not all road trips are created equal?, omens, forebodings... long. are you sure your spare... Options

[rhodyguy]

..has air? the drivers side door slider inexplicably quit just south of eugene oregon on the way down, no big deal. the car was running good all the way down except for the part where i had to start climbing some long grades. normally i could pull them in 5th gear. not this time. down to 4th. just no power. oh boy, 350 miles to think about it. fuel delivery problem?. check jets, all clear, so i suspect the filter. source one in eureka. car seems to be running better. then i start with the hills coming up the coast on 101, damn. no hill power, mileage falls way off. i figure no speed run and i'll live with it.

fast forward to 22 miles south of cottage grove ore. 70ish, and then BLAMMMM!!!, car gets all squirely. pull over, holed one of potenzas. get out all the gear for the pit stop. now, i'm on a straight stretch with a barely perceptible grade. jack car, remove spent tire, get the spare ready to go. did i mention i forgot to set the parking brake in my haste? car slowly rolls backward. splitting the jack receiver, twisting the arm on the jack, the spare is wedged up in the wheelwell, and the jack is sideways, stuck. just great. put bad tire under the bumper and twist the jack to see if i can get it out. out she comes. sort of twist it back into shape, and manage to get the car back up. spare on, set it down. FLAT!! this is bad. stand behind the car, flashers on, for about 45min or so, no one stops, so i stick out the thumb. a nice fellow pulls over and picks me up. next 6 exits, nothing, just exits.

then we get to the one for "Curtain". only one business actually, old gas station no pumps and there happens to flat bed tow truck. it's after hours and i'm supposed to call. did i mention i don't have a cell? i doubt there would be any reception anyway. guy comes out from behind the building and i give him the story. in the truck and we're headed back south. the guy (dan) starts telling me he has a tire he can sell me if i need it. there had been no discussion of prices on the tow or anything, what ever the market would bear i figured. air up the spare and he follows me back to his place. my spare is all age checked/cracked. it might last 1000 miles or 1, so i have him mount up and balance the used 195/60/15 he has on hand. i figure it's going to run 2 bills when the dust has settled.

ready to roll. "how much do i owe you?". "let's see... drive out and back, the tire and mount and ballance". here it comes... "how does $50 sound?", " it's your bonus day dan" and i give him a c-note. "i'm not sure i have change", "i don't want any, and a sure appreciate all you've done for me". uneventful drive home except for the odd handling with the 3 205/50/15 directional tires and 1 195/60 non-direct on the pass rear. what a trip. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

k