Jane was unusually quiet. Normally, at this point, she would be chirruping suggestions and admonitions, being helpful and accommodating. Silence was definitely odd. I glanced at her to make sure she was alright. Yes, seemingly OK.

Given I was driving, I turned my eyes back to the road, concerned I would oversteer and career down the steep bank. I looked at the potholed, narrow road ahead and at the lush vista below.

Another minute of silence. Just as I was about to stop the car in the middle of the road, and address her directly, Jane spoke. “Turn around.! Turn around!”

Was it me, or did she sound somewhat concerned. Anxious perhaps. Looking at the width of the road I was on, it was clearly not possible to turn around right here. The road was literally one and a half times the width of the Jeep I was driving.

I looked down at Jane, a.k.a. my TomTom XL1 navigational device from whence her voice chirrups. She was now sounding more urgent. And I saw the source of her distress. We were nowhere. Literally, nowhere. The navigational map on my Tomtom was a white, blank screen. With some disturbingly precise notations for a nowhere location: No route planned! (Note the emphatic exclamation mark). 0mph. 1.22pm. 206 SW…