Back to the Country Roads

 

Country Roads. The dirt, rock, gravel and mud packed thoroughfares that span the void between paved two-lane highways, four-lane expressways and interstates. They connect the farmer to the market, the rancher to the stockyard, the hunter to the game, the country to the city. They invoke feelings of nostalgia, romance and whimsy.

Country roads are also the subject of songs. Who can forget John Denver's 1971 hit single - "Take Me Home, Country Roads"? The Ozark Mountain Daredevils released "Backroads" in 1977, touting "no hitchhikers, semi-trucks or bikers" on "them" backroads. My personal favorite is "Back to the Country Roads" released by Charley Pride in 1972 and covered by the Osborne Brothers in 1974 (You can listen to it here).

During the Covid-19 pandemic, which began January of 2020, personal contact with world outside of immediate family was highly discouraged to the point of lunacy. There was a shortage of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wet wipes and common sense. We lived in a world limited by facemasks and the "6 foot rule". It was during this season of madness that my wife and I discovered the calm, soothing sanity of the country roads.

We would climb in "Ole Red", our 1998 Ford farm truck, and travel the backroads. I'm sure there was a time or two that we crossed over into neighboring counties but our wandering was mainly confined to our home county of Howell.

In all of my years of working in Howell County, I thought I had traveled down every county road, log road and pig trail that there was. But as we were meandering down some old dirt road, I would remark "You know Tami, I don't think I have ever been down this road." These "drives" were adventurous, relaxing and soothing to the soul; during a crazy time in the world.

Even now, with Covid in our rearview, we still climb in the truck and take off on our therapeutic rambles. Counting deer is now a pastime as we wander over hill and dale.

The count is usually ten to twenty deer, depending on the time of day and length of the drive. Our record so far is fifty-two! Tami used to be surprised at how easily I could spot the deer - I told her "I learned from Louie L'Amour - you look for something that is out of place - something that shouldn't be there." Now, she is really getting the hang of it!

I think J.R.R. Tolkien sums up our little jaunts best with his quote from the book The Lord of the Rings

"Not all those who wander are lost"