August 23, 2013 - My Jeep's Day

Instead of taking the quickest way back "home" after dropping off Greg, I decided to "explore".  What possesses me, I do not know!  But my jeep was happy!   

I planned out a route that would take me diagonally back to the main road (Route 13)... it would go through Shawnee National Forest.  

Let's just say I was MOST-ly driving on gravel!  

Saw a sign for Bell Springs and thought...cool, springs!  I'll check it out!  Drove what seemed like miles and all it did was lead to a parking lot...you'd have to hike to the springs. I decided that wouldn't be such a good idea.  There was one car in the lot, but no one was around.  

So as I'm barreling back down the road...at a good clip (jeeps like gravel - bouncy ride!) 
I look in the rear view mirror and I'm leaving a dust cloud behind me!  Never did that before!  It was fun!  It calmed down quickly when I stopped to take a pic, but you get the idea...

...it was so hazy that at times I couldn't see the road behind me!  Heehee!

I got the feeling these roads aren't traveled on much. At one point there was this tree that laid across the road and we had to swing past it (jeeps are good for veering around stuff).  Who knows how long it's been there! 

And aside from the car in the parking lot, I never saw another one!  Every once in a while I'd see a mailbox indicating there's a house tucked in the forest somewhere.  The people that live around here have to seriously like being away from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE!   

The road began to get "less defined"...

And "less"...

Now it's dirt and trees and bushes! (oh my!)

Yeah, jeeps like dirt too.  






Then I turn onto Bill Hill Hollow Road...the jeep just went crazy!   Chunks of dirt and mud, no resemblance of a road now!

My heart was beginning to pound just a tad, but I had faith in the jeep...it could handle it!
So we bounded our way through the muck...at times the grooves were so deep, I had to drive on the upper mounds of dirt and mud to stay out of the water AND not hit the undercarriage!   

And then we stop dead in our tracks (jeeps have good brakes - when they work!  Glad I got them fixed!)

On the right side I had a tire's width passage and on the left side, about half the jeep's width.  

Had no idea how deep the pool of water was and if I got just ONE tire stuck and since I was out in the middle of NO WHERE, lol, I told the jeep, that's enough playing for one day!  


I wondered...how did they actually decide this WAS a "road"??!

Did a 5 point turn around and made our way back... muck and grooves, overgrowth, gravel and then finally, pavement!  

As we neared civilization, I got contemplative.  I'm beginning see more clearly now, about one's choices in life...to be a bit fearful or be a bit brave...to be a bit tame or be a bit wild 'n crazy...to be without color or to be bright red!  I think my jeep and I may be more alike than I originally thought!  : )

Came upon this neat train bridge...

and...                                                    Greg liked this!

So I thought that was the end of our (jeep and my) adventure...lol...until I decided to head west to CVS.  Every once in a while around here, the road splits and there are one way streets...

I'm at a light.  Signaling left.  No one's flashing their lights, honking, or waving their hands to get my attention.  The light turns green.  I turn left and behold!  I'm facing 3 lanes of cars all looking at me!  I scream, lol, see the curb and think, OK jeep, let's go!  

Drive up the curb, onto the sidewalk and grass in front of a Walgreens.  Go about 2 car lengths to the parking lot.  And find my way to the CORRECT road going west!  

If I didn't have a jeep, there's NO WAY I could have done that!  Insane, I know. 

And so for today, at least for a while, my jeep and I "took the one (road) less traveled by"!  

And liked it!  (mostly!)