On the Road Again

By Amy Coward

I love a good road trip. Not the kind where you get behind an 18-wheeler on I-95 and put the car on cruise control. I’m talking about the back road, scenic route where you drive through small, forgotten towns and sprawling farms.

This past week, I was traveling to North Carolina for a meeting and in order to avoid some road construction, I took the road less traveled – the two-lane highway that used to be the main highway from here to there. It was better than therapy, I swear. The day was bright and sunny and I opened my sun roof and let the wind blow through the car.

I passed through many small towns – Bishopville, Lydia, Society Hill, Tatum– many of which reminded me of my home town in central Florida. Most were agricultural towns with cotton fields that had been recently harvested and corn fields just beginning to grow. Their main streets boasted a country store or two and of course a barbecue place. And lots of boarded up businesses, too.

The most entertaining thing about a country road trip is the variety of things you can purchase on the roadside. As I drove along, I was tempted to stop and buy fresh boiled “p-nuts,” antiques, barbecue, pine needles, head stones and red worms. And should the need arise, there was also “Carlisle’s Grocery and Front End Alignment.”

I cruised along passing farmers on tractors preparing their fields and thought about how different our lives were. They don’t have meetings or conference calls. They don’t have rush hour or clients to appease. I was in their world today and as I rushed to yet another meeting, I found it very appealing.

I knew that deep down the city girl in me would never accept having to drive several hours just to shop or eat out, but this day with the sun in the sky and fresh smell of hay, it was a little tempting to shift gears and consider a life change.

After a long day, I realized what a luxury it had been to take this route. It was such a nice diversion. I only wished I had had enough time to stop and try some barbecue or pop in one of the stores. I guess I’ll have to make the effort to drive that way again sometime. After all, where else will I get my red worms?

Amy Coward is a public relations professional in Columbia, SC. When she is not managing the madness of event planning at Palmetto Health Foundation, she is turning her empty nest upside down looking for fun and finding it. 

Sign up here to start your free subscription to MidlandsLife!

.