Mahoney Knows Homes: Turtle Crossing

Before living in Kingston Springs, seasons meant the usual - spring, summer, fall and winter. Since then, I’ve learned there are unofficial seasons that tell you a lot more about where you live.

Right now, we’re in one of my favorites: turtle season. Much better than skunk season. 

The funny thing about turtle season is that there is no official announcement to its onset. One day you’re driving down the road and notice what looks like a rock sitting in the middle of your lane. You slow down, get a little closer and realize – it’s not a rock. It’s a turtle, taking its time getting wherever it’s going.

Luckily where we live, the roads don’t get very busy and there is always an opportunity to put on your hazards, get out of the car and move them to safety. Turtle season happens to be one of my favorites because, for one, I like turtles and secondly, it is much safer to attempt a turtle rescue than approaching a snake.

The other day I was driving down Mt. Pleasant Road when that exact situation played out. I was completely caught off guard and ended up slamming on my brakes to stop in the road. I got out of the car and moved the turtle to safety. As I was heading back to my car, I suddenly heard someone yell, “Who is that?”

That’s when it hit me. I was a few feet into someone’s driveway.

From his perspective, some guy had just stopped in the road, run onto his property and taken off again. Not exactly a great look. I quickly explained I was rescuing a turtle. It brought me absolute joy to see the smile on his face and a supportive thumbs up from across the yard, as he let me know he does the same thing. We had a good laugh and exchanged pleasantries while my car was still on the road with the hazards blinking.

Man, I love this town.

Not long after, I saw a thread on HIP KS warning people to watch out for turtles. No surprise, there were many comments from people saying they always stop to help them across.

I realized that what feels like a random, one-off moment really isn’t. It’s something a lot of people around here do without thinking. It’s part of living in a place where you’re not just surrounded by nature, you’re interacting with it.

Sometimes that just means stopping traffic for a turtle.

Add it to the list of things that make Kingston Springs a great place to live.