Roll on, highway, roll along

Now that school is in full swing, I find myself traversing State Highway 30 every day. I once tried to do the math on how many times I’ve driven the ten-mile stretch between Ellendale and New Richland. It seems incalculable, but it’s in the thousands. 

 

You probably have a road like that. If so, it’s likely something you drive to work. It might be the same road you take to get to some stores you frequent. You might also count the number in the thousands for how often you’ve been on that road.

 

I grew up about three miles outside of New Ulm. There was an S-curve at the time, though it’s a lower-case s now that they’ve redone the road. I knew that road like the back of my hand. (Which, now that I look down at my hands while typing, is a really weird saying. I mean, I see them a lot, but I don’t know if I could draw every vein and wrinkle from memory.) I even drove it in dense fog a couple of times, the kind of fog that you would need a knife to cut through. But you get to a point where your instincts know exactly when you’ve reached a point where the steering wheel needs to be used.

 

Is your road like that? Could you drive it in your sleep? I don’t recommend that; it could be quite dangerous!

 

I’ve driven Highway 30 for so long, yet  it seems like it always needs repairs. I know that it’s been completely redone a couple of times in my career, but it never seems like too long after the construction is done that you start seeing cracks in the tar. Then you see the little fill-in tar used in those cracks. It’s always fun when they put the fresh oil down and have the gravel on top of that to drive over. 

 

We count on our roads being drivable. Using a state highway like I do means that it is likely one of the first plowed out in the winter. Interstates are right up there, too. For those of you on gravel roads, you know you are near the end of the line for plowing and maintenance.

 

When there is construction on your road of choice, then you get to deal with detours. And suddenly, your whole schedule is thrown off. You might have to go miles out of your way to get back to your path. The last time Highway 30 was worked on for a big project, we had the dreaded pace car that would lead you down the one side of the road that could be driven on; you had to hope your timing was just right, or you might wait a very long time.

 

The only thing better than having a good road is discovering a shorter path to your destination. When I first moved here, I would head to Mankato to visit a friend and watch football on Sundays. I tried three different ways of getting there to find the best route. (Remember, we didn’t always have Google Maps to tell us which way to go. How did we ever find where we were going?) I headed up Highway 13 to Highway 14, I went on Highway 30 to Highway 83, and I tried Highway 30 to Highway 22. I settled on the 83 trip since it brought me right to the part of Mankato I needed to be.

 

The roads on which we travel can be therapeutic. If you don’t have far to go most days, you likely just flip on the radio for the short commute. I find that listening to podcasts and audiobooks is a good way to go that 20-mile round trip, and it helps me both get ready and unwind from the day. There are plenty of days I make multiple trips if I am announcing a game in the evening. Even there, sometimes I could just stay in school, but my drive works wonders for my mindset.

 

When I started teaching here, I began my day in New Richland and traveled over to Ellendale for the afternoon. I really enjoyed that drive since I had to reset my brain from teaching high schoolers to middle schoolers. At that time, I would listen to Jesse Ventura when he had a show on KFAN, though he was replaced by Paul Allen when the former ran for governor. 

 

Some of you might carpool down those roads, taking turns to get to the same location. Having someone with in the car can also be relaxing. Georgia Dinneen and Marlene Schoenrock traveled between buildings the same as me, but I don’t ever recall carpooling, not because we didn’t get along, but because our schedules were different, especially when I was coaching.

 

Whatever roads you drive along and however you spend your time while driving, may you drive safely and in comfort. The roads may be the same, but every day is a new and different day!

 

Word of the Week: This week’s word is outgrabe, which means to emit strange noises, as in, “He knew he was in trouble when his car started to outgrabe a mile out of town.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!