Colorado Couple Goes Viral After Being Terrorized By Tumbleweeds
Next time you want to "go viral", perhaps try doing something untraditional... like filling your yard with an unfathomable amount of tumbleweeds, enough to trap yourself inside your home.
After all, one Colorado couple just managed to do that - and now they're the talk of the town (more like the country).
Last weekend, strong winds reportedly took over parts of Southern Colorado, enough to cause moderate damage and disruption to residences all over the area (i.e; knocking over power lines) - but that's not all.
According to ABC affiliate KRDO, nobody was affected by the strong winds like one couple living in Fountain was; last weekend's harsh winds brought a plethora of not-so-special gifts to the Gross family.
Those "gifts"? Tumbleweeds.
"We couldn't even get out of here, this was all full," Fountain resident, Marlies Gross told KRDO while pointing at a tower of tumbleweeds sitting outside her front door.
WATCH: Tumbleweeds Terrorize Fountain Family's Home Thanks To Strong Winds
KRDO reporters went to visit the Gross family in Fountain to scope out the scene for themselves earlier this week:
Marlies Gross spoke with ABC News on Wednesday (Oct. 26) and said that her property, which includes the front yard and driveway, has been "submerged" with tumbleweeds since last Sunday, following the weekend's strong winds.
"It's a horrible situation," she said. "Like a horror movie."
"It's very eerie and very creepy," she added.
Gross told ABC News that she and her husband once experienced something similar to their current situation about a decade ago - but the "damage" hadn't been nearly as bad as it is now.
Gross says the tumbleweeds are so high that they come up to the windows of their home. So high, the Gross family can't even open their front door.
"There's a mountain, and I mean a mountain on the right side of the driveway," Gross said in regard to the pesty tumbleweeds.
Luckily, some helpful neighbors rallied together to help the Gross's clear a temporary path for themselves - but the work is far from over.
Why not just get rid of the tumbleweeds? Well, it's not that easy.
Gross said that she called the county and county police for assistance, but was told that she and her husband are responsible for clearing the mess.
"The county does not remove tumbleweeds from private property," El Paso County spokesperson Vernon Stewart told ABC News. "Unfortunately, the plant is widespread and beyond control, as it is found in every state in the U.S., except Alaska and Florida."
The reason: Because tumbleweeds, aka Russian thistle, are not on Colorado's noxious weed list, the county is unable to enforce control of the plant, Stewart said.
"We encourage property owners to take preventive measures early in the season to mitigate plant growth on their property."
As of Wednesday, the Gross family had hired landscapers - costing them thousands - in an effort to get the tumbleweeds out of their yard.
"I hope I can see out the window again," Gross told ABC News. "When I look out it's nothing but tumbleweeds climbing up the window. It's a disaster."