Friday morning we left home before 6 AM to set up for Ripley on Sale. We rarely are out and about at that time of day. The day was just breaking, and night creatures had not yet gone to bed.
I dodged a couple deer on the ridge road, then stopped for a possum on the hill down to Joe's Run. Two more deer decided to play chicken right after that, then further down, along the hard road two more jumped frantically across, as if their lives depended on doing it right that moment. And even further down the road, an owl swooped so low I braked, and then a few feet further on had to stop for a full minute while two whippoorwill decided whether or not they wanted to move. The rest of the trip, on the two-lane, was uneventful but I was surely wide awake.
Today I worked on my Ravenswood booth and decided to take the right fork home. There are three different ways to get here: we can choose to take Joe's Run, and then choose either the right or left fork as both come up on to our ridge. Or we can take Trace Fork, a longer one-lane that has the advantage of taking us out closer to Ravenswood. Since we usually do our "town" stuff in Ripley we usually take Joe's Run; which fork of the road depends on road conditions, what might be going on on either fork (road work, haying, a funeral, family reunion, etc.) Today I chose the right fork because the road is smoother and the pavement last longer before I get to gravel and dust.
That side of the road is usually busier because the road surface is better and there are more homes along it. Coming up the road this afternoon was a regular case of dodge-em though. First I met one neighbor on a blind hill. We waved and dodged to the sides to get by each other. Further on another neighbor was evidently in a hurry as she barely edged over and I had to get over pretty fast. She too waved as she passed.
Next was the duel-wheeled Dodge pickup towing a trailer, on which was an old-time horse-drawn hay rake, hanging a little over each side of the trailer, again, it was scoot over and let 'em by, and again a wave acknowledged thanks. A car with Ohio plates was next, driving slowly and carefully; visitors, probably to the graveyard on the hill.
Before I reached the graveyard I met yet another neighbor on his big farm tractor and although usually we stop for a chat, this time I was tired and he looked the same, so we waved and drove on.
By then I was at the graveyard. New floral arrangements decorated most graves on this, Decoration Day, and one couple was still there placing flowers on a grave. At last I reached the shaded woody part of the drive, and turned down my driveway to be met but our three-dog welcoming committee. Home. It felt good.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I had to kind of laugh as I read this...not everyone knows what it really means to move over when you meet a car on a WV road! I remember when my Arkansas country born husband went to WV for the first time with me. He'd learned to drive in the flat riceland or mellow hills of MO & had never driven on a back country mountain road where you HAD to get off onto the shoulder when you met a car. Plus...everyone drove 45 to 55 popping over hills & around blind turns. The first car we met he starts yelling at me where to go & I'm yelling at him to get out of the way. I think I aged 10 yrs.
ReplyDeleteOn that same trip we came up I-77 from Virginia late at night, his first time up that highway. We came around a turn & his headlights hit the truck escape ramp. He starts yelling at me...'Do I have to go up there!?!!!' & I'm yelling no to stay on the interstate.
We've been married 30 yrs now & we still yell at each other in fear & excitement when we drive. I hate to think what we'll be like when we actually ARE old. ;)
Hahaha! Yes, driving in this state can be a challenge, and a shock to those from the wide-open West in particular. But it made driving in the British Isles easier!
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