Gawking and driving don’t go hand-in-hand

​        Like my dad, I’ve developed a somewhat bad habit of gawking while driving.
      Debbie reminds me often to put both hands on the steering wheel and quit gawking at the scenery.
      That was the case last Saturday while traveling to Pleasantville to set up a booth and sell our books at a craft show in the school gymnasium. 
      I was checking out Red Rock Lake and apparently was weaving on the highway some. I hit the rumble strips on the side of the highway several times on the curvy stretch of road between Pella and Highway 14.
      I was trying to eat my McDonald’s sausage biscuit and drink my ice tea with one hand on the steering wheel and it was putting Debbie on edge.
      Plus, I was checking out the road to nowhere at Red Rock Lake near Highway 14. There’s a road and a bridge that goes right into the lake. I suppose it was the old Highway 14 that was flooded when the lake was built.
      And then there is the mile-long bridge on Highway 14.
     I think they need to have higher guardrails on that stretch of highway across the lake. When there is a crosswind, it feels like I’m going to fly over the side of the bridge into the water. I always have two hands on the steering wheel when going across the mile-long bridge.
     My dad was bad about gawking and talking to strangers. I remember one time on a family vacation when we had stopped in Springfield, Mo. We were at a stoplight and a fellow was walking across the road.
      “How are you, Fred?” my dad hollered from his window.
      The fellow looked at him, like “do I know you or are you some kind of nut?”
       I’m sure his name wasn’t Fred.
      My dad would laugh as he got the biggest kick out of having fun with a complete stranger in some other town.
      I typically don’t holler at folks out the window, but I do seem to get easily distracted as I enjoy checking out the scenery.
      I enjoy God’s beauty and as one of my elementary teachers said, “I usually don’t pay attention in class.” I need to do a better job paying attention to where I am at on the road.
    Texting is another issue of concern for those with cell phones these day, which is most everyone who walks and breaths.
     I haven’t figured out how to text and drive. Some people are experts at texting and driving, but not me.
     Sometimes I will make a call and talk with someone on the phone speaker while driving, which is almost as bad as texting and driving. 
      I see people all the time texting and driving on the two-lanes and interstate highways. In fact, on the way home from the craft show, I saw a driver on the road from Pella texting at the intersection of Highway 14. She wasn’t paying any attention to where she was on the road.
     And speeding is another issue. Most folks drive too fast these days. I probably drive slower than I should, especially while on deer watch when driving in the early morning hours or at night after covering a game or some community event.
     I dislike people tailgating me. If I’m driving too slow, go around me and move on. If a deer pops out of the ditch, we are both going to be in trouble and I’m going to get it from the front and back. So, please slow down. If you are late, leave five minutes early.
      Another bad habit I have is not coming to a complete stop at stop signs. Debbie said her dad once got a ticket for coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign and she often reminds me of when I do the same thing.
      I never got a ticket for making a rolling stop, but my dad once got a ticket for turning right on red in the 1970s before it became law.
     There are all kinds of statistics on districted driving and many states have band texting and driving with fines if you get stopped. They probably should band gawking, too.
      I’m thankful for Debbie paying attention and helping me get to and from where I am going and through life.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.