Ok, I have quite a few mods installed including DCO, Civil War Overhaul, SkyRe, etc...and am facing some interesting challenges that I've never had in vanilla skyrim...

I was trying to get to Ivarstead from Riverwood to get to High Hrothgar and talk with the Greybeards as I had just became Thane of Whiterun by helping them defeat the dragon.

I went around the mountain one way and my path was blocked by a bunch of Stormcloak soldiers and a recruited Stormcloak Giant that laid waste to my party pretty quickly, including the Giant one hitting me many times, lol...I am level 14 and have Farkas, Ruminen and Lydia all tagging along for the ride...

So I try and go around the other way by the river and run into an area that has 3 dragons(Ruddy something or others) that destroy me again(I'm level 14 btw) and I can't out run them since they fly, lol...

So now I have to figure out how the heck to get to Ivarstead since both main ways are blocked...

Fun when things like this pop up and make you really feel like you are a part of the action...

Yeah the south road goes right past the Stormcloak camp there... but they are non-hostile.

Unless, of course, you have joined the Legion.

The north road passes the infamous Valtheim Towers, heheh...

(the place where the legendary Nordrick met his fate.)

Dragons? They're everywhere...

I guess you could take the chinless milk-drinker's Carriage to Riften, and walk back to Ivarstead (it's not far).

But you'll get caught up in Malacath's daedric quest as you pass by the Orc stronghold outside Riften.

Yeah - there's a heckuva lot happening @ level 14! Busy time...