Day 166 of #LiveWell2017

Apologies for not posting for the past few days, but we were on the road, for which I am very grateful. For most people who know me, roads will seem like an odd thing for me to be thankful for. I have often felt that roads lead to environmental destruction. Roads provide access for vehicles, which in turn create opportunity for development – often for building new housing developments and shopping malls in areas that should be left alone for wildlife, for nature to remain undisturbed.

This week, we took a road trip to the far reaches of eastern Oregon, a place where antelope and wild horses run free and golden eagles fly high, where towns with populations of 12 are nestled among the mountains 60 or more miles apart. (I’ll be writing much more about the places and animals we encountered over at Wondering Around Oregon, so check that out later.) There are few roads out there, as it should be, and many of them are gravel at best or rutted and rocky at worst. But it was there, where we saw some of the most breath-taking scenery and charismatic mammals that we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes.

On our way home through central Oregon, still remote and just as awe-inspiring, my husband said he was grateful for roads, because “doing this trip on a horse or with a wagon would have taken us months if not years, that is if we didn’t die of dysentery on the way.”

Yes, I appreciated having roads (actually very well-maintained roads) to travel on this week, to take us to some of the most remote and stunning of wild places, where we could hear the wind, see the stars and the Milky Way, hike into deep canyons and on top of mountains, and enjoy knowing there are still vast areas of relatively undisturbed, wild lands out there. So, today, I am grateful for roads.

Where have your roads taken you lately?