An Example of How Going the Extra Step Pays Off

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The other day, I finished a hike.

I had gone to a place I'd never been before. This was an exciting trip, which introduced me to a beautiful spot I hadn’t been to before. 

After hiking back to the trailhead, I was tired and ready to go home. And the sun was setting. It was starting to get dark out.

As I was starting my car, I was going through my options to get back home.

Decisions, decisions…

You see, these two choices I had were simple: I could either make a u-turn and come back the way I came. Or I could continue going straight, which was a road I hadn't driven down before.

I had parked on the side of the road because there was no parking lot.

Making a u-turn out of there was going to be difficult because there was a car parked in front of me. 

So, I decided to pull out into the road and continue going straight.

A few hundred feet down the road, the road turned from pavement to gravel.

This was an interesting development, I thought.

I was starting to get out into the sticks. 

A new discovery

A quarter mile down the road I saw a few cars parked to the left as the gravel road banked to the right.

A giant field opened up in front of me. I could now see why people were parked there.

So, I decided to park my car and check out this field.

And wow did it blow my expectations out of the water!

The field was on a slight incline, which had hidden my view of what was beyond the field.

As I walked up the field, the view opened up. 

There was a long, dry marsh to the left. And a pond to the right. Two beautiful elements of nature.

The trail ran between these two elements. And so, I stopped and took pictures of both. Lots of pictures. The scenery was perfect with the setting sun for some good photos. Mind you, I’m no expert photographer. I simply capture photos with my phone for my enjoyment. But I also hope you’ve enjoyed the photos I’ve posted on some of my previous blogs.

After taking several photos of the marsh and pond, I continued down the trail.

An eighth of a mile down the trail brought me to a four-way trail intersection.

A metal signpost was now staring me in the face.

I took a look at it and came to a realization… I knew exactly where I was now. I was in the city forest, which is a place I've been going to for years.

What a treat to find a beautiful spot that connects to the city forest!

Wrapping up

The point here is when you see something interesting, take a look.

Be curious. You never know what you may discover.

Venturing into the unknown can be a rewarding experience. Unexpected rewards are often even better than expected rewards because you didn't know they were coming.

So, go venture into the unknown and let your curiosity take you to new places.