It's Not Just a Road, It's an Adventure

Nov
3

The road to our farm is a rock-based road, which is something in between a dirt road and a gravel road. Comparing it to a gravel road is really bragging, though, since there’s not much rock put down on it. It’s rife with potholes big enough to hide bears, creeks running across it and down it, steep drop-offs with no guard rails, and unrelenting natural beauty. There is no mail service, no school bus, no trash pick-up. And in the winter when it’s icy? There’s no way out.

If you haven’t seen this one, I wrote a post about the road back when we were still building the house: The Road Home.

I thought you might enjoy this short video clip taken from the rear of my SUV while driving down the road. It gives a better idea of what it’s really like than a photo alone. Put your seat belts on–it’s a bumpy ride!

(These aren’t rain puddles you’ll see in this video. Those are creeks that run in the road every day all year.)

More posts you might enjoy:

46 Responses
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11-3
2:34
am

I would LOVE for that to be the road to my house. Well, maybe not the creeks and no-guard-rails part. But the general idea, yes.

Hrist

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11-3
3:00
am

you are someone who really “needs” an SUV not like most who need an SUV as a status symbol.

thunja

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11-3
3:58
am

I want to be your neighbor!

Brenda

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11-3
4:54
am

wow!!

Louise

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11-3
5:07
am

The music made it even better.

shirley

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11-3
5:08
am

shirley

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11-3
5:14
am

That is quite a ride, it would most likely scare most of us if got lost and had to travel on such a road, but the journey is worth the end result.

JOJO

JOJO

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11-3
5:17
am

Dancin’ like Jesco.Dang, that music got to me.

shirley

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11-3
5:21
am

Loved the musice too! That made the vidoe. Hope you have lots of ideas for your SAM E video. We “need” you to win!!!!!!

trish

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11-3
5:48
am

I would totally love to live there…How neat to have a ford to crossover.

Judy@daily yarns

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11-3
6:16
am

That is so awesome!! I dream of living in the mountains! I am sure there are some downsides (being iced in and such) but how beautiful and peaceful!!

Sarah

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11-3
6:28
am

Nice road. A bit harder to get to your house than mine.

Where are you in the vote count? I’ve voted every day, and also from work. Hope you are in the lead.

Andrea

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11-3
6:30
am

I am JEALOUS! I love your road home.

Voted! Go Suzanne go!

angelridgmom

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11-3
6:35
am

That is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO far from my Illinois flat land its like another country!! So gorgeous though.

Only three more days to vote?! Then another round of votes though, yes?

KateS

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11-3
6:35
am

Not for me! But I would love the farm!

mint

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11-3
6:36
am

You can see the vote count here:
http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries

Please, please keep voting every day! The other contestants are working hard to try to catch up and the more lead I have, the more serious the company will consider me! Thank you so much!

Suzanne

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11-3
6:37
am

There is a second round with a video and a short essay and voting, with the final decision being made by the company.

Suzanne

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11-3
6:45
am

Loved the music with the video. I have voted everyday and looking forward to the your post on the ‘Good Mood Gig’.

Barbara

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11-3
6:58
am

Beautiful! Some people live on major highways and interstates… I just don’t understand how you can live with that hum or traffic. If some drives by on your road, you probably know them, which is a comfort! Being snowed in probably isn’t all that bad either, since you know it is going to happen at SOME point. You can just sit back and relax, watching the white stuff come down.

Sarah

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11-3
7:04
am

and I, I took the road less traveled by…..

Beautiful!

Melinda

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11-3
7:39
am

Wow! I think I should really stop complaining about my road–also rock based and riddled with potholes–now. There are no creeks running into it (just a ravine with a culvert running under the road where the rainwater is eroding the soil) and we have mail, trash, and bus service. It’s also much wider and better kept than the nearby roads since there is a feed lot a mile to the south of us that requires decent roads for the semis transporting cattle to travel. In fact, our road almost looks like an interstate highway compared to yours!

Jenni in KS

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11-3
7:39
am

Love it Suzanne! I used to travel down roads like that in British Columbia but that was when the kids were little and we were on an ‘adventure’. We did that lots looking for Huckleberries or firewood. I LOVE the privacy of where you live and living here in Kansas coming from the mountains….I LOVE your hills. Every day going into town or home would be a wonderful adventure with animals and creeks…just beautiful. I voted again this morning and WOW you’re doing great. We’ll keep it up until the ‘last dogs hung’!

Chic

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11-3
7:42
am

How far is your drive off the main road? I used to walk a 1/2 mile on a dirt/gravel road to the main road to catch the school bus but yours looks farther! Bet the kids love that in the winter! Wonder what this winter holds for us here in the WV mountains?

Voted again today!!

Lish

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11-3
7:44
am

Great music! Sounds sort of like Deliverance.

Runningtrails

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11-3
7:49
am

Our road is about 2 1/2 miles to the “hard” (paved) road, which is a narrow country road. From there it’s another 2 1/2 miles to a main road. It feels a lot farther because the 2 1/2 miles of rock road takes 15 minutes AT LEAST (depending on conditions).

Suzanne

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11-3
7:49
am

And I thought my road was bad LOL! We only have 1 creek and several large potholes. A friend of ours works for the county and my husband asked him once why they couldn’t put ditches on the sides of our road to keep the water from washing it out. He said, Joe, your road is the ditch, and there’s no way to put ditches on the sides of it!

I voted!

KentuckyFarmGirl

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11-3
7:57
am

I know EXACTLY what you mean about the road being the ditch!

Suzanne

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11-3
8:02
am

BEAUTIFUL!!! I LOVE dirt roads for many reasons, but the main one is you have to slow down for other cars and pedestrians and this gives you the opportunity to smile and wave….hi neighbor! As a walker who waves at everybody on my country roads, I get lots of waves on dirt roads and ZERO on paved roads as people whiz by me. Gorgeous road, fabulous and fun blog!!

Anne

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11-3
8:04
am

Brigitte (sp?) is eating Suzanne’s dust! Go Suzanne, Go!!!

Cheryl in Sunny Cal (Calhoun Co.)

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11-3
8:10
am

Just voted on both computers – 13938 a few minutes ago. We are all pulling for you. The video of your road was great – reminds me of one going through property my daughter owns in South Carolina. Love the south except for the humidity.

Euni Moore

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11-3
9:36
am

Still voting!!!!

I still think you need a pony and a cart. Donkeys are harder to train, but you would eat that road up. Fable and I can do about eight miles an hour average.

Remudamom

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11-3
10:27
am

Your lead is growing, hooray!

Ms E

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11-3
10:30
am

Wow – what a “road”!!! When I turn off the main asphalt 2-lane to my daughter’s house, the last mile is a dirt/rock road not much wider than yours, but thankfully without the deep holes and the creeks crossing it! Since the baby dude is going to be a winter baby – due in about 3-4 wks – I’ll have to navigate it in snow, or just stay at their house for the winter!!!

Love that count, Suzanne!

Nancy in Iowa

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11-3
10:36
am

I would love your road! At least you have some gravel! We also live about 1 1/2 milles from the graveled road; the road is basically dirt. Then, it’s about 5 miles to the paved road. No one attempts driving during rain or the spring thaw! A hummer would be a good vehicle!

rileysmom

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11-3
10:46
am

We also have no mail delivery, trash pick up, school buses BUT we do have DSL! My family (all city people) just don’t get it. We venture into town, maybe once a week for mail. About every 3 or 4 weeks, we go to the Big City for groceries. After an all day trip (2 hours to get there)you don’t want to go anywhere!

rileysmom

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11-3
10:47
am

Are you sure you’re not driving on one of our roads down here in Kentucky
Still voting!

J

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11-3
12:26
pm

Hello Suzanne, do you know about this contest? I think with your photos and writing talent you could do something here.

http://www.hallmarkcontests.com/page/CONTESTS/contest/Birthday_her_way

If that link doesn’t work use this one:
http://www.hallmarkcontests.com

I couldn’t find an email ‘contact me’ spot, so hope this is ok.

Barbee'

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11-3
1:31
pm

Just wanted to comment that I wanted to copy the hamburger/hotdog bun recipe (not the pictures) but I can’t because I get a popup msg that says photos are copyrighted. I just highlight the text, but I keep getting that msg. Iusually just copy recipes that way to a Word document and save in a recipe folder. Is there any way to get around the restriction?

I’ve been voting for you and I ALREADY know you’re going to win, I just know it. You’re such a great writer Suzanne! Love your blog, and I’m also a fan on Facebook.

YayaOrchid

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11-3
1:34
pm

Good Morning Good Afternon and Good Evening! I love comments therefor I leave comments! Thanks for the ride! Way fun! HAve a great day!

Sharee

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11-3
1:37
pm

Thank you so much!

And re the recipe, there is a “printer-friendly” link on all my recipe posts. Look toward the bottom of the post. I’ve started adding the print link right above the ingredient list for recipes on new posts because people have had a hard time finding it at the bottom of posts. One of these days I’m going to go back through all my recipes and move that print link up! But, for now, there IS one there, it’s at the bottom of the post. It will give you a clean (graphics-free) printer-friendly page with a print button.

Suzanne

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11-3
3:51
pm

Boy, can I relate to that video. We have about the same amount of dirt road to travel, minus the creeks, thankfully. (I’ve become a bit of an expert at pothole repair over the past few years.) I liked what rileysmom said about people just not getting it: I go to town, 35 miles away, once a month for groceries, definitely an all day event Despite the fact that I’m out in the boonies, I’m on the grid and have DSL too. I had to learn about septic systems and wells (as opposed to sewer hookups and municipal water), but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Jennifer Robin

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11-3
4:37
pm

i voted for you. woohoo. i hope you win.

sarah w

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11-3
6:39
pm

I’m soooooo jealous. We go to Green Ridge to find something like that…. i’d love it if that were my driveway!

Dawn

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11-4
7:29
am

Ha! Ha! The music made me laugh. That almost reminded me of a road we used to live on full of potholes.

Hannah

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11-4
1:17
pm

I loved this video.
It reminds me of the roads my hubby and I go on to take photos of nature in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan.

The Retired One

Flag this comment
9-4
6:31
am

Sigh…. I need that road to be my long and winding driveway to my paradise in the woods….

Staci

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