Gravel and dirt roads aren’t just the subject of many great country songs, they’re an awesome relic of America’s transportation history. Though they may be old, they are still in use today by farmers and regular people alike.

Dirt roads weren’t always called dirt roads. At one time, not too long ago, they were simply roads. America didn’t always have paved roads. Before pavement was brick. Before brick was gravel. Before it all was, you guessed it, dirt. Dirt and gravel roads were the norm for traveling. This is part of the reason old cars have more ground clearance than most modern ones, sometimes even more than the wimpier of the crossovers. Drive down a good one and you can almost feel the history.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 1.3 million miles of unpaved roads wind across this Great Nation of ours. Even though they are still used all the time by farmers, rural postal workers, and regular residents, the government doesn’t maintain them as much as they probably should. Despite not getting fresh gravel on gravel roads, they are still popular. This is because dirt and gravel roads run many places paved roads don’t, like that mythical perfect fishing hole/swimming lake that is in many country songs. They also reach some scenic places that aren’t accessible by paved roads.

Even our paved roads are starting to look like dirt or gravel because of even more rampant lack of maintenance. Why not kick the dust up every once in a while?