“Onward, no matter what,” was the motto of the day, one that we had come to question, as we traveled the rough and rocky dirt road through the forest. Fallen trees reached out across crumbling rock walls making the road even narrower. Ruts filled with water, of unknown depth, kept me weaving left and right to avoid them but bringing me ever closer to those fallen trees. The sun was starting to set, and we still had no idea where we were on this dirt road and how much farther we had to go. We all agreed the road looked much shorter on the map!

The anxiety level of every passenger was heightened, yet we couldn’t stop scanning the forest on both sides of the car with excitement hoping to catch a glimpse of the unknown. We talked to each other about life, what could be out in the woods looking at us, and what we wanted to eat when we finally found the pavement. We talked about anything that would keep our minds off the constant weaving of the car and the damage that might already have been done.

We started to notice a little more light up ahead. The forest started to release us, fading back from the dirt road and giving my car more room to navigate the ruts and rocks. The left and right motion of the car slowed, allowing us to enjoy the slow straight ride forward. Then we saw it. It was by far the biggest rock and deepest rut combination we have encountered. I said, “At least this one is not full of water!” In unison we all took deep breaths and sighed. There was still no turning around. The road was just too narrow. Even if we could turn around going back would be just as perilous as going forward. I realized I would have to sacrifice bits of the car to get us through this one. I just had to figure out what bits.

I silently cursed my van, wishing I had my truck – knowing we wouldn’t be having this issue in my truck. In fact, we would’ve been off this road by now probably enjoying a nice dinner in a quaint diner. I decided the best course of action was to straddle the ruts as best I could, which meant driving over the rocks. I held my breath and drove slowly forward trying to balance my car tires on the rocks to avoid the ruts. I heard the scraping; the trees were reaching out for the side of my car. The right side of my car was now higher than the left as we traveled straight over the largest rock. The distinct sound of metal scraping rock could now be heard as my car moved forward at a forty-five-degree angle. The scraping was coming from all over and didn’t stop until the back wheels finally passed over the rock.

I could finally breathe! I let out a big sigh. Everything seemed a bit lighter even though dusk was upon us. The canopy of the forest thinned, the road seemed wider, and our spirits seemed lighter. We continued to drive forward, and then we saw it. “Is that a roof? “was the question that drifted from the back of the car to my ears. “I think so!” I replied excitedly. We all began to relax, and the road evened out and the rocks and ruts seemed to miraculously disappear. I was able to give my car a little gas. We were all more than excited to see pavement again and feel the openness of a wide paved road.

We could see the house that belonged to the roof. It was red and surrounded by an old rock wall.  As we got closer we could smell the wood burning stove. We could see the detached garage and cars in the driveway. We could see the pavement – the open road. We felt so free! I gave the car a bit more gas and said, “Hang on!” There was one more bump in the road we had to cross before touching the pavement and I wasn’t going to take it slow! The car made it this far, one little mound of dirt wasn’t going to stop it now.

I wasn’t going that fast, I didn’t have time to build up a lot of speed but what little speed I did manage to get was enough to carry us over that bump, catch some air, and cause some heads to hit the roof. Finally, the car tires touched the pavement. You could see the relief on everyone’s faces. I stopped the car right there in the middle of the road. I put the car in park and suggested we all get out and stretch. I had to check the car out anyway. I held my breath again, hoping the damage wasn’t too great. I opened the car door, stepped outside, took a breath but before I could even close the door to start my inspection I heard something. I turned to look and saw………

The pros and cons of going forward were being tossed around the car wildly. The Boy Scout took another look at the map and said, “The dirt road looks like it’s connected on both ends.” I exclaimed, “We haven’t turned back yet!” and with that I decided to drive forward onto the dirt road.

The transition from pavement to dirt was a little bit bumpy but nothing to get worried or excited about. The road was a bit wider than my car. There was enough room to move a bit to the left or to the right, but there would be no turning around now. The road was flat, but it had its bumps. We could see rocks jutting out from the ground, but they were small enough to drive over. It was clear that this road was traveled because of lack of undergrowth upon the area we were driving. That made me feel at ease.

To the left and right were woods. The trees went on deeper than we could see. It was a sea of green and brown, beautiful to look at as we made our way forward. We drove slowly to see if we could see any animals. “It would be nice to see something besides squirrels,” we all commented. We saw remnants of old stone walls and wondered what they were dividing – gardens, animal enclosures, or just property lines were all thoughts that were shared. We saw huge downed trees, toppled at the roots, and wondered what force was responsible for toppling a giant like that.

I couldn’t look left or right for too long because even at my slow speed my hand would turn the wheel ever so slightly in the direction I was looking, which would take us off the worn tire tracks of vehicles that came before us and carry us over bumps and rocks.

Focusing on the road ahead, I noticed the tracks became deeper and the space between them was higher. Ruts. They weren’t bad, but I was starting to get concerned. I slowed even more. The rocks and bumps were increasing as well. The road widened a bit. The suggestion to turn around was blurted out, but I ignored it. Knowing the road wasn’t a dead end reassured me and I calmed the passengers and continued forward.

As we traveled slowly forward, the ruts became deeper. Some contained standing water; their depth was questionable. I was able to maneuver the van so that I wasn’t driving in the ruts but off to one side or the other, one set of tires balanced perilously down the middle of the two ruts. The road was narrower, so the ability to make left and right movements to avoid obstacles was diminishing.  

Now I started to worry. “Is my van high enough to continue forward?” and “If I hit the ground with the bottom of my van what damage will I do?” Those questions crossed my mind rapidly along with, “I can’t turn around, there is no space!” and “I am too far in to back all the way out now!”

I calmed myself and started to talk about what may lie ahead and where the dirt would find the pavement. The conversation was lively, even though it was a bit heavy with worry. We’d been traveling on the dirt road for about an hour now. It didn’t look this long on the map, and it was getting darker.

The condition of the road was worsening. I saw it, but I couldn’t avoid it. “BOOM!” That was the bottom of my van hitting a large, long rock. The sound of metal being dragged over the rock was deafening as I continued forward. I had to keep going. I was worried that if I stopped, I would lose traction and the van would get stuck on the rock. We all wondered, “What damage was done?” There was no point in stopping because the road was not wide enough to open the doors.

I had to keep going forward, hoping the damage was minimal and the car would make it to the safety of the paved road that lay somewhere ahead. I refocused on the road, moving slower than before, dogging more large rocks and ruts on an increasing tighter road and continued onward, no matter what………

As we left our neighborhood behind, having piled into the car for a Saturday afternoon adventure, we talked excitedly about random things while enjoying each other’s company and the views outside our windows. I took random turns, lefts and rights, that took us in all directions. North, south, east, and west. I made sure never to take a turn that would have us doubling back or going in circles as I drove us onward, away from home. I did my best to stay on the back-roads; things moved at a slower pace there.

The things you could see and the places you may find traveling down back-roads promised just the type of adventure we were looking for. A few times I had no choice but to merge onto that fast-paced highway, where everyone was in a hurry and no one had manners, but I got off as soon as I could and returned to the easy-going drive we were enjoying. We all embraced the slow pace of the day and were excitingly anticipating all the discoveries each turn may hold for us.

We got farther and farther from home. We had no GPS and no smartphone, so the trusty map I always have in the car had to come out. While we wanted to have an adventure, we didn’t want to be roaming in the dark and it was getting late. It was decided that the former Boy Scout would handle the map reading. I left it up to him to guide me when I couldn’t choose what road to travel. We finally decided on a destination. Something to eat and some time to stretch outside of the car was in order. I said, “Let’s go the fastest way possible!” and my stomach echoed my words. I then left the turns up to the boy with the map.

I was guided down the streets of small towns and the back-roads of rural neighborhoods. We saw many interesting things but couldn’t find a place to eat. We continued until the directions that were given to me led to a dirt road. I stopped the car. We all looked at the map. We determined the dirt road wasn’t a dead end. We looked at each other and looked at the map again. Not knowing the condition of the dirt road was worrisome to us all. To go forward or to turn around was now the biggest question. We looked at each other and began the debate……….

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I awoke on a Saturday morning in the middle of summer and began fumbling for my phone to check the time. I panicked when I saw it was mid-morning, later than I expected. Then I realized I had no plans for the day. I relaxed and stretched, slowly allowing my body to adjust to the movements of being awake. After a few minutes, I threw the covers aside sat up with my legs dangling over the edge of the bed and sighed.  Begrudgingly, I knew it was time to start my day. I decided that I must do something, but I had no idea what. All I knew was that I didn’t want to sit home or do those chores that always encompass my Saturdays, making them oh so very tedious. First things first.  I must get motivated.

While I knew I wanted to do something, I was certainly not rushing to do it. I got up slowly and proceeded to take a nice long, hot, relaxing shower. After my shower I sat on the couch flipping through the television channels looking for something interesting to watch to distract me from the daunting task of getting dressed. With nothing capturing my interest, I got up and proceeded to take all the necessary steps needed to dry off and dress myself for the day. My go to, jeans and a tee-shirt, is always perfect especially for a day without any plans. After some dilly-dallying and feet-dragging, I couldn’t extend the dressing process any longer. I also realized it was noon. If I don’t move a bit faster, I won’t be going anywhere. Chores will become the focus of another Saturday afternoon.

I finally joined my family in the living room and began asking them if they were interested in doing anything today. They all appear to have less motivation than I do and are reluctant to make eye contact or answer, comfortable in their state of comatose relaxation. After some convincing by me we decided that we would just “go for a ride” to get out of the house. No destination was set. “Great! Just the way I like it,” I thought to myself. In my mind, I’m already plotting a course, destined to get lost and have an adventure, and hoping to find a great place to eat. My stomach was already growling, reminding me that I didn’t have breakfast.

We busied ourselves gathering some things for the road – water, a map, and light jackets – while getting excited for the journey that awaited us. We opened the door and stepped out into the warm afternoon sunshine and headed for the car, smiling and chit-chatting about the things we may see and all the possibilities. We got in, buckled up, I turned the key, and drove us out of the driveway to start our adventurous afternoon. As we left our neighborhood behind I thought to myself, “Oh, the places we will go!” and continued to drive into the afternoon light far, far, away from home.