One Good Turn

The streets where I grew up were mostly laid out in a grid, although there were a few exceptions. The most interesting exception to me was the street that my street ended into – South Park Boulevard. South Park Boulevard is a twisty street that works its way uphill, following the line of the infamous creek. After I learned how to drive, it was only of my favourite streets. I liked following its curves and twists. As an added bonus, the street only had 1 stop sign, so it was the street of choice for getting to the main road.

There was no parking allowed on South Park, mostly because there was no place to park. Nearly all of the other streets allowed parking on the "even" side. Of course, there's always an exception. For reasons I never understood, Marioncliff Drive, home to a giant Ukranian Orthodox church, only allowed parking on the "odd" side of the street.

The upshot of this is if I was driving back from the grocery store or my best friends' houses, the best route was to drive up South Park and then turn right onto Marioncliff. No need to stop before turning and no need to worry about parked cars on my side of the road. I taught my brothers this trick, when they were old enough, and also taught them about how to properly execute The Turn, as we came to call it.

Making The Turn correctly was fun and challenging. As you came around the bend before The Turn, it was important to maintain your speed. Then you made The Turn as though it were just another curve on the road. For best effect, you avoided using the brake during The Turn and, once you'd gotten through the guts of it, a little gas made The Turn feel even more fun. Taking The Turn in icy or snowy weather is definitely not recommended.

We teased Peter, on his first few trips to my parents' house, that he wouldn't be a real member of the family until he was able to make The Turn. Lucky for him he's a quick driving study.

As I drive around the twisty roads in the Middle of Nowhere, I think about how The Turn prepared me for driving here. I also think about how I'd really like to take a rally driving class. I'd love to know how to go around a corner practically sideways.

Don't get the wrong idea here. I'm hardly a Girl Racer. There's just something exhilarating about coming around a bend and accelerating out of it. Blame it on my love of The Turn.