Sometimes the road less traveled gives you more than a view.
We weren’t looking for a scenic drive.
We were simply trying to avoid Atlanta traffic.
We had somewhere to be, and like most people, my first thought was to find the route that would get us there most efficiently.
So I chose a different way.
I thought it was similar to a route I’d taken before, but it wasn’t.
Instead, we found ourselves winding through the mountains on roads that seemed to turn every few seconds. We crossed through North Carolina on our way toward Georgia, and for a while, I wondered if I had made a poor choice.
The roads were really winding. 😅
But eventually, I started looking around.
And I began noticing the things you don’t see from a major highway.
Little houses tucked into the trees. American flags waving outside almost every home. Beautiful churches appearing around bends in the road, their stained-glass windows reflecting the afternoon sun.
We passed small local markets and shops.
We saw a wedding taking place just off the road, with people gathered together to celebrate someone’s big day.
We passed a father riding his mower with his sons, just another ordinary Friday afternoon for them.
There was something beautiful about seeing all those little pieces of life happening along a road we never intended to take.
Then came the summer storm.
We had left in nearly 100-degree heat, and suddenly dark clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped into the 70s.
For about thirty minutes, we drove through the rain.
The mountains disappeared behind the storm, the air cooled, and everything outside the windows seemed to slow down.
Then, almost as quickly as it came, the rain passed.
The sun came back out, and we continued on our way.
And pretty early into the drive, we lost all cell reception.
For my son, that probably felt like a much bigger tragedy at the time than it does now. 😂
But without any reception, he started looking out the window and following our route on the map.
“Mom, there’s a river!”
He had spotted the water running alongside the road.
I didn’t know what river it was.
I just knew it was beautiful.
A few minutes later, I noticed a little pull-off along the water. Mostly because I needed a break from the winding roads, I made the split-second decision to stop.
And I’m so glad we did.
We got out, took a few pictures, and stood beside the river for a few minutes, listening to the water move over the rocks.
At the time, we had no idea where we were or even what river we were standing beside.
We had simply stumbled upon a beautiful spot.
It wasn’t until later, when I looked back at our route, that I realized we had been following the Hiwassee River.
And then I noticed something else.
The road and the river separated not long after the spot where we had stopped.
If we hadn’t pulled off when we did, we would have missed it.
We would have driven right past.
That little moment stayed with me.
Because isn’t that how life can be?
We live in a world of highways, GPS directions, and estimated arrival times.
Major roads get us where we’re going faster and more efficiently.
And that’s wonderful.
But sometimes, in our hurry to arrive, we forget there are other roads.
Less-traveled roads that can still take us to the same destination.
They just give us a little more along the way.
A view we weren’t expecting.
A small town we didn’t know was there.
A wedding happening just beyond the roadside.
A father and his sons sharing an ordinary afternoon on a riding mower.
A summer storm that brought relief from the heat.
A conversation with your child because the screen stopped working.
A river we didn’t even know the name of until later.
Our destination hadn’t changed.
But somehow, the journey became part of the experience instead of simply the time we had to spend getting there.
Maybe we don’t always have to be in such a hurry to get there.
Sometimes the longer road is worth taking.
Sometimes slowing down isn’t about having less to do.
It’s simply about seeing more of what is already there.
So take the scenic route every now and then.
Not because you know exactly where it will lead, but because there is beauty in the getting there.
And sometimes, the road you didn’t mean to take becomes the part of the journey you remember most.
Take the scenic route.
You never know what you’ll find along the way. 🌿