We should have heeded the Pronghorn Omen!

We left the Palisades Reservoir today, thinking to do a short day and camp at a BLM site near the Fossil Butte National Monument.

We dumped tanks, took on water and groceries in Alpine Junction and then two hour later were stopped by construction just short of the entrance to the BLM area.  I was feeling pretty good so we decided to push on instead to the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area instead.

Two more hours later, under rainy conditions, we'd found a site near the Lucerne USFS Campground.  We actually spotted a Pronghorn just hanging out at what we ended up calling "plan B" in case the next site proved not suitable.  

We headed to the site labeled "Riverside" on iOverlander trying for a better spot but instead we found trouble.

The way into the site wasn't covered in gravel like the previous site by Lucerne.  It was getting squiggly when we came almost abreast of a white pickup truck that had been left off the trail.  The trail ahead looked muddy but I didn't really see any options for turning around, so I tried charging ahead.

Of course, we got stuck.

2-3 lovely hours later, we managed to unhook the trailer after unloading Scarlett, then using Scarlett to pull the trailer out from behind the VRRV.  Once the way back was clear, and using the  TruckClaws traction devices and sand tracks, I was able to back the VRRV clear of the softer mud.

Some more work with the shovel and sand tracks, and I was able to get the VRRV to claw its way out on TruckClaws, eventually ending up on less muddy ground and free!

Then it was time to hook Scarlett up to the trailer to drag it towards the now-freed Umarang.  I broke two tie-down straps in the process, finally switching to a tow strap I'd bought for the Samurai.  The strap did the trick though I fear I took a year's worth of life from Scarlett's clutch muscling the trailer out of the mud and onto firm enough ground where Uma, the VRRV could take over pulling duties.

Uma pulled the trailer all the way to the cattle guard and graveled area and I finished hooking up the trailer back onto Uma, the VRRV.  Then I walked back to Scarlett and rode her back towards the trailer, got her loaded and strapped down using a combination of old straps and new ones that really aren't rated for her weight.  I'll have to get beefier straps to replace the ones that broke soon.

One of the two TruckClaws that were so key in allowing Uma to get free of the mud, broke in terms of me not being able to release it.  I had to cut it off.  I hope the manufacturer will warranty it but if not, we're still way ahead financially on what a tow truck would have cost!

Sorry, no pics taken while all the above was going on!  Martha did take pics of Scarlett once she was back on the trailer, the smell of burnt clutch pad material hanging heavily in the air.  Should give you an idea of the gumbo like consistency of the mud we encountered.

While all this fun was going on, two separate groups of fifth wheel trailers and tow vehicles had shown up, we warned them.  The first group turned around after reconning the mud with an ATV, the second group we left after warning them....they said they'd check it out.  

We drove towards the USFS Lucerne campground, but found it full according to one of their maintenance guys.  So we ended up returning to the site we called "Plan B"!

Once again, probably thinking to itself that we should have minded the omen, we found the Pronghorn sitting by what would end up being our site tonight!

Some shots of whiskey and dinner later, we had us a good sunset.  

Quite the adventure day today.  But, we self-recovered, no fights, no injuries and relatively little in the way of damage so far to equipment.  I call it a win!

A pano from Martha: