Dawn Phelps
Columnist
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes,
You can steer yourself in any
direction you choose,
You’re on your own,
And you know what you know
You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
Oh, the places you’ll go.”
(Quote from Dr. Seuss’ book Oh, the Places You’ll Go)
The last week of July, several years ago, Tom and I headed toward Tennessee for one of my class reunions. We drove east on Highway 70, through Kansas City, St. Louis, then through Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Just south of Mt. Vernon, we encountered road construction with a blinking yellow sign stating, “Expect a 90-minute delay.”
The weather was hot, and we really did not want to spend 90 minutes sitting in construction traffic. I was driving, but Tom got out the road map that showed Exit 71 just ahead with a route that would eventually get us back on course to Tennessee.
I steered the car off onto the next exit, and we were launched on an adventure! We soon found ourselves on narrow roads that wound through small towns and up and down hills in the country.
We went through a town called Pankeyville (the name still makes me smile) and experienced sunshine and sprinkles which left a wonderful “fresh smell of rain.” We saw an enormous church called “Little Chapel Church,” an ironic name for such a sprawling church structure.
Along the road, crepe myrtles showed off their deep pink blossoms, and mimosa trees displayed soft pink delicate frilly blooms. Grape vines dangled from the tops of trees to the ground, and magnolia trees boasted large, beautiful, white flowers.
We saw a large field with young donkeys eating lush green grass and signs that let us know we were in Amish country. We passed “Yoder Variety Store” surrounded by plain white two-story structures in what we thought was an Amish community.
There were cows and horses in pastures of carefully tended farms with white fences, and Tom and I saw the tallest corn we had ever seen! We estimated the cornstalks were 12-14 feet high. What a sight to see!
But the biggest surprise of all was when the GPS showed the symbol of a boat with no road ahead. I said to Tom, “Uh-oh! I think we are running out of road,” and we were! Highway 1 abruptly ended right at the Ohio River. If I had been drunk or traveling in the dark, it would have been easy to run off into the water!
But we arrived at the river in the afternoon and enjoyed a free ferryboat ride to the other side. Our ride was smooth, and we listened to the gentle sloshing of the water underneath the ferry as we chugged along.
For a bit it looked like the ferryboat was heading too far downstream to land, but the ferryboat operator knew exactly what he was doing, and he pulled the boat up to the dock with precision.
When our plans were delayed, we had opted for a new adventure—had chosen to drive off the main road onto “a road less traveled.” And those hours will stand out in our memories as some of the most enjoyable hours we have ever spent together.
After exiting the ferry, we drove into Kentucky and enjoyed more miles of beauty that we would have never seen on the interstate. The drive took a little longer, and we still reached our destination in Tennessee in good time, pleased with our journey.
Perhaps you have experienced “delays” or snags in your life, and maybe you have had to take “detours.” But you can still make choices. Your choices may not involve actual trips “off the interstate” like ours, but there are other “trips” you can take to make new memories.
Have you dreamed of taking a “side trip” off the beaten path? Maybe in a different direction so you can search for that new adventure? If so, slip off on an “exit” and look for the beauty!
As Dr. Seuss put it, “You have brains in your head, and feet in your shoes. . . You’ll decide where you will go.” I wish you unexpected adventures. As for Tom and me, “Oh, the places we did go!”
*An additional note. I would like to thank the many people who have contributed books to our first community library at Tootle Books in Miltonvale. Our shelves are almost full, and we are very grateful! Thank you so much.
*Also, next week, I will tell you about a recent side trip my husband and I took—a small, enjoyable adventure not far from home.
