Detour! Unless you have a lunch date with Jesus, slow down!

I often go along one of the most beautiful passageways I've ever traveled. It's not the tree lined streets of Augusta's Olde Town or Summerville neighborhoods, nor the parkway which curves between North Carolina's hazy valleys and tall blue ridges nor Atlanta's Interstates which soar across the city where suddenly the Capitol dome appears, glowing in the pure gold from deep in the mountains. It's not even the ancient roads in the unhurried South of France. 

This one is a rural road which suits a comfortable 45-50 mile an hour pace. It passes by country churches and through alleės of tall straight Georgia pines. It's edges are marked by wildflowers in ditches, an occasional wild turkey and the scenic view of a pond with cows, donkeys, goats and horses grazing near a fence or snoozing in the shade. 

This week, several thousand new drivers will speed through as they try to make up the time caused by a "detour" around the Keg Creek Bridges. 

Most will not expect to find a farm vehicle moving slowly here or a curve not banked for high speed there. Logging trucks will swerve to miss drivers who are in an unfamiliar area and "miss" the 4-way stop.  During the 500 plus days of detour, there will be accidents and the ROAD will be blamed. Someone will suggest cutting down the trees. Someone else will want to cover the yellow daisies and fill the ditches. Another will ban the animals. Few will suggest a LOWER SPEED LIMIT, but for many reasons, it would be a good thing.