Flat Tire

Today on the way home from the jobsite, the truck started driving a little funky. Sometimes it's just the freeway, but we were pulling the trailer, so it could have been one of six tires gone bad.

I couldn't tell if it was the road, and dh suggested I pull over as I was in the fast lane, going 70mph -- the speed limit on that stretch is 75mph. This morning on the way there, without the trailer, as we'd left it at the jobsite yesterday evening... I was doing 80.

We have never been able to get the signals to work properly for the trailer. We have brake lights but only the right hand turn signal. I can never remember which one. I turned on the signal out of habit more than anything while observing the traffic behind me. Not a lot, but many are traveling fast, at least 75, and remember I was only doing 70, and by now I'd slowed down to 60. (This morning when I was doing 80, someone zoomed past me and was a mile ahead of us within a minute, they must have been doing at LEAST 90 if not 100!) I needed over -- QUICKLY -- as a rest stop was just ahead (this was a park and recreation type trucker's rest stop without any facilities). The emergency lane on this stretch is very narrow.

One car passed me on the right, and another car was coming in that lane. I needed to get over! Suddenly they slowed and pulled behind me into my lane, which allowed me to make my merge just in time to merge into the rest stop area.

Dh got out and walked around the passenger side, around the back and up to my side. I rolled down my window and he said, "Shut 'er down, you've got a flat." Meaning my vehicle, not the trailer. It was the rear driver's side tire.

I immediately gave thanks to God for watching over us and thought of all the things that had just fallen into place with perfect timing. My gratitude list:

• the flat happened on the way home doing 70mph instead of on the way there, when I was doing 80
• the person coming up in the right lane was paying attention (this is important as many people do not seem to be paying attention while driving!) and pulled behind me, even slowing down themselves, to allow me to merge over
• the tire began to act up very close to the rest stop (which are far and few between on this stretch)
• I had enough time to merge safely into the rest area
• we didn't have to change the tire in the narrow emergency lane
• we were able to stop while the tire was just low, not shredded or blown
• the turn signal I needed is the one that works
• the tire may be repairable since it didn't shred or blow out

Pictures of my counter repair:




I used Krazy Glue to make the repair. I'm working again tomorrow. SIL is on vacation and is due back in a few days. We had hoped to be further along than we are, and there is still a full day's worth of housecleaning to be done. That mud bogging adventure we had last weekend did not help at all!

I'm tired.

Until next time.