Carol H Tucker Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
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beladona Memorial Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
Today I had to drive up to Lutherville -- north of Baltimore. It was rush hour and without thinking about it much, I took the back roads.
You see, I almost always travel the back roads around, avoiding that girdle of concrete known as the Beltway. Of course, there are hazards in taking the back ways -- most of them are only two lanes and they can get back up pretty quickly. School buses. Someone driving that sees no reason to drive any faster than the posted speed limit, or even five miles slower. Garbage trucks. Sometimes you have to stop for a train because the tracks go right across the road. Large trucks that are also trying to avoid traffic and strain to go up the hills. In bad weather? The roads are down right dangerous, often untreated. Once I had a buck run into the side of my car -- on the driver's side too and it scared me half to death. There aren't any street lights and at night they can get pretty lonely; you don't want to risk breaking down or getting a flat tire. You can't drive straight through -- there are stop lights and stop signs and whoever the genius is who put a traffic circle on York Road should be shot. And you pretty much have to know where you are going.
On the other hand, the Beltway and the main roads are pretty straightforward, without the twisty turns and steep hills. When you come right down to it? You probably get there about the same time from sitting in traffic as you do by driving the back roads.
But the scenery is a lot better on the back roads, even when the trees are still pretty bare. The landscape isn't "processed", there are no sound barriers. Fences and yards come right down to the tarmac. And there are bars and neighborhood stores and old houses and construction for new houses and schools and ..... Well there is just more to see than sitting on the main roads staring at the concrete sound barriers and the car in front of you. When I was communting, I got to see the seasons changing the landscape, and I watched whole communities of houses spring up too.
According to GOOGLE maps, it should've taken 55 minutes from door to door. Of course that doesn't take into account rush hour traffic, so you would have to add onto the trip for that. It took me about 1 1/2 hours by going the back way. I arrived on time -- and without feeling that I had to fight my way there.
Sometimes the most direct way of getting someplace isn't the best way.
CEOExpress
