Destination: Wilmington, Ohio

            Before horse showing at the World Equestrian Center, I first had to attend a convention in Toronto.  Google maps indicated the trip from Toronto to Wilmington would take 7.5 hours.  To accommodate all the clothing and tack, I rented a giant SUV.  Unfortunately, my phone would not connect with the SUV’s audio. Since, the rental had a built-in navigational system, I opted to use that instead. It should have concerned me that the total trip time was 90 minutes less than what my phone indicated.  But when the SUV’s navigator said to turn left, I dutifully departed The Royal York Hotel and headed out of Toronto.

            The border crossing was breezy, and I was soon zipping south toward Toledo.  I drove many miles with nothing but visions of hunter courses dancing through my head 

            The navigator prompted me to take the next exit.  Compliantly, I headed east. The lake on my right was stunningly beautiful.  It didn’t look familiar, but I’d only been to W.E.C. once before and expected there was more than one route to Wilmington. When the navigator flashed that I would arrive at my destination in just over an hour, I called my trainer, Jen, to let her know I’d see her and the rest of the Georgelynn team around 4:00 PM. 

            I drove on anticipating a short schooling ride and a long dinner with everyone at the Paddock Club.  At some point I noticed the little lake had turned into an alarmingly large body of water. More disturbing, there was a hyperboloid shaped tower in the distance that looked just like the one in HBO’s Chernobyl.  The navigator announced that I had reached my destination.

            Horrified, I scrolled through the screen.  It confirmed the destination was correct and that it had been saved over three months ago.  I was nowhere near Wilmington.  I was in Perry, Ohio! 

            At best, I was following the route of a nuclear scientist.  At worst, I now occupied the same seat as some unsavory character who had scoped out nuclear facilities with bad intentions…to be continued.