I have a good friend that
I love to go explore with. We have the greatest time finding the
quirky, weird and unusual things that most people may not even
notice. If they do notice, they will usually dismiss what they have
seen and not give it another thought. Not Maude and I. We
photograph, discuss, contemplate and admire our findings – and obviously now at
least I’m blogging about some of them.
The middle of last week Maude
emailed asking if I wanted to go explore on Sunday. She also wondered what the
weather was going to be like, specifically if we were going to have rain which
might make the roads messy. Now, you must understand that we don’t
let a little bit of mud on the road stop us, but Maude just purchased a new 4
wheel drive vehicle a few weeks ago and I knew if she drove, she wouldn’t want
to get her new buggy messed up.
I responded to her
email, “Sure let’s go. No rain between now and then is
predicted. Let’s go for it!”
You guessed
it. We had a shower go through a day or two later. Not
a big rain, but just enough to get the roads messy again. We were
not deterred in our quest (we’re both Kansas Explorers by the way) to drive
down every road in Pottawatomie County Kansas. So off we went, Maude
driving.
We had a great time
talking about the old farmsteads and what life must have been like for the
early settlers to the area. Maude’s family came here in the 1850’s,
so of course we had to go by their original farm. Such a quaint and
pretty place. One could just imagine chickens in that yard, clothes
drying on a clothes line and great-great-grandpa applying a firm hand to the
reins of the horse while plowing the field.
On we drove past the
mostly grass covered entrance to what looked like unchartered territory that Maude
assured me was “not too far from the highway”. We got through the
first stretch of mud without a hitch. After all, the road would get
better. We weren’t too far from the highway and we had on-demand 4
wheel drive. Around a curve we went and up a naturally graveled
hill.
That was the last gravel
we saw. But it’s okay. We weren’t too far from the
highway. The road got muddier. The ruts got
deeper. So obviously at least a couple of vehicles had been down the
road ahead of us. How bad could it be? I began praying. Hard.
At this point there
isn’t any place to turn around. We were committed. We
slid to what was supposed to be a ditch and Maude was saying, “Oh
my!” That wasn’t my thought. I was thinking, “So where is
that highway?”
We came to a crossroads and
Maude very confidently said, “I’m going to turn here. The highway
isn’t too far.” Yeah, we’ve heard that before. I was
beginning to think there was no highway. I was also thinking about
how I was going to explain to my husband why I didn’t make it home that night
and if we got stuck, who in their right mind would come down this road to pull
us out. I was still praying. Really hard.
About that time we
reached, not the highway, but a less muddy patch with a little
gravel. I breathed. I just heard Maude say, you guessed
it, “Oh my!” Up another hill we went and then we were back in the
mucky mud. However we were assured that someone could get to where
ever we were to pull us out, because there where tractor tire tracks all over
the road ahead. Someone before us had gotten stuck and the good news
was they weren’t there anymore so if they were able to get help, then we could
too. I was praying harder now.
Maude asked, “What do I
do?” My advice was “Put your foot in it and don’t stop. Just keep
the wheels turning.” To that I heard, “Oh my!” In
retrospect, I probably should have told her to breathe, but I was reminding
myself to do the same.
We made it through that
stretch and just beyond the last hill we saw a fast moving car. That
must be the highway I’ve heard so much about! I could swear I heard
the Hallelujah Chorus. The highway isn’t a myth! It does
exist!!
We reached the stop sign
and Maude put the vehicle in park and said just one more time for good measure,
“Oh my!!” Neither one of
us was brave enough to get out and take a look at her buggy. We were
admiring the globs of mud that found a new home atop the outside mirror and on
the windshield. Frankly, I don’t think either one of us was capable
of standing up or walking at that point.
Next we started laughing
and chattering about our adventure. After Maude regained her
composure, we drove on down another, much less muddy country
road. The two of us agreed on one thing. No more roads
like that unless it’s dry as a bone.
When we did look at the vehicle,
there was mud within an inch and a half or so of the rims on the tires and the wheel wells
were packed with mud. Everything else was in good
shape. I’m sure there are some angels that were breathing a sigh of
relief and no one will convince me that prayer doesn’t work. We
could have easily been stranded, but God was faithful and helped out two women
when they needed help the most.
Maude and I are excited
about the memory we made together and how we could brag that we’d been
muddin’. Isn’t making memories with friends and family
what life’s all about? What fun my good friend and I had! There
will be many more adventures to come, but Maude won’t be driving.
