Yeah the whole "hug the river" thing sounds real romantic until you're sitting behind a line of minivans waiting for a boat to pass. My neighbor swore by the scenic route for years, then one morning he got stuck behind a school bus doing the full stop at every single house. Reality backed up the interstate for me too, but only after I learned the secret handshake of merging at exactly the right ramp. GPS lies, Dave lies, and apparently your commute is just whoever's traffic luck is better that week.