Taking the Long Way

My mother and father called it "hilling and daling" -- wandering unknown roads to see what there is to see, only a final destination in mind (perhaps even the one where the rambling journey began), stopping every now and then, stretching legs and taking in views, knowing something interesting is always around the bend or over the ridge.

A quick trip home from ballet extended along two-lane roads and took me to three different stops along the North Alabama Birding Trail, including this one -- way off paved roads, down a rutted dirt lane, fields and swampy area on both sides, till finally I met the river (and fishermen) and turned back for a long linger, here, where the wintry landscape defied the balmy temperature.

This is why I would, if I could, always drive the long way.