Struck it RIch by Chance

Today was one of those days when the conditions are near perfect; 70 degrees and a clear blue sky and we feel ready to explore. It's a toss-up between searching for some interesting place for lunch or finding some wilderness road that we have not experienced before. Both are getting to be challenging because we do both quite frequently and we were looking for something never before seen.

We looked for and found an interesting road thirty minutes away and decided to give it a go and explore that area. It was already 11 AM but we knew we had enough time to pull it all in. One of our objectives was to find some old cemeteries that we could access. But we found much more than cemeteries.

We found a remote road, easily driven at slow speed, and only lightly populated. At one point in the road, we came across a historical marker sign and stopped to read it and look around. Next to the historic site marker was a small wooden house with the door open. Out through this door walked a middle-aged lady with a bowl and began to scatter what looked like cracked corn in the yard in front of the house. Suddenly chickens appeared from all directions. All this activity was only about 100 feet away and we watched enthusiastically at the morning feed of the flock.

We couldn't resist the chance to talk to her about life along this road and she was well aware of the encroaching developments that would surely modify her contentment here.

After a long chat, we moved on down the road several miles and found a remote wet crossing of a stream where huge cypress trees formed a shaded grove. It was evident that flood waters had raced through here not long ago. Perhaps that's why this remains a wet crossing; a bridge would be a major project.

Then, our wandering route began to enter more familiar grounds and we had to stop for a cup of coffee at an old cafe where we not only had coffee but a homemade brownie.

Another perfect day.

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