Just Like Nothing (else) on Earth: Dunlop Mill Road 

By Tim Jon

As far as I can tell, I’ve located at least one place in this ever-busier County where the ‘rat race’ doesn’t exist—at any rate, I failed to spot any signs of the phenomenon. Now, there are plenty of spots in our locality where you can bank on a fair share of peace, quiet and relative solitude. The last time I made an early-morning drive along Dunlop Mill Road, I experienced virtually nothing else. 

The visible stretches on either side of this narrow, gravel corridor seemed under a spell of silence and immobility—as if preserved for all time, yet outside any recorded history. I felt a bit like I’d broken in on someone else’s distant memory. Rolling green fields, dawn’s mist, unperturbed farm animals and ancient (to me, anyway) structures all stood out on an otherwise gray morning. 

Merely re-immersing myself in the experience—in this moment—lowers the blood pressure and relieves a bit of the stress alluded to in our opening steps of the story. And, yes, I’m sure someone has already tried and failed to put this kind of therapy into pill form; mankind has a recurring habit of attempting to capture (and usually sell) the eternal—even if only a heartbeat at a time. I’m lucky: I already have all I need. 

Now, if your supply of time without end is running short, you just might be fortunate enough to scrounge a little bit up along Dunlop Mill Road in Loudoun County, Virginia. Just don’t take it all; it seems to be regenerative—leave some for the ‘next wave.’ I think we’re gonna need it. 

You see, I also recall that we began our tale with reference to the seeming purposelessness in a great many of humanity’s activities. I’ll throw in a hinting reminder here: I don’t remember the chapter, verse or exact wording, but I’m sensing echoes and vibrations of the spiritual lesson about the gain of temporal possessions, with the resulting loss of the eternal portions of one’s being. Taking the application to today’s subject matter, I wouldn’t expect to find stretches like Dunlop Mill Road strewn with dollar bills (or anything larger), but I might expect a discovery of something deeper and more meaningful. 

And—when in doubt—just ask the cows along the roadside. They seem to understand more of the spiritual side of life than most of the humans I’ve come across in recent decades. These four-footed acquaintances appear content to live in the moment, and have perfected the art of merely ‘being,’ as opposed to the more ‘manly’ practice of constant competition and one-upmanship. 

Now, the astute among us will probably note that I’ve included no specific directions on finding the subject of today’s tale—namely, Dunlop Mill Road; the even more astute will be able to use their cerebral cortex and any web-based mapping system to quickly locate this little gem of a dirt road. I’m hoping that only the most inquisitive in our group will actually decide to get in their vehicles and drive out to one end or the other of this short, but (to me) influential gravel corridor. Such healing powers—I figure—deserve a little privacy. 

And, while we’re at it, I could’ve named my story after my new car, or the brand of trousers I was wearing that morning, or the company that made my camera; perhaps one of these items led to my mysterious inner understandings of that adventure. Hmmm …  I’ll have to drive that car some more, and continue wearing those particular pants, and I certainly wouldn’t want to make any sudden changes in my photography equipment. Or just about anything else, come to think of it. As earlier stated, I have all the magical instruments I need. 

And, you know? So do you: most Loudouners drive a more expensive vehicle than mine, they most assuredly wear more trendy clothing, and their camera technology must far exceed mine in the ability to capture vivid images. So—my parting gift, as our story wends end-ward—is to seek out those local places that grab your attention—if you will, your own ‘Dunlop Mill Road’s for personal inspiration—Divine or otherwise. 

You may just return home with vast treasures, albeit not of this Earth. And, that’s pretty much the whole point, right? 

There may even exist—within our souls—whether eternal or otherwise—virtual “Dunlop Mill Roads,” for exploration at any time of our choosing—or perhaps without even the reference of time itself. After all, time is our creation and it is we who move.