Spring Break With my Children

This past week our teenagers have been out of school for spring break.  Not trying to compare to the Griswold tradition of Chevy Chase, we do like to pack up and drive through the countryside, stopping at various state parks and monuments along the way.

While driving on a winding Kentucky road a few days ago, we came upon a car from Michigan.  The driver continually rode her brakes about every twenty yards or so.  This went on for about ten minutes until she abruptly stopped right in front of us and veered onto the shoulder of the road for us to pass.  Needless to say, I was relieved to finally get around them and head on.

We stopped at a restored covered bridge about seven miles up the road.  Within a few minutes, the car from Michigan pulled in right behind us.  When we got out of the car, the lady driving immediately apologized for her strange driving behavior and that she hadn't been in the area in over ten years.  Her father, an elderly man, started telling us about the other places they had been.  They were really wonderful people in spite of her bad driving.

The following day we decided we were going to visit the lake near our college alma mater, but on the way I decided to make a detour to visit Carter Caves Park.  Since we've had a lot of rain, all the streams and creeks would be flowing.  Nothing better than  to relax beside a gentle stream to refresh a tired, writer's mind.

After we parked and headed toward the gift shop, my son pointed and said, "Look, it's those folks from yesterday."  Sure enough, they were there.  I had to smile as I approached the elderly man and said, "Either you're following us or we're following you."

I mean, what are the odds?  We talked with him for a while, and he pointed out all the trails and places he had hiked earlier in the day, telling us, "Your kids will really enjoy those places."

We took his advice and visited a few of the areas and had a great time.  As we head out today, I'm curious about whether we'll see them somewhere else today.