The dreaded long weekend holiday traffic we experienced on our return from the York Peninsula was terrible.  Google maps showed the red road congestion line getting longer and the time to our destination ever growing.  Now some see this as an annoyance, but my awesome wife sees this as a challenge! Her skills in navigating using Google maps could have seen her as a rally car navigator, but for the fact she gets car sick.

Instead of following the long, slow line of traffic along the main highway to Adelaide, we made a choice to take a road less travelled. We hooked a left onto a dirt road and eventually came to an intersection. The dilemma…. turn right onto the bitumen road and follow the other cars back towards the main highway, or go straight ahead onto and even narrower and rougher dirt road.

As the cars in front peeled right following the crowd, we decided to continue straight ahead down the dirt.  Clearly it was not an option for most cars, except for the Volvo with the large camper trailer that we met down the road.

As we came closer to the Volvo, we could see a frazzled lady trying to help her husband perform a 300 point turn on the rough and narrow dirt road. They had obviously tried to escape the holiday congestion, but were now second guessing their decision, choosing to turn back.

The lady saw us approaching which made her even more frazzled.  Although I’m not much of a lip reader, the words that appeared to be coming out of her mouth indicated that she was less than impressed with her husband.  They had obviously been trying turn around for quite a while because there were 2 young boys out of the car, happily exploring in the dirt on the side of the road. As the husband maneuvered the vehicle up the side of the bank, she waved us through.

With my expert navigator studying the maps, we plowed on into the SA farmland.  It was a beautiful drive, the road became narrower and more of a track, however the scenery was amazing.  We passed sprawling open farmland, old farmhouses and beautiful wildlife. It was a peaceful and enjoyable detour. 

When we finally joined the other cars on the highway, we didn’t care if we had made up time or not, because we had avoided the stressful congestion and experienced a lovely drive through the countryside together as a family. We had made the right choice!

Sometimes it is not about the destination, it is about the journey. Choose the road less travelled and enjoy the experience of new adventure and learning.  Always trust in God that He will direct your paths.

Chaplain Phil