Here we are stuck in the muddy grass in Belle Fourche (the locals call it Belle, but the second part of it is pronounced Foosh). Which is now my favorite euphemism when experiencing life's little problems. The mid-west has had a terrible rainy spring and lots of problem due to flooding. We have been incredibly fortunate in avoiding heavy weather. Some rainy days, but none that kept us from seeing what we wanted to see. So we realize that this really wasn't a big problem in the greater scheme of things. Still it is is the kind of thing that makes you say Foosh!
It was raining hard when we drove into our reserved campsite (never fun). But also, and more importantly, the ground was saturated and there was no gravel behind us. There was a very large tree right on the corner of our space, which would make it impossible to turn right on the narrow road in front and a steep and muddy hill to the left. (So, it was a pull-through site going in, but we wouldn't be able to pull-through going out.) The owner of the park, just a nice guy trying to make a go of it on his 15 acres, said he didn't have any other spaces where we'd fit. He said we wouldn't have any trouble getting out in the morning.... "oh just give yourself plenty of time to warm up and go for it." Then he added, "I know what these big trucks are like. I've got one that's been stuck since February." Yikes!
Of course, it rained hard all night long. And the next morning, even though the sun was shining and it looked like a nice day, the ground was so wet that our feet whooshed in the mud when we walked. And so, when Bill backed up to pull out, the truck sank too. What a nice rut we made.
We looked around for wood or gravel or anything that we could use for traction, and gave it a few tries, but no luck. So it was a 'Thank God for Towing Insurance' moment. When the truck arrived, it was really just a small pickup. But the driver (who was dressed like a CPA on casual Friday) was kind of a tow-guy genius. He just attached a couple of winches to the truck and a couple of trees and stood there and watched them pull Bill right out. He said he was called out to this park all the time. They really need to buy some gravel!
So we drove on down the road. Bill was so happy to leave that he didn't even want to take time to change his muddy clothes. (We don't ever exactly dress up for our road trips, but this is the first time he's ever driven with mud on his knees!)
The day wasn't a total loss. Just a few minutes out of Belle, we drove through the town of SpearFish and then through beautiful Spear Fish Canyon. The Canyon is one of the loveliest drives ever. The picture is from our 2004 road trip when we stayed in Sturgis and spent quite a bit of time exploring the area. We didn't stop this time, but it's pretty from the road too.
So then we spent a night in Whyoming (Ft Laramie) -- and then on to beautiful Colorado.
After all, you can't fully appreciate nature's grandeur without a few Oh Foosh moments.
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