The officer ordered the vehicles moved.
I installed additional NO PARKING and PRIVATE ACCESS signs.
Karen responded online by accusing an unnamed neighbor of creating unnecessary conflict over temporary parking needs.
Rebecca sent another legal notice.
The HOA was instructed to stop representing that access rights existed.
Karen responded through the association's attorney.
The letter claimed the board had unanimously authorized pursuing an easement based on "community necessity."
It strongly encouraged voluntary cooperation to avoid legal action.
Rebecca read it twice.
"They still don't have a claim."
"Why write it like this?"
"To frighten you."
"Can they sue?"
"Anyone can file a lawsuit."
"Winning is different."
"Exactly."
"What should I do?"
"Document everything."
So I did.
Dates.
Times.
Vehicles.
Letters.
Forum posts.
Camera footage.
Names.
Statements.
I backed everything up.
Soon afterward, wooden survey stakes appeared along the first hundred yards of the road.
Small flags stood near trees.
One stake was labeled:
PROPOSED EDGE
No licensed surveyor had contacted me.
I checked the county permit database.
Nothing.
When I confronted Karen, she laughed.
"Those must belong to a utility company."
"They follow the road design your board members were measuring."
"What road design?"
"The one you were discussing."
"You sound paranoid."
"I sound documented."
She pointed toward the flags.
"I'll ask around."
The next morning, machinery woke me.
I looked out the window.
An excavator was climbing my road.
That was the moment I stopped pretending this was a misunderstanding.
I drove down the hill and stepped directly in front of it.
The crew eventually left.
Karen remained.
She walked toward me.
"You embarrassed me in front of contractors."
"You embarrassed yourself by hiring them without authority."
"The board relied on legal advice."
"Show me the advice."
"It's privileged."
"You told the contractor ownership was resolved."
"It will be."
"That sounds like a threat."
"It's reality."
I took out my phone and began recording.
Karen noticed.
Her voice softened.
"The community is trying to work with you."
"Working with me means accepting no."
"You have refused every reasonable compromise."
"You haven't offered one."
"You want my road."
"I do not."
"You want access to my road."
"For safety."
"Then why hire a crew before securing an easement?"
She looked toward the county highway.
"We expected you to recognize the inevitable."
"Nothing is inevitable about taking private property."
She turned toward her SUV.
Then stopped.
"You should think carefully about how isolated you are up here."
I recorded every word.
The next day, Rebecca filed for an injunction.
The court granted a temporary order prohibiting the HOA, its officers, contractors, and agents from entering my property without consent.
The order specifically referenced the construction attempt, nighttime markings, parking interference, and false representations about access rights.
Karen called it an overreaction.