August 27, 2013
Road Constructions Puts a New Spin on the Scenic Route

Who decided that those round about intersections are really a good thing anyway?  Personally I find myself approaching them much like I do a revolving door - a bit apprehensive about when to hop into the fray and once there, not quite sure how to exit the door. 

Unfortunately for me these sorts of road blocks are cropping up at an alarming rate these days. I guess I'll get used to them eventually, though I'm not all that certain, since I still quiver at the edge of an escalator before gingerly stepping aboard.

This time of year is definitely a challenge for the traveler, a confirmed fact that this last week when I logged a good deal of road miles. 

It seems you can't really get there from here. 

Two words:   road construction.  And while I understand completely the necessity for improvements, there is a point at which I begin to unravel. One thing I did discover is that  weaving through the intricacies of of one-lane passages and diverted roadways is much like threading a needle. And I'm pretty adept at doing so. 

Yet I'll admit to becoming somewhat stymied when spying the dreaded orange road sign indicating the road ahead is closed.  You just can't get there from here. 

Actually being held back like that leads my mind to wandering, which isn't always a good thing.

I find myself gazing longingly at the workers who go about the task of remaking  the roads that on a daily basis are pummeled by an endless parade of cars and trucks. 

Sidling past the workers at a snail's pace allows for speculation on my part.  I'm pretty sure I could handle one of those monster steam rollers that drift back and forth over the newly laid black top surface, I think to myself.  I'm pretty good at backing up, after all.  I could do that, I just know it.  At least then I'd be going somewhere instead of stuck idling in the slow lane. 

Enter plan B.  The one where I seek, at all costs, an alternative route.  That, in my case, often leads to an adventure.  With the Interstate route that on a good day flows traffic freely cross country is reduced to the pace of a sloth's sleepy crawl, I soon seek a way out.  Aware that I must find a way south and west to find my way home, I follow the sun and point my car in its direction. I'm glad that there aren't any clouds in the sky.

This is where perseverance and a good map come in handy. 

I will admit that eventually, in my recent travels, I stopped to consult my handy "smart phone" GPS app when I found myself heading away from the sun, which mean that I was on a northward path, which wasn't good.  It always got me back on track and headed in the right direction.

In my travels I found lakes I didn't know existed and roadways that I'd never traversed, towns I'd never visited, and places I'd never seen.  And I enjoyed the scenery along  the way. What is it that some wise soul once said?  When life gives you lemons you just have to make lemonade.

I'm happy to report that I found my way home eventually.  Most stray animals eventually do after all.  And I traveled some lesser-trod paths in doing so.

I only hope that I will appreciate the fine work that the road construction crews are doing when winter rolls around and  I travel on the new roads that they have built.