Let's get metaphysical.

Twists and turns...


So this weekend I headed off to my chiropractor like I normally do every Saturday, but this time it was different. I have had alot on my mind and with my family back in Florida I needed a nice drive. I took my usual way and meandered north from Hackettstown on rt 517 and then some back road up to Newton and then some more little roads to put me north of Newton on rt 206. The drive is nothing spectacular, as a matter of fact I almost always get stuck behind some slow person or a caravan of motorcycles. Their loud open pipes and burbling v-twins annoy the crap out of me. I'm not sure why, but it really drives me bananas. I then turn off rt 206 and head toward the Dingmans Bridge, which by the way is the last remaining private bridge on the Delaware river, cross over its wooden planks and rusting metal pieces hoping it does not fall down with me on it. Once into Dingmans Ferry PA, the roads become slightly more interesting and there is almost nobody to tell you to slow down. While the official speed limit is 35mph, it is really more like 50mph to the people that live there. Climbing up rt 739 I'm reminded why I put money into suspension modifications in the first place.

A nice view from Millbrook Rd.

The they way home I took a different route. It still involved coming back across the Dingmans bridge back into NJ but then I headed south on Old Mine Rd. This particular road is said to be on of the longest continuously used roads in the USA. It stretches for some 104 miles from it's start in the Delaware Water Gap area and winds north to Kingston NY. The history of the road is quite interesting. It started with the Lenape indians and then the Dutch used it to transport metals. Its even been said that George Washington himself had travelled the road, but I digress. The road itself has been recently paved and has very little noticeable wear. The trees overhang the road and at times there is a river that curves around on the left. It has multiple elevation changes as one would expect from an NJ back road. Turns are plentiful and on this particular Saturday afternoon there was nobody in front of me. My fear of johnny law dipping into my wallet held my speeds at bay for the most part, but there were times when mechanical noises were orchestrated on the hillsides of NJ.  My evofusion cold air intake (CAI) and ARK exhaust had a nice hum about them and when opened up let me know I was moving through the RPM's quite nicely. With all of the suspension parts working in unison to maintain traction, left foot working the clutch pedal, and my right foot working both the brake and accelerator pedals, sometimes at the same time with some nice rev matching or heel toe action, it was a perfect day for a drive.


I began to think...

Not my picture...I was too busy dodging!

After some 15 or so miles of gorgeous back road scenery and excessive fuel usage, I had to slow down! The road had degraded to what could only be described as a military convoy road. It had massive pot holes and degraded shoulders. This was not fun! I dodged a lot of the potholes but every now and again I tested my Nitto's sidewall integrity but dumping it into a wheel swallowing hole. This went on for atleast a good mile if not more. I then saw a turn to the left with a sign that said "Newton". I took it. I needed to get off of that pot hole infested road. I'm not sure how long it goes on for, but I was not about to find out. This is when I started thinking. This road is a bit like life. I know the metaphor is played out, but it is played out for a reason. Its true! This road was a metaphor for my life thus far. In the beginning its smooth and new. Then you come to those metaphorical bridges and you just happen to take the right road (perhaps meet your spouse like I did) and its everything you had hoped it to be. Your working, going to school, and I could not have asked for a better partner. Road = life...car = my wife and all other decisions leading up to this point...following? Ok good. Then comes this crap road and you have to dodge everything that is thrown at you in the hopes that you do not put a tire into a pot hole. This for me was my time in Florida. (Did I make the best of it? You bet and I would not have traded in that time for anything.  I spent a ton of time with my son playing at the park, going to the beach and spending time with extended family.) I went down for work (Hyundai technician) but then with the economy the way it was and with some rookie mistakes I had made, it just was not going to work out. I decided that it was time to move on. Three years of being employed on and off at three different dealerships had it's moments but it was not worth looking for a fourth one. Lucky for me I was able to find another career path that appears to fit my personality and abilities. So I have turned onto some smoother pavement, but do not worry it till has lots of twists and turns.

What about those people that never find smoother pavement? Do they continue down the pot hole infested road just trying to survive? What about the people that went straight and never turned down that particular road? Did they still end up where they wanted/needed to be? I'm not sure and I could probably sit here for the next couple of hours pondering about the universe and it's internal workings and why some are lucky and some are not. Perhaps we are all lucky in our own ways but need reminding of what they are every now and again. I can tell you that on this particular day with the sun shining and the warm breeze coming in through the windows there was not a better car (one that I know so incredibly well) or road I would have rather have been on. Such has been the case with my current life road...