“What are you doing?” I asked. I had been lost in a hypnotic, rural, car passenger reverie when my husband decided to do a u-turn in the middle of nowhere. (He’s always taking me down weird alleyways and along remote winding trails. Thank goodness he’s not a serial killer, or this blog would be toast.)
“Covered bridge,” He said. (Bridges. I can’t seem to get away from them.) And sure enough, there was a cute one, spanning a babbling brook. Of course we had to stop, because someone had been nice enough to put it there, just for us. You just never know when someone is going to be nice like that.
And voilà, our trip was enhanced by the Crawfordsville Covered Bridge, built in 1932. And the cute factor almost went off the charts when we discovered that this bridge was located along the (I kid you not) “Over the River and Through the Woods Scenic Byway.”
We had to take a similar detour in the midst of our vacation for a sign that said, simply, “Big Tree.” This one required some walking, but it was a beautiful woodland setting with delightful company, so absolutely no complaints here. And when we got there, we craned our necks and said, “Yep. That’s a big ol’ tree.” (It happens to be the biggest ponderosa pine in all of Oregon, which is saying something.) It was also by the pretty Deschutes River, so there’s two things we wouldn’t have seen were it not for natural curiosity.
I think it’s important to allow for flexibility in any journey, because you never know what you’ll stumble across. I’ve attended quirky little festivals that way. I’ve seen abandoned castles that way. I’ve made friends that way. And I’ve certainly made many, many memories that way.
May you experience random u-turns in life, dear reader. I truly want those adventures for you.
____________________________
Claim your copy of A Bridgetender’s View: Notes on Gratitude today and you’ll be supporting StoryCorps too! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 