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October 19, 2017

Eyes Wide Open Looking for the Extraordinary

22 Comments/ 71/ 1

I like to keep my eyes open when I drive.  It helps get me from point A to point B safely.

At least that is the hope.

Recently I have found myself beginning to look out for the extraordinary when I drive and trust me – it’s out there.

I had quipped to my mom on Thursday that my drive to Ohio had been uneventful.  Actually I might have said it was even somewhat boring.   And that was my mistake.

Don’t worry – I didn’t have an accident.  However I did see some extraordinary things on the way home to North Carolina.

As I was driving down I 77 in West Virginia at the posted speed of 70 miles per hour I noticed the car in front of me suddenly brake.  So I braked.  Fortunately my Subaru Outback has great brakes and I know that because I tested them the week before when a doe and her baby fawn leapt out in front of me while I was driving down route 276 into Brevard.  I missed that fawn by a mere 6 inches.  Talk about a heart stopper.

But I digress.

As I braked other cars around me braked as well and about 5 cars that were behind me pulled off on the berm of the road to avoid hitting me and each other.  I sat there and waited for a minute and saw a small brown dog poke his way along the berm in front of the string of cars.  Ah ha–that was the problem.

I got ready for the car in front of me to move and it didn’t so we sat a little longer and I saw a black pot belly pig saunter out from in front of the car in front of me and join the dog on the berm.  Now that is not something you see every day on the interstate.  The car in front of me started up and pulled off to the side of the road .  I saw the driver get out and go towards the animals and I suspect she was going to try to keep them safe somehow.  I decided that with at least 5 cars pulled off my help was not needed so I cautiously went on my way.

While I did not get a picture of the pig this was pretty much what he looked like.  Just walking down a busy interstate in the middle of the day.  I suspect he and the dog were buddies and they broke out of their fence somewhere but honestly — it was not what I expected to see.

Extraordinary?  I think so.

A little farther down the road there was another slow down and while cars weren’t slamming on their brakes there were plenty of brake lights so I proceeded cautiously.

As I passed through the slow down area I saw a group of 8 large white ducks hanging out in the median looking like they wanted to cross.

They looked similar to the ones above but were bigger in size and were just hanging out together.

Odd?  I think so.

The rest of drive home was very uneventful compared to this part, thank goodness.

I mean honestly- what was going to come next?

Have you ever seen anything truly out of place in your travels?  Fill me in on that in the comments and remember that each comment means a $1 donation to UMCOR for Hurricane Irma Relief.

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driving eyes wide open pot belly pig traveling traveling in West Virginia weird things seen in road
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22 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Dianna
    October 19, 2017 at 06:55 am

    Oh, I’m so glad you were able to avoid an accident in your travels! That is so odd to see all those animals near the interstate!!?

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 06:59 am

      It was truly bizarre and yes—I was very grateful that I was able to avoid any accidents. Just not what I expected to see!

      Reply
  2. Jena
    October 19, 2017 at 08:07 am

    I hope the pig and doggie made it back home safely. maybe they went to market or had roast beef? What a sight- thanks for sharing

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 08:09 am

      I hope so too. There were plenty of concerned people who stopped so I have hopes they got home okay. I would think someone must have been out looking for them, don’t you think?

      Reply
  3. Marci B
    October 19, 2017 at 08:48 am

    Fun ride! While I did not see this, a number of years ago there was a mountain lion that came all the way from the Black Hills in South Dakota to Connecticut! Unfortunately, he was killed on the highway.

    Reply
  4. Sara Broers (@TravelWithSara)
    October 19, 2017 at 09:10 am

    What a story for the record books! A drive you will always remember.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 09:12 am

      Indeed. I was waiting for the monkeys to appear!

      Reply
    2. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 09:13 am

      Indeed. I was waiting for the monkeys to appear! Gotta stay on top of things!

      Reply
    3. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      Yep. It was totally out of the ordinary and I will never drive through West Virginia without thinking about this. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    October 19, 2017 at 09:31 am

    Oh, my, a pot belly pig. Now that’s a first.

    While on our Up North vacation in September, a bald eagle nearly hit our windshield. It chose the exact moment our van ran parallel with it to lift off from feasting on road kill alongside the opposite traffic lane. Pretty frightening to see the underside of an eagle’s wingspan mere feet from your face with only glass between.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 12:30 pm

      Oh my goodness–that would have been amazing to see but I can imagine you were a bit nervous about it flying so close to the windshield. Aren’t bald eagles amazing?

      Reply
  6. Encore Voyage
    October 19, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    The day before yesterday, as I was driving down a fairly routine road, I looked to my right and saw that some people had an OSTRICH in their pasture! Not something we see everyday in Idaho. It’s good to pay attention! ~ Lynn

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 12:29 pm

      Oh my goodness! I would have taken a second look at an ostrich. And yes—I pay really close attention since my pot belly pig incident. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  7. susi_snaps
    October 19, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    The things you see when traveling… I think that’s one of the reasons I don’t mind traveling by car. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it very much but have to say after a few long haul trips the past few months I don’t mind it one bit.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 19, 2017 at 12:45 pm

      I always seem to find something to occupy my time when I am a passenger and when I am driving….well …this story tells it all, right? Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  8. Darlene
    October 19, 2017 at 02:53 pm

    How wonderful for everyone to stop for these creatures. So glad you missed hitting the deer. Dot was found running alongside a very busy freeway when she was only 4 months old. She was so frightened and didn´t know where to go. The woman who found her was so worried she would get run over so she stopped and took her home until we gave her a forever home. Thank heaven or we wouldn´t have her now. She is still afraid of traffic.

    Reply
  9. Jeni / JeniEats (@JeniEats)
    October 19, 2017 at 07:13 pm

    I hope they found their way home!

    Reply
  10. Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
    October 20, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Too funny! When you posted about this on Facebook I was laughing out loud!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 21, 2017 at 08:15 am

      Well it was totally unexpected, that is for sure. Hopefully they found their way home.

      Reply
  11. Mama's Empty Nest
    October 21, 2017 at 10:33 am

    You never know what surprises you may find, huh? 😉

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      October 24, 2017 at 08:03 am

      Exactly. Gotta keep your eyes wide open!

      Reply
  12. priscillaking
    October 24, 2017 at 02:59 pm

    Yesterday a circling hawk (not sure of its species) had a squirrel so worried, the squirrel was squawking its alarm call–sort of like a very hoarse, loud, angry duck–while looking right at cats and humans, from about 15 feet up an apple tree. Well, that’s the first time in fifty-plus years *I’ve* seen such a thing.

    Reply

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