Dawn Phelps
Columnist
“Did you see that sign?” I asked my brother Gary as we drove along a narrow, hilly, curvy road in Kentucky. We were on our way to Tennessee to visit two of our sisters; one was very sick at the time.
Gary agreed he had seen the sign, and the words soon proved to be descriptive of what was ahead—“No view beyond hill.” We only had a short time to wonder what was ahead when we saw an extremely steep hill on the road ahead of us.
As the car got to the top of the hill, the hood of our car was almost vertical. And it was frightening when we found ourselves looking straight up into blue sky—nothing but sky was visible. For a few seconds, there truly was “no view beyond hill.”
Then, within seconds after our car topped the hill, the hood of the car was pointing almost straight down, and we were soon to the bottom of the hill. So, our tension did not last long, and we were soon back on more hilly, curvy roads with fields and woods on both sides, and all was calm!
With our brief tense moments behind us, Gary and I headed on toward Tennessee, and I told my brother, “There’s a lesson about life in that sign. We really don’t know what is on the other side of the next hill.”
The next June my husband, Gary, and I were again traveling east from Kansas to Tennessee for our family reunion. While we drove, Gary and I told my husband Tom about our experience and “the sign.” Little did we know that we were about to experience some unexpected moments on that trip too.
This time we were not in the hills of Kentucky, but on an extremely busy highway in St. Louis, Missouri. There were four lanes of traffic going east and four lanes going west with a concrete barrier a few feet high in the middle of the highway. Most of the cars were traveling about 70 miles per hour.
Our daughter Misty with our four grandchildren were following us a few cars back. Suddenly a car to our far left in the lane next to the concrete barrier had a tire blow out which caused the car to go out of control, instantly sliding into the lane to its right.
Within seconds, tires were screeching, taillights were red as many drivers crammed their brakes and swerved to avoid vehicles that were trying to avoid being hit by cars on their left. It was a chaotic horizontal domino effect with many cars traveling at fast speeds.
I had seen the car with the blow-out in the beginning of the ordeal, so I realized what was happening. And when Tom realized the danger, he slammed on the brakes so hard they locked, and our tires screeched, and our car began to slide!
Then as if in slow motion, I remember seeing the up-close bumper of the car in front of us as we were sliding toward it! I realized there was no time to brace for an impact, and I thought we were going to hit the car!
But suddenly, instead of crashing into the car, our car slid sideways into the right lane, barely missing the car, then straightened up. And here’s the best part! There was no car in the entrance lane onto the highway, leaving a space for us to briefly fit back onto the highway.
After the flow of traffic was calm again, I called my daughter Misty to make sure they were all right. She said they were fine, but they had been worried about us when they saw our vehicle had briefly turned sideways on the highway ahead of them!
In retrospect, we realized that somehow, many of us had narrowly missed being involved in a multi-car pileup. It had all happened so fast, and the “almost” pileup was over in seconds. I will always believe it was a miracle that none of the cars wrecked. We were shaken up but very thankful we were safe!
In life we never know what is beyond the next hill or around the next curve. Life has twists and turns, ups and downs—accidents, health issues, and unexpected challenges along with the good.
During this next year, we may face some difficult times and feel like there is “No view beyond hill.” But just as storms do not last forever, there will be sunny days and happy, joyful times as well, maybe even some mountaintops with beautiful scenery.
Each day is a gift, and each of us is here for a reason. So, dare to dream and try to believe there is something good waiting for you “just beyond” your next hill. I wish you all health and joy in 2026!
