1114 August 23, 2024 Mucky Mess

Last night when we arrived at the Sheridan Lake State Fishing Area, everything was dry and hardpacked.  In the campsite next to us, we could see some ruts where someone had a hard time when it was wet.  Tim had me check the weather forecast.  There was a 55, 45, 35% chance of thunderstorms at 1am, 2am, and 3am.  The lightning and rain began long before that.  It rained most of the night.  It was still dark and raining when Tim got up.  I lingered in bed waiting for the sky to brighten and for the rain to stop.  I set out for a walk.  The dirt and gravel road surface was slick and greasy.  There were also several soft spots where my shoes sunk into the mud. 

Tim met me outside.  He was worried about our ability to get out.  He suggested that we unhook the Jeep.  This proved to be a wise decision.  Tim drove out first in the RV.  For about 4 miles, he used every ounce of his driving skills and abilities to make it up the road.  He was slipping and sliding and at times, he was sideways.  I followed behind in the Jeep.  I got stuck twice.  The second time, one front wheel was in the ditch.  I used 4-wheel drive and was able to extricate myself.  We left the road rutted and messy…but there was no other way for us to get out!  What a huge relief it was to arrive at the pavement.  It was an intense morning.

We found a truck wash and Tim drove several miles out of the way to get there.  For $58.00, six men with power washers and brushes, scrubbed the RV.  They removed all of the dust and mud from our offroad adventures.

We arrived in Colorado.  The landscape was changing again; more hills and rocks. 

There were lots of farms, cattle ranches, stockyards, grain elevators, and farm equipment dealers.  We passed through some small towns.

Last night our campground was at 2,600 feet of elevation.  Tonight, we are at 4,400 feet.  We have been climbing without really noticing.  Everything appears so open and the change is very gradual.   

We are in Fort Morgan at a small campground near the highway.  We have full hookups so it is laundry day.  As I cooked dinner, we had a tremendous storm with high winds and pouring rain.  One side of the Jeep is much cleaner now!