the drive from s.f. to missouri was crazy--never again. the trailer was the worst part. any time i would travel above 45 mph and have a semi pass me it would suck the trailer to the left and then it'd sweep back to the right initiating "the high speed wobble" jerking my overloaded truck back and forth. the first time this occurred it was on the downside of a pass. as i wobbled back and forth across three lanes i was saying to my self "this is it" luckily cars slowed behind me and cleared the way for my eminent death. eventually i down-shifted and braked and got the thing under control.
so my trip was to take much longer than expected at a max speed of 45mph.
sixty miles or so past santa fe, nm i blew a tire (the trailer again). with thirty miles to the next (gas) exit i unloaded the kia (our car) and drove toward it. with lightning spiking the ground in the desert ahead of me i looked for signs of the city lights ahead. it was completely black. my low gas light was the brightest beacon in view. as weariness turned to fear a blackened town popped up before me. it was creepy-dark like some post-catastrophe horror flick. i found a phone (sheer luck) in the headlights of my car. and called penske truck service. after providing them with the little information i knew--not able to read most of the road signs. they patched me through to the local tire repair man. after disclosing that the lightning had knocked out the power he said he be there shortly. i mentioned that i was past empty and could not follow as requested. given that gas pumps need electricity to function--he said he might have some gas in a can somewhere around. i offered to purchase the gas, the can and any fumes therein.
my messiah (the tire dude) took a while to get there (being the 4th of july). meanwhile, i met his father-in-law, in some strange twist of the cosmos, hanging out next to his apartment building and pay-phone. as tony/messiah drove up he said "that's my son-in-law." wierd! tony was great and literally saved me! a few hours of driving/repair/reloading and i was on my way again. the city lights ahead were back on and i drove through town and this 30mph construction zone which would have been my undoing if i had been allowed to attempt it in the previously darkened condition.
the flat tire was a blessing....
more later
my messiah (the tire dude) took a while to get there (being the 4th of july). meanwhile, i met his father-in-law, in some strange twist of the cosmos, hanging out next to his apartment building and pay-phone. as tony/messiah drove up he said "that's my son-in-law." wierd! tony was great and literally saved me! a few hours of driving/repair/reloading and i was on my way again. the city lights ahead were back on and i drove through town and this 30mph construction zone which would have been my undoing if i had been allowed to attempt it in the previously darkened condition.
3 comments:
That's like a stereotype - to break down in the middle of the desert!
Retrospect - that usual late arriver - suggests to me that you didn't have the load balanced side to side in the trailer. Glad you made it to Missouri nonetheless.
the only thing on the trailer was our car (kia sportage). it was (as i recall) centered on the trailer. the wheels were of different size on the trailer. that might have had something to do with it?
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