Notes From the Road

There’s always a camera on the passenger seat during my road trips and it isn’t uncommon for me to circle back to snap a quick picture of something along the way.

This isn’t a problem in town as there’s almost always somewhere to park. It’s a little more challenging in rural areas, especially along state routes and other busy highways. I can’t tell you how many pictures I’ve missed simply because there’s no safe way to get off the road.

The other problem is that the best angle frequently isn’t from the road. But venturing onto private property isn’t an option so I just make do with available circumstances. Case in point: the above barn picture. It sits at the intersection of a state route and a country lane. I was able to pull off the berm of that country lane and grab this picture but I was dying to see it from another angle. Especially after catching a glimpse of this truck.

Look at the patina on that truck! I was dying to see the headlights and grill but they faced away from the road and I didn’t want to go knock on the door and ask to take pictures. If I were a more serious photographer or if I had more time that day, maybe.

But that’s ok because the barn and the truck are pretty great anyway. And I can use my imagination for the rest.

A Public Service Announcement

I interrupt this road trip to share a public service announcement. When you road trip, there is one thing you should always carry with you

A map.

I know, I know. It’s the 21st century. You use the app on your phone to get you around. It may not always give directions that make sense but your phone always gets you there.

That’s super but let me tell you something, friends. There are still places in this country where your phone will not work.

I live in a rural area where my phone works about 95 percent of the time. There are pockets though where a call drops, the music dries up and you can’t get a text through.

On this last road trip, I went for miles and miles without service in parts of West Virginia and Maryland. You see, I had stopped to take a picture somewhere and accidentally closed the maps app. When I opened it again, there was no signal and therefore no directions.

I knew I needed to continue on this road for a while so I soldiered on thinking that I would soon regain service. And then I started looking for a McDonalds or some kind of business that would offer free WiFi. But you don’t see a lot of free WiFi in sparsely populated mountainous areas where even the radio signal has stopped working.

Luckily, I had my trusty atlas and the ability to read and direct myself.

Let me tell you something kids – I would’ve been in trouble without it!

Technology is great but we need to be prepared to think for ourselves and to direct ourselves when necessary. If you’re going to be a serious road tripper, always keep that atlas handy. You never know when you might need it!

Wonder Where It Goes?

Do you ever look at a road, a river or a railroad track and just wonder where it goes? Sometimes I turn down a road just to see where it might end up.

Sometimes I look at railroad tracks and wonder who and what have traveled them. Where do they end?

I took this picture on Saturday. I was on a familiar road but one that I don’t travel very often so it was a kind of fun treat to pull over and capture this image.

Tonight I will dream of the far off places these tracks might go.