The Traveler

About two weeks ago, my husband and I were headed to the airport for a trip to Nashville.  I decided to stop for gas about four miles before the MN border.  As we were getting back in our car, we noticed a young girl who appeared to be hitchhiking with a dog.  We discussed the situation and decided that if we saw her again, we would give her a ride.
So as we approached the freeway ramp, there she was.  I pulled the car over, and we asked where she was going.  Her reply was anywhere in the St. Paul/Mpls area.  I opened the trunk to put in her backpack, and the dog jumped right in, too.  She got him out of the trunk, and they both got in the backseat.

We discovered her name was Kara (sp?), and the dog was Deter.  It was a German shepherd she had gotten as a puppy while in California.  She was originally from Philadelphia and had been on the road for quite some time.  She had come from California most recently and was headed back that way before winter.  We were amazed by a number of things.....she was able to travel with a dog which gave her both companionship and protection...this was a lifestyle that was chosen, not forced.....no harm had come to her (even after riding with truckers).....and last but not least, she had ridden freight trains for most of her journeys.
I am so glad we were able to help in a small way and glad I was able to see that not every one chooses the safe, easy route through life.  There are all kinds of different ways of life, and if they differ from our own, that does not make them wrong.
Happy Trails to You!!
Thought for the day:  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I.....I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.    Robert Frost