- Paul Harvey once said on his radio show, “What is wrong with our society today is that too many dirt roads have been paved.“
- On an old dirt road, you can lsten to the birds sing, look for wildlife, breathe in fresh air, and get away from the rush of city life.
- The next time you feel overwhelmed or you need a break, drive down a dirt road in the country.
By Larry Whiteley
Unless you have lived in a city all your life, you have probably driven down an old dirt road. Maybe it was a road home, a road to your grandparents’ house, or to a favorite fishing or hunting spot.
I remember fondly the many dirt roads in my life. I was born in Grandpa and Grandma’s farmhouse on an old dirt road. Not many people drove by. There were not many neighbors back then.
Grandpa’s brother had a farm south of us at the top of the hill on that dirt road. To the north of us, there were a few farms. Dirt roads to the east and west led to more farms.
Grandpa had a pickup truck, but he didn’t drive it much. Maybe once a month, he would take Grandma and me to town to buy things we needed. I would ride in the bed of the truck. When he reached the end of the dirt road to the north, the paved road led to the main street in town.
There was a grocery store, restaurant, bank, post office, gas station, church, school, and that was about it. There were a few neighborhoods, but not many. Life was a whole lot different back then compared to now.
South on the dirt road from the farm, Grandpa would take me to the fishing or swimming hole. I would ride in the truck bed and feel the wind in my face. We visited there a few times each summer. As a kid, I always looked forward to that.
He taught me how to drive that old truck. First, he let me drive it around the farm to do chores. Later, he let me drive it down the old dirt roads to take or haul things to and from neighbors.
When I turned sixteen, Grandpa passed on, and Grandma gave me that old pickup truck. I drove it to school instead of riding the big yellow school bus. My squirrel rifle was always in a gun rack in the back window. My truck was always unlocked, usually with the windows down, and my rifle in plain sight. It was a much different world than it is today.
I got a part-time job to help pay for gas. My friends and I traveled down many dirt roads back then. I drove around in fields while my friends, with their loaded rifles, sat in the bed of the truck, shooting rabbits. That truck took us on many fishing trips down dirt roads.
When I started liking girls, they would sit right next to me as I drove. Bucket seats had not been invented yet. Neither were seat belts. We parked that old truck on dirt roads where we could see the moon and did a lot of smooching and hugging.
Later in my life, I would own more pickup trucks. I drove lots of dirt roads to take my kids and grandkids fishing and hunting. We also traveled on a dirt road to get to a weekend cabin we once owned. We drove down a dirt road to the creek, where we’d fish and play in the water during the summer, and go hunting in the fall. We took our ATVs on rides through the forested hills on dirt roads.
I believe, as Paul Harvey once said on his radio show, “What is wrong with our society today is that too many dirt roads have been paved. We would not have as many problems in America today if we had more dirt roads, because dirt roads build character.”
If kids today had to walk a dirt road to school without the distractions of smartphones, they would learn to get along better. They would also get more exercise. Back when there were more dirt roads, if you repeated some words that you heard adults say, you got your mouth washed out with soap.
There was less crime when roads were dirt. There were no drive-by shootings. Criminals did not rob homes because they knew there were barking, snarling dogs and a double-barreled shotgun waiting for them.
Our values were better when our roads were dirt. Dirt roads taught patience. You did not drive too fast. If the dirt road washed out back then, you didn’t worry. You enjoyed family time together. You made memories. If someone got stuck in the mud, you would hook up the team of horses and pull them out. You wouldn’t accept anything they offered in return for helping them. You made a new friend.
In today’s fast-paced, technological world, we all need a place away from all the congested traffic on paved or concrete roads where people are looking at their smartphones instead of watching the road. A place to go where our smartphones can’t get a signal. A place where we can fish, camp, hunt, or sit quietly and enjoy nature.
Sometimes, you just need to explore, to investigate, to see where an old dirt road goes. It’s a journey of curiosity and discovery, a chance to escape the constant barrage of bad news that depresses you on social media or the news on television.
Stop and roll down the windows, or today, push down your window button. Listen to the birds sing. Look for wildlife. Get away from the rush of city life. Breathe in the fresh air. Enjoy the quietness and natural beauty. Slow down and savor life away from technology.
Maybe dirt roads will bring back memories of camping trips, fishing trips, hunting trips, picnics, or visits to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm, and walking down the dirt road holding their hands. For a moment in time, you are a child again. Walking down a dirt road with your fishing pole and a can of worms.
For those of us who grew up in the country on dirt roads, the desire to return home, even if only in our minds, is strong. We long to revisit the memories of time gone by. Sometimes, nothing has changed. Most of the time, it’s not quite like we remembered it. But that’s okay, because it will always bring back treasured memories.
A few times a year, I will get in my truck with all the electronic gadgets and drive down the dirt road to where the old farm was. I stop, and in my mind’s eye I can still see the old house I was born in. Sometimes I can still see Grandma and Grandpa sitting on the front porch. I can still see myself running around catching June bugs or fireflies.
I can still see the barn, the smokehouse, the outhouse, the chicken coop, the pig pen, the old cow I milked by hand, the farm dogs running around in the yard, ready for me to take them squirrel or rabbit hunting. I can still see the trees I climbed, the grapevines I swung on, and the old spring on the side of the hill I hauled water from. I can still smell Grandma cooking on the old wood stove in the kitchen, and the smell of a skunk the dogs got into a fight with.
The next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed by the craziness in the world we live in today, or you need a break, drive down a dirt road in the country. You can do that in a car, but I still think it is much better in a pickup truck.
You will get your car or truck dusty or muddy on an old dirt road, but they will clean up. It will be worth it. Find a place to escape and make your own memories.
Sometimes the best therapy is taking a long drive in a pickup truck on an old dirt road.
Editor Note: The GMC pickup truck photo is courtesy of James Monteleone.