There are hundreds of country songs out there that contain lyrics about rural living in the America’s, but very few actually nail it and awaken something in your heart and soul. But once in a blue moon, as I step out the door onto the wooden steps and climb into my truck, turn on the radio and drive down the highway toward the nearby the factory water towers and the distant flashing red lights of the majestic power lines in the horizon; there is that one song which perfectly captures that very moment in time, when you are suddenly overcome by this feeling of weightlessness and freedom.
With my window down, and my arm leaning out over the edge of the door, my plaid shirt sleeves rolled up to my elbows, my fingers being gently caressed by the cold northern winds, there is something so sweet out there. The urban lights and sounds winding through the arteries of roads, mixed with the smell of diesel and fresh tar fills the air, which arouses lost memories of men like me and the joy they must have felt heading into the waterways and wilderness.
Driving down to the dark waters of the Ottawa, my gear all loaded up, heading to wetlands with my buddy, knowing we will create incredible memories, pursuing the famed waterfowl of this great northern nation. Once on the river, with the jon boat clapping through the rugged waves, and through our hat the winds whisper into our ears, old tales shared by aged men who were standing on the side of the road waving with their weathered hands.
For that moment I am at total peace, truly free and the memories of a distant war torn country fade in the mist of the Mercury motor. All of sudden the silence is broken by the calls of Canada geese, and I know then it must be heaven. And what better company than a sweet country tune.
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