Bathroom Break

I can remember taking a bathroom break at the above gas station in Pennsylvania. My husband and I were driving home from NY after Thanksgiving. I got out of the car to stretch my legs and to examine the crates that were covered with icy snow and gleaming under a sunbeam. It was so beautiful. Even though it was just garbage. The mountains were dotted with trees, and soon to be engulfed in darkness. The sun was setting, and the day was almost done.

Before we left this area, I saw a woman walking a pig! She really was. It was on a leash. And she came to this gas station, perhaps for cigarettes or a grocery item. And she and her pig looked like it was just another day. No big deal. I didn’t feel it was right to take her picture, like she was some kind of spectacle.

I wasn’t ready to leave this area yet, and so we drove down the road. I love moments like these. Where you don’t know what lies ahead, but you just have a feeling that there’s something worth discovering. And so you just drive.

We found a picnic area and discovered we were in the Bald Eagle State Park in Howard, PA. We got out of the car and walked for half an hour, until there was no more light, walking up a path filled with icy snow, and pine needles. Breathing in the fresh air. And marveling at this lonely, beautiful place. How glad we were to find it!  Everything was encased in ice, the leaves, the path we were on, the pine needles.  It was so very cold, we could see our smokey breath.

Just another day on the road. An adventure. A new discovery. Some colorful locals, and vivid memories. Each day can be a new discovery.

That’s why I like driving instead of flying. You can explore whatever is along the way. And it’s never what you would expect.