Saturday, September 15, 2007

Oy Vey

It’s Saturday the 15th….and I’m OK.

 

But yesterday.  Oy vey is such a good phrase. 

 

So there I was, on I70, cruising along about 70 or so, and pulled out to pass something.  I must have been next to them, trying to accelerate, but the truck seemed to be having trouble picking up speed.  I started to pull back, glancing in the mirror, still slowing, eyes widening, smoke billowing from the left trailer tire, pieces of tire tread flying…

 

Luck is a good thing to have at a time like this.  I was on a straight road.  There was nobody on my right.  The shoulder was wide, and there was room to pull all the way off.  All things came together to allow a safe landing.

 

There’s nothing fun about changing a tire 6 feet from the roadway with big rigs zipping by at 75 mph.  But it went quick and in 10 minutes I was on the way.  Nervous, but on the way.  I called T to have her look up the nearest WalMart.  Three disconnects later we manage to communicate the location of the closest two stores.  I went to both, but no correctly sized tires.  I wonder if the spare is the original tire?  How rotten is the rubber?  How much air is in it?  Nervous.

 

I pulled into the campground as the rain began.  I was very efficient, not wasting a second outside and I had the camper up in minutes…As I was drying off and getting the inside squared away, the rain stopped.  Figures. 

 

This morning, after a nice hot shower, a call to the WalMart national number locates the nearest Walmart just 6 miles from the campground.  A quick call and I am told they have four tires and rims in the correct size.  I won’t count the chicks yet, but I am optimistic.  The damage from the tire wrapped around the axle appears to be one disconnected brake control wire and a disconnected pipe bracket.  Easy repairs.

 

There’s a fishing lake here, so I may be able to have a nice little vacation.

#END#

 

 

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