Different continent, similar circumstances with a twist......
Mrs kansasdad and I were in Kenya's Abedares National Park
and I was excited to show off more of my heart country to my wife.
I remember going trout fishing in one of the many streams in the park when I was a boy living in Kenya, but having to exit the river to yield to a rhino let you know you were not fishing in the Bighorns. We also learned to ask at the game ranger station if the local lion pride had been harassing any fisherman in hopes that the fisherman would drop their sack lunches in their haste to escape.
Mrs K and I had gone into the park going in the "back way". We woke up the Game Ranger manning that entrance that almost nobody uses, as it approaches the park from the Rift Valley side, and there are not hotels at the base of the mountain range on that side. We had continued on exploring the park, seeing all sorts of mountain elephants, cape buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck, various monkeys and of course hoped for a miracle to catch a bongo out in the open. The day was overcast and chilly, with muddy roads the norm. As the afternoon wore on, we knew that the park gates were locked at sunset, so we headed towards the main gate. The Game Ranger there was quite surprised to see us as he knew that we hadn't come in through his gate, and as we left, he alerted us to the fact that the area pride of lions had just been seen walking down the road we were soon to be traveling on to get to Nyeri town and our hotel for the night.
Driving in 4 wheel drive throughout the park, there had been a few slippery spots, but nothing too outlandish. Leaving the park and dropping in elevation, the road was much more churned up from tourist vans and lorries (African version of heavy hauling trucks), but generally not too tricky of a drive. As we continued down the forested road, it seemed to be fairly easy going as the slope of the mountainside and the ditches kept the water off the road and in the barrow alongside. Until we came to the first flat spot in the road about 2 kilometers from the park gate (and the last sighting of the pride of lions, although I had seen lion footprints for most of our descent). Stretching out for about 100 yards was a flat swampland with multiple tracks running parallel to the main road, each track weaving back and forth trying to stay on the tops of little undulations, and avoiding sinkholes and major potholes found scattered across this gooey mess of roadways.
Stopping the little Suzuki Samurai rental, I scanned the surrounding forest and swampland for enough time that Mrs kansasdad asked me what I was doing. I replied that I was first scanning the near terrain for any sign of the lions, elephants or other creatures as I was planning on getting out of the car and walking out into the swamp to plan the best route through to the other end of the swamp and "normal" road again.
Finding out that river left was the best way to go for the first 50 yards, then taking a quick right to the "regular" road, and then slipping off into river right to finish the traverse, I walked back to the SUV. Making sure we were in 4-low, I backed up the hill to get some rolling momentum, and put the plan into action. Now these many years later, I imagine that little Suzuki throwing mud 10 feet high as I followed my desired path across the entire length of the swamp section of the road. The light rear end of the Suzuki tried to fishtail out several times, and we fell down into a bit of a sippy hole about half way, but made it to the other side. Stopping on high and dry ground, I rolled to a stop, and put the car in neutral and just sat there for a bit.
"What are you doing now?" she asked.
"Saying a prayer of thanks", I replied.
