niece’s baptism. There is no direct route to Edgefield or the many other small towns that dot the South Carolina and Georgia border. Once the seats of thought and politics for the state, time has made them historical markers and neat places to visit as they are steeped in history, good and bad. Edgefield is known for its pottery, so if that interests you, check it out here and here. It is also home to 10 governors of South Carolina and all around a neat place to visit.As we made our way down, we made turns on the various two lane highways through small towns traveling behind drivers with no apparent awareness of where their gas pedal is. We arrived in time for church and the baptism and had a wonderful time with family. We had South Carolina barbecue, that's mustard based-ya'll. We even slowed down enough to rock on the front porch swing and enjoy a calm, quiet afternoon in the quaint Southern town.
When it came time to head home, we wanted to try a "more direct" route. I should have reminded myself that none exist. As we traveled down Highway 25, my Garmin told me to turn onto Log Creek Road. I made the turn and passed a small church and then a sign that read "Gravel Road Begins." Why didn't I turn around? With our 17 month-old sleeping in the car seat, my wife began to let me know how unhappy she would be if I woke her up because of the conditions of the road. Making it worse was the fact that the Garmin was giving us an ever slowing mile countdown to our next turn that my wife could clearly see. As we made our way down the three and half miles of dirt and gravel road with signs pointing out one lane bridges, it began to get comical as we thought the road itself was one lane. We saw hawks and snakes and my wife lamented that we only needed to see a deer to make it a complete nature drive. We did see quite a few deer stands painted camouflage.
As we neared the next turn mark, we realized it was going to be another road made of dirt and gravel, this one four and a half miles long. Each bump and jolt brought with it the fear of waking the baby. Half way down that road my wife asked if a road could be called a highway if it was in this condition. Knowing the answer was no, I began to wonder myself considering the fact that roads like this remained in existence. I looked at the GPS and realized she was asking that because the next turn was onto Highway 430 and a faster drive. Once we made it out, it was smooth sailing and we made it home in time to have a quick supper before heading to church to start VBS.
While the towns may be uniquely Southern, I know the roads are not. I have been to many places where the residents would think their state or country was very developed, so it just goes to show that you never know what you will find off the beaten path.
