A friend and I thought we’d drive by a Frank Lloyd Wright home. It was a short detour on our weekend getaway route. It’s often nice to get off the beaten path and see a bit more of the local communities. We did a little research and understood the home to be in a residential area, so we didn’t expect to do much more than slow down as we drove by. Maybe one of us would dare to get a few photos, but we didn’t want to be invasive if someone lived there.

We let a maps app guide us to a closed gate at a sprawling estate. We knew the property in front of us and the home we planned to visit was connected by family, but we didn’t quite put all the pieces together. We pulled into the short driveway before the gate and did more online research. We confirmed we were where we thought we should be, but maybe we could drive around the area and catch a peek into the estate. It was fun to see some of the surrounding neighborhood, but it wasn’t long before we looped back to move on and explore somewhere else.

Wait! Just as we were about to drive past the gate again, we realized it was open. Someone had just left. In a split second decision, we quickly drove through the gate. My friend wondered out loud if the gate would close behind us.

It certainly did. 

Instead of worrying about it at the moment, we decided to at least drive around for a bit before we figured out how we were going to get out. We slowly drove up the long drive then immediately saw the house to the left. We drove through the loop that led us along one wing. And when we headed away from the house, we saw another car. Another visitor?

No. It was the person who had left the property, causing the gate to be open for us to sneak through. Not that our intention was to be sneaky, but…he had looked in his rearview mirror and returned to make sure we weren’t up to shenanigans.

He pulled up alongside us and explained the property was closed. He was super nice, not only agreeing to wait while we took a few photos but also suggesting another vantage point for the best perspective. We thought we might be pushing it a bit to ask for a tour, although we laughed, because if another, certain friend had been with us, we’re pretty sure the man would have offered even without a request. His travels seem to always result in some easy peasy experiences.

We followed our kind escort to the road, and the gate closed behind us. This time, we were on the correct side of it. 

Our detour led us to more of an adventure than we expected. Detours often do. Perhaps we shouldn’t go through every open gate, but I’m glad God provides a way out.