turtle rescue...

...when I was on the road yesterday after, searching for highway numbers on signs. While working my way south and west. Avoiding traffic mess on I-20, and hoping to get home on unfamiliar roads. Observing on coming and turning traffic ahead of me. Paying attention to lanes merging and diverging, often designated as turning  and occasionally disappearing. Trying to see around trucks or utility poles or trees or business signs to find the signs that direct turns for following a particular highway through a town.

There is so much debris in the roads that seems to be turtle sized. Discarded take out/fast food boxes and crumpled drink cups. Plastic shopping bags half filled with trash. Clothing mysteriously scattered along the right of way. Shoes that find their way off feet and into the traffic lanes. Boxes that apparently fly off trucks and get half-flattened by vehicles. A great assortment of items our 'disposable society' intentionally or inadvertently lets go while in transit.

I'm forever keeping a sharp eye out for turtles, in their foolish progress across paved thoroughfares. Have been helping them across the street for many years. Reminding me of the old joke about the Boy Scout who was trying to do his good deed and help an elderly person across the intersection. The reason the Elder was so difficult to get across the road is that she didn't want to go!

I often see the turtles stalled out on the double yellow line, apparently having become hesitant or indecisive about continuing. There must be something in their navigational systems that causes the risky behavior, installed long before Henry Ford and asphalt came into being. Causing them to head in a certain direction without caution for two thousand pound vehicles.

This particular little box turtle, with an already damaged shell (obviously did not learn of  the dangers of motorized creatures higher on the food chain from a previous encounter) was half way across. I made a U turn, and went back to pull over on the right of way. Jumped out and picked it up. And moved it safely across the street, in the direction it was headed. Neither the turtle nor I were hit by oncoming traffic.

The turtle could have easily turned around 180 degrees and tempted fate again. But I did my part assisting in what I believed was the goal. It had disappeared into the weeds by the time I made another U turn and resumed my driving. I made it safely home, and hope the turtle did not get smooshed.