The orange signs litter the sidewalks and the traffic cop arms get weak. It is tough to travel without witnessing or passing through the work-zone. Be careful - traffic fines are doubled.
The warning signs go up the day of the construction, and generally not before. An open highway on the way to work may easily be down to one lane at the end of the day. The hours aren’t posted, and sometimes it seems as though the roadblock is merely for someone’s amusement.
Don’t get me wrong - the roads need the work; they need it every year around this time. The harsh winters and wet springs do their damage. Snow, sand, floods, and erosion tear up the concrete and gravel. Potholes bigger than a pizza pie blot the way. It is like playing chicken to get to the next turn.
Many streets in town right now are under repair. ‘Tis the season I suppose. The beginning of summer is here and the hoards of tourists aren’t - just the early birds. A ride across town that should only take 5 minutes is now 15. Road crews are everywhere.
This season is not much different than the past. We welcome the summer sun and dread the influx of tourists and traffic. How dare someone else follow our path and block our way?! It is easy to blame the traffic tie-ups and delays on the tourists, but in reality the patch-ups and roadwork happening cause much of the traffic in June.
Either way, locals always know the another route. Almost always, a detour exists, marked or not.
We make choices. We can sit in the traffic caused by trying to fix a void, or we can reroute our path and avoid the impediment all together. It is the cost of living in a temperate climate.
For visitors unfamiliar with the local ways it may be a tougher choice. Leave the beaten path and take an unknown adventure, or sit and take in the hot vinyl and gasoline smells. How many times will the GPS reroute?
In the end, regardless of our choices, we find ourselves back on that road. The surface is smooth and makes for a nice ride. The sun is out and the roof is down; we cruise right along. It is easy to forget the time in traffic or the delays due to detours as we continue on our travels.
It is a cycle. The rains and snows pass through and hinder our paths each winter. We tend to stay focused on clearing the roads and keeping the tire treads to the ground during these storms. It is not until the sun is out and the forecast clears that we consider filling in the holes in our way, and take the time to do so.
Summer is the time to be optimistic and look forward. We can sit on the beach and gaze at the horizon. We can take a detour around the roadwork and watch the country road wind ahead.
