Why did the turtle cross the road?

We don't know why this humungous snapping turtle was in the middle of the road near our neighborhood Saturday. We did have to swerve to miss him, and then pull over to make sure he wasn't a figment of the imagination. The turtle had already started to draw a crowd of people, none of us really knowing what to do. We had no idea where he came from or what to do with him, and most of us were scared to even touch him. Eventually a guy came along and scooped him up and crossed the road and set him down in the marsh pointing towards the lake. I'm not sure how anyone expected the turtle to locate the lake again, which was about 1/2 a mile away. Do turtles have a good sense of smell OR direction? At any rate what a funny way to meet new neighbors. And then of course the whole way to our destination L & M worried about the turtle's babies at the lake...typical.