Discovering a road less traveled along the way.................

   “Two roads diverged in a yellow woods, and sorry I could not take them both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth:”
   Hmmmm. Sound familiar?

   I was recently traveling on the back roads of Piscatiquis County, heading home and singing along to the music of “Lone Star,” quite loudly I might  add. Suddenly I realized I had missed a turn and was somewhat lost. Me! Lost! Come on now. I have never been lost in my life. OK. Maybe once or twice.

   I was at a point  where  there was a fork in the road (I never did understand why they call it a fork in the road. Doesn't look like a fork.) and  I needed to  turn either left or right. There were no signs. This was rural  'rural' Maine. Signs cost money. Or maybe some teenage boys  had stolen them and they were now part of someone's rec room. Bad boys. 

   I looked to the left., I saw  nothing except trees and the road, The view to the right, the same.. Not a  house or building in site. Which way to go?

   I did have several maps under the piles of newspapers on the back seat and a Nuvi tucked under the front seat. But I was a man and real men don't ask for directions or use maps. They just go! So looking left, then right, and then at the sun, I made my decision. Beside, how bad could it be. All roads lead somewhere, right?

    I remember as a child that, often after church on Sunday, we would climb into the Plymouth station wagon to go on the endless 'Sunday drive”. By the way, that was when gas about 25 cents a gallon and the NFL Today was not on TV. But Johnny Unitas was! The good part? There was usually some ice cream waiting near the end of the ride.

   In those days, one might drive just for the fun of it, going no place special,  just driving for the enjoyment. Today however, gas cost a whole lot more and we travel to 'get somewhere', not just for the fun of it.

   The road I had selected was quite narrow and the brush and trees were now quite thick. I reached for my cell phone to call home to tell my wife I would be a bit longer than expected. She would ask why and I would have to tell her I was lost, an admission I did not want to make because I knew every road in these parts, or so I wanted everyone to believe. Good! No cell service anyhow.

   Often you reach a point and time on every journey when you ask...”Should I stop,  turn around or keep going?” I had no idea where I was but decided to keep going remembering and hoping that all roads do lead some place, or so I hoped.

   The sun was beginning to set and I was aware of several deer and yes, there was the faint outline of a moose off in the bog. Was that an eagle overhead? The fields of wild flowers by the water's edge were beautiful.

   I  decided to keep going. It was  too late to turn around and besides, the scenery was beautiful. Within several miles, I was back on a major road, saw signs to places I knew and felt relief to be back in familiar territory.

   My little detour had caused me to think, however. Sometimes, it's OK to take an unfamiliar turn and  slow down just a bit. Now if there had only been a Dunkin Donuts Coffee Shop!
    “I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I.... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
   Thank you Robert Frost.