As I drove home on Friday, I discovered that I-95 isn't where it used to be. Or at least the on-ramp from Highway 74 is no longer in the same place. I had a moment of panic when I realized that I had my blinker on to turn onto a road barricaded by "Road Closed" signs. And then I saw that just ahead was a detour route.
Detouring still brought some level of discomfort. My penchant for getting lost and the inevitable bout of hysteria caused by winding up somewhere unknown steals all my courage in moments like this. I followed the detour signs and drove slowly along this winding road that took me through the countryside, worried that I would miss the signs directing me back to 95. There was a charming little church and a storied looking corner gas station along the detour route, and I started to relax, thinking about how these things were there all the time, just a mile from the interstate. I found my way back to the interstate easily without much time lost.
And then I started thinking about getting off the beaten path. When I moved to North Carolina, Jenn gave me a book on the state's hidden treasures called Off the Beaten Path. I am sorry to say that even five years later, I haven't taken in much that's out of the way of my regular travels. Even within town, I rarely drive on roads that I'm not familiar with, leaving certain parts of Wilmywood totally untraveled by yours truly.
Sometimes I worry that my whole life is like that - lived straight along the interstate without many forays off the main drag. Looking back, I feel like I've taken the proverbial road well-traveled and left the lesser known places to be explored by others.
Jenn sent me photos from her honeymoon trip to Oregon, and in the bunch was a picture of the pioneer road, which looked like little more than a path through the firs. (Photo courtesy of Jenn & Dan!) A steep path, not very wide, not very clear. And I thought about how much spirit and daring it took to be a pioneer then and how much less it takes now. The world is so thoroughly exposed, and yet, I continue to walk the paths I know well.
Next weekend, I'm flying to Salt Lake City for a professional conference. It will be the furthest afield I've ever been. And while it's not so much off the beaten path, it's a step out of the well-worn footpaths of my life - and perhaps a bit of inspiration.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Off the Beaten Path
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4 cat calls:
It freaks me out when they work on a highway, and for months it's all signs and detours, and then magically one day, it's fixed, brand new--and completely different, with no traces whatsoever of the old path. Where did the old road go??
Maybe you'll see Bill Henrickson and fam out in Utah. THAT would be inspiring.
I feel a little bit of the same way sometimes. It's hard to make time for the road less traveled when we get so stuck in our daily routines. Traveling is something I'm always yearning to do, but I have yet to visit another country or to see much of the American West (two things I'm really hoping to do someday soon). I'm trying to make more room in my life for things like that, but I'm also such a homebody at heart sometimes, and I am definitely a slave to my routine sometimes, too.
you've got to work that stuff into a schedule! fall: kite fly, roads less travelled... next up some place entirely new. i'm with you. we should all encourage each other to get out of our box and go some place never considered.
Pen - I TOTALLY want to go shopping with Nikki! That would be awesome. If I see Roman, I'll kick him in the shins.
You know, all in all, even though I want to travel, I get anxious about it. But Lauren's made me promise to have FUN despite it all, so I'm going to work hard to EMBRACE the experience.
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