would leave at 8:30 a.m., meaning we would have to get up in the wee hours to get ready and be there in time. It got dark shortly after we left, but the trip to Oklahoma City went smoothly and we were there before we knew it.
Following the GPS instructions, we navigated unfamiliar highways and exits off the interstate until we found ourselves deep in the heart of the city. Roads narrowed into one lane with construction barricades almost everywhere. We were in the entertainment area called “Bricktown”, a brightly lit and well-populated spot this Saturday night, excited, laughing young people darting shivering across in front of us to reach some fun destination. We spotted the Amtrak station, but now where to spend the night? The glittering, gleaming towers of imposing hotels were all around us, but they were undoubtedly expensive.
“Program Cracker Barrel into the GPS,” my husband instructed me. We hadn’t eaten, and we didn’t want to pay for parking or eat in one of the night spots attracting so many. I agreed, knowing there would probably be moderately-priced lodging close to our favorite restaurant. We were grateful to find just that, and after enjoying a late supper, we turned in and got up in plenty of time to make our train.
I clicked on the GPS as soon as I got into the car. It came on and just as quickly went off. What was this? No matter how we tried, we couldn’t get the thing to come back on! Lord, help us! We really had no idea where we were, only blindly following the directions of the device last night. We had to get to the railroad station! What a time for it to go out, after all the years we had had it! Howard went into a hotel office and came out with a printed computer map which we followed carefully and got into the heart of town again. We missed a turn, though, and got hopelessly turned around.
“Sir, could you direct us to the train station?” Howard called out the car window when we saw a young family scurrying along in the morning cold. They were also carrying a computer-printed paper. They told us they had seen an Amtrak sign on Main street, and pointed us in that direction. We had been so close and yet so lost. Thankfully, God had put that family on that otherwise deserted street. After braving the cold, pulling luggage up high steps and two flights of stairs, and waiting in line to get our tickets from an agent standing alongside the train in a nor’wester gale, we thankfully fell into our seats. And we thought the hassle of airline travel was bad! Things could only get better!
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