R – Road Rage!

Have you seen the condition of those roads?

Otto and Herman returned from their trip to the Northeast.  The car trip was long. They traveled through a few cities, along highways, some back roads and even had to take a ferry to cross part of the Long Island Sound. When they finally arrived home, each had a different perspective of the trip.

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Otto’s version

“That had to be one of the worst car rides I’ve ever been on. The highway department should be sued! First of all, there were all of the potholes. You would think that fixing roads would be a priority.”

Lina agreed that the pothole issue was a problem. “I’m not even sure who to contact to be put on the list. There are so many potholes in the city and on the highways; I’m sure they are working their hardest to repair them all. There must be some sort of priority list.”

Otto went on. “That’s only part of the problem. Someone should get the highway department to fix all of their signs, too. Who puts signs showing an exit after the exit ramp? Twice, I had to swerve quickly onto an exit ramp because I couldn’t figure out if the exit was the next one or the one I was about to pass.

Then there was that stupid Waze app. It said there was heavy traffic ahead, and you wouldn’t believe the side roads it took me on. I had no idea where I was. If we ever lost the signal, we would have been totally lost.”

Lina sighed. “How many times have I suggested to you to look at a hard copy of a map so you know where you are and where you’re going before you set out on a trip.”

“Whatever,” was Otto’s retort, “This was still the worst trip ever.”

Herman’s version

“What an incredible trip we just had. You should have seen all the things that I saw.”

Minna asked, “What was it like? I heard that it took a lot longer than it was supposed to and that the roads were terrible.”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” he replied. I was focussing more on what was happening along the roads. We took this neat detour when the Waze app noticed that traffic was heavy on I-95. I went through parts of the state that I had never seen. It was like a tour of an old fishing village. I wish we had a chance to stop and spend some time there.”

“Stop?” Minna questioned. “That would have made you much later. Who wants to spend that much time on the road?”

“It depends how you spend your time,” Herman answered. “If time in a car is just for going from here to there and that is all you focus on, then yes, it is never fun to be on a long trip unless you’re listening to something like a book on tape. However, if you pay attention to the surroundings, you get to see the beauty of our world. Did you know that I saw a couple of hawks gliding through the air over some trees? I was imagining what they were in search of.”

“I hope you were also looking at the road in front of you while you drove.”

“Of course I did. I can glance quickly at a scene and still enjoy its beauty. Besides, I wasn’t driving all the time; Otto and I took turns. At one point, it stopped raining, and I’m sure I saw a double rainbow.”

Minna sighed. “Only you can take a long trip and make it a beautiful journey.”

Herman’s reply was quick. “You bet!”