YELLOW , THE COLOR OF THE DAY.

We got what we needed a break, a full sunshiny day with no rain. In fact, the air was crisp with cloudless blue skies. The game plan was to continue work on our one mile drive until the township could get to our street's bridge to the outside world. Reprieve came today  coated in yellow. 

Yep, that's me in a rut...

Natureman was out with his shovel after breakfast and chores working on the worst area of our road by 8:30 and by nine our only neighbor within a mile, Patrick was over with Ole Yeller, my nickname for his front end loader (translated bucket attachment.)

Natureman 'n Patrick deciding
strategy

After strategizing re: tackling of the deep ruts 'Ole Yeller got to work.

After a couple of hours the hair pin turn's once deep ruts slowly began to disappear.  

Truly unbelievable, like nothing had ever happened. 

The result was like a highway in my eyes. 

What a transformation!

Natureman took our tractor and blade down our one mile road working on other rough areas which are much better now but will still need a lot of gravel. Another hard rain would guarantee more loss of road... 

Lunchtime offered sustenance and a much needed break. After lunch the plan was to head over to Patrick's with the  tractor with me in the attached trailer with the chainsaw and extra gasoline to tackle the last largest downed tree on top of a mudslide across the dirt road. Lo and behold neighbor Shawn from the other side of the lane had already beat us there and didn't need help. He had his truck to pull limbs out of the mud. It's amazing and wonderful how country folk really come together to help each other in times of need. (Shawn's the same angel who snowplowed on his ATV one bad storm)

Upon returning home Natureman switched out the trailer with the blade again and went to grade some more.  When he didn't return after a couple of hours, I actually started worrying and headed down the road. A sight for sore eyes as I spotted him at the other end of the bridge with Dustin whose family's rock and excavating company has worked on our road too many times. Lepke Truck and Excavating were helping the township tackle this destruction. 

Since this pic (L)Wed am to what the site and sight was at 4 pm the same day...



Lo and behold, the creek was back to flowing just under the bridge and the township had already started delivering 5" breaker run and rip rap for the approach to the bridge where there was at least a 2 foot drop on both sides. As soon as the big dump truck returned and unloaded the rock, Dustin pushed the rock into place with his small 'yellow' bobcat.  

Natureman navigating the breaker run

A large pile of gravel ( rear of above pic)was also awaiting to top the rock.  The gravel was not the best as the best had gone to the railroad. Coon Creek had become a mile wide 5 miles south of us as it barreled across Hwy 35 destroying the train tracks. But we would take whatever we could get of the rock regardless of quality.

Two foot drop at north approach

south bridge approach awaiting rock

 Two other neighbors from the other side of the valley were also there watching the activity. 

The hard top was going to be just that a 'hard bumpy top'   but by day's end, it would be passable. Passable was AOK.




Halleluyah,we would be able to rejoin civilization once our last mudslide was moved.  Ole Yeller gave it all she had but blew a hydraulic hose that night. That mud slide spot has to be trespassed with care but it's also passable.

Once again I have to repeat the phrase, "It takes a village" and admit even though yellow is not my favorite color, Wednesday it became my favorite...  

Thank you Natureman, Patrick, Shawn, Dustin and our township for acting in such speed!