Just take old Volt Road...

Why is it that we look at a "position" that someone holds and assume that person has knowledge and authority because of the position? Shouldn't we know better?

Case in point - we visited Wolf Point, Montana, to look over the homestead my grandparents worked in the early 1900s. I'd never been there, and the trip my parents made there had been quite a number of years ago. Hence, we asked the person behind the counter at the motel how to get there. We should have known better than to take her directions at face value because she initially seemed to have no clue about what we asked. Then, she suddenly was the authority on it and knew all about it. "Just take old Volt Road. It's out by 6th street, and it'll take you where you want to go."

So we followed that "sage" advice, and took 6th street, crossed the main road and started on a gravel road. It was fine for awhile, but the farther from town we got, the worse the ruts became. No one seemed to be home in the houses we stopped at to ask directions, so we drove on gravel for probably 15 - 20 miles back and forth until we came to a paved road. It seemed to be headed in the right direction, so we followed it. Almost ready to give up, Dad noticed a church and a farm that were familiar, and we realized this was what we wanted all the time. We found the school house, the homestead, the cemetary, and other landmarks we wanted to see.

We had a wonderful time, in spite of the bad directions we initially received. Time with family is always worth it.

So the next time you get "directions" from someone, think first whether they are a credible source. Are you following their lead because they know what they are talking about, or just because they are celebrities in their own right, which has nothing to do with the subject at hand? Think twice (at least) before you blindly follow someone's lead.

Old Volt Road was NOT the right way to go...