City girl I want you to know two important things about driving before you move to the country. Now I’m talking talking about just how far you will have to drive for things like groceries {that was already covered here}. Or what it is like to drive on gravel {covered here}. But I am going to prepare you for two things you will experience on the road in the country.
First, be prepared for a new type of traffic jam. Yes, I know what a traditional traffic jam looks like. We visit and drive through Chicago often. But did you know that out in the country you can experience a totally different reason for slow moving cars? It is called a big tractor. Those tractors are huge, and don’t fit on just the shoulder. And they need to get from point A to point B just like you. So they will drive on the shoulder and the road at about 15 mph. And in the country you won’t find a lot of passing lanes. I cannot tell you how it never fails that when I am running late {which is about 90% of the time} I will be made later by a tractor and a lineup of 8 cars waiting to pass. I need to just factor in an extra 5 minutes during field work seasons because chances are you will end up behind one at some point. There is a great song by Craig Morgan all about this very thing. You should probably listen if you haven’t heard it before. Paints the picture perfectly.
Second, be prepared for field gawking. This means, when you are driving with your farmer down the road be aware that he will have a tendency to gawk at each field you drive by. In all seriousness I have had to do the driving before so he could scout out each field as we traveled. And I cannot tell you the number of times I have been traveling somewhere alone and my husband calls to find out what the fields look like. Are the fields tasseling? Are they “rowing”? Has anyone started chopping? Or combining? And the last time I drove somewhere alone you will never guess what I did? I noticed someone starting to combine and I actually called him on my own, excited to tell him what I saw! That was a moment for me where I realized I really am a farm wife. 🙂
So city girl, prepare yourself. It is wonderful to drive in a place with far less congestion and no traffic lights. {Have I mentioned that there isn’t a traffic light in our entire county?} But you may be surprised to find that there are other reasons for slowing down your travel!
Have a beautiful day,
Liz says
You have me hungering for a slow drive in the country. Thanks for this vivid picture in words!
Anastasia Rose says
That’s beautiful imagery! Thank you for sharing a little bit about your experience.
Anastasia Rose
#write31days
walk-in-the-rain-with-me.blogspot.com
Mary Beth says
awww, thanks for giving me a reason to slow down. even if I’m not able to gawk at the fields!