Get Lost!

It is typical for me to get lost on car trips. The rare times I haven't taken a wrong turn or assumed I missed an exit when in fact I hadn't reached it yet are treated like rare gems in my memory; these successful road trips are admired and carefully guarded and will never, ever be forgotten. 

My bad luck and poor navigation have existed from the very beginning. When I drove my first car off the dealership lot to make the trip back home, I missed a turn and took my father and myself on an extensive tour of the back roads of Tennessee.  When visiting a friend in Colorado Springs, I would always, always end up on a wrong road in the dead of night. 

And I will never forgot my most recent escapade when a friend and I drove to the Gillman Tunnels but it wasn't until I entered the tiny village of San Ysidro that I realized I missed the road to the tunnels. I  requested help from Google Maps but she had been silent for quite some time. I guess she figured I was a lost cause. 

So my friend and I turned  around and scoured the landscape for our County Road. This wasn't a terrible turn of events, at least we are driving through Jemez Springs, which has some of the most beautiful stretches of scenery. The scarlet red rocks, the jigsaw line of mountain peaks, the billowy green cottonwood trees - it all produces an incredible picturesque landscape. 

We did find our County Road, it was a narrow stretch of crumbling asphalt with a painted line to designate two lanes that lazily drifted disproportionately to one side and then just faded away. A horse munched on grass at the road's shoulder and didn't pay any notice to us as we sped passed it. We snaked higher and higher up and until we saw those impressive dark, craggy tunnels burrowed in the mountainside. 

Sometimes I think getting lost works to my advantage because when I finally reach my destination it becomes so much more welcoming. Many times when I realize I am completely lost I panic about how I will find my way back. My surroundings almost seem sinister because I have no idea where I am. And when I do correct my course and reach my final destination, it is like a soothing balm - I am so relieved to have found it. 

I also have to say if you are going to get lost it is nice to get lost with a good friend. Melissa was  invaluable throughout our whole adventure. Together we pushed forward and gleefully celebrated when we reached our destination.