I was driving along on the back highways that go between Texas, to New Mexico and the whole back end started shaking, probably the road surface.. then I start hearing a kuh-thunk kuh thunk and it really started shaking… I find a place to pull over, as I was likely going to be there awhile too.
“Just F-ing great” I thought. I hopped out and one of my rear inner tires is just shredded. I grabbed my phone…. “Even better” I yelled as I see ‘NO SERVICE’, not even a ‘emergency calls only’. “Well this sucks, stuck out in the middle of nowhere, no cell service.” I sat there for an hour and no cars passed by, soon it would be sundown and this is not a safe location. I just prayed that somebody would pass by. I had put reflectors out about 500 feet back. I mean I could stay here for the night, but didn’t want to.
Then I remembered that I had a GPS that had satellite communicator, I thought it was silly for my attorney to suggest it, but I bought it just the same. I dug it out of my hiking gear and it turned on. I figured an SOS was what I needed so I composed one.
SOS, My vehicle has broke down,
inside dual tire flat, no cell signal,
no cars in last hour.
In RV send tow truck/assistance.
Then I hit send. The screen lit up red. It took about 2 minutes but the device chimed.
SOS RESCUE CENTER are you injured?
NO, just need tow truck/roadside assistance
Help is on the way, may take an hour or more,
will update stay put, reply if situation changes
It took about 2 hours but off in the distance in the direction I came from I saw an amber light bar coming down the road. By then I had ate dinner and fed the cat and had gotten a diaper change. I had been videoing the ordeal since it started. It took him close to 10 minutes from when I first saw him to arrive… the sky was that clear. The tow truck slowed down and turned into where I was and turned around. The driver jumped out of the cab and yelled “Well baby man we meet again” Just great, the guy from the gas station where I got propane. “What do we have here?”
“The inside tire on the drivers side is shredded.”
“Yep, well best we can do is tow ya back to town to my shop and George can fix it tomorrow. How in the heck did you get ahold of anybody, cell phone don’t work out here and NOBODY comes down this road I bet?”
“Nope no cell service, and you are the first vehicle I have seen in I think 3 hours. Luckily I had a hiking GPS with satellite SOS. Good thing I was prepared.” I said
“You need a CB radio, it’s what ya need. Is it just you or are there others in there?”
“Just the cat”
“Ok, well get everything turned off in there and closed up because I’m gonna lift it from the back so I can get that wheel off, so mr whiskers might wanna hold on” He said
I went in and put Zorro into his carrier and closed everything up then he lifted up the back of the RV and got out an air gun and had the outer wheel off and then the inner off. He pulled the mangled tire off and put the rim back on along with the outer tire. He then secured the RV to the tow truck and said “Lets go, hop in. The cat can go in the back” he pointed to the tow truck
“How far is it to your shop?” I asked wondering how long this ride with bubba would be.
“About 45 minutes away. My names Rodney”
“Jason” I said as he grabbed his CB Radio
“Dispatch I got the RV, heading back home, please call county dispatch and let them know that we are coming back to my shop, tell George that he has a tire that needs done in the morning.” Rodney said as he hung up the mic.
“Is it ok that I stay in the RV tonight in your lot?” I asked hoping it was going to be OK
“Sure, not a problem, me and the misses live out back of the shop. I’ll have George get ya fixed first thing in the morning and you’ll be back on the road. If you need electric there’s a box on the side of the building you can plug into. We normally use that for the welder, but it’s a good 50 amp connection.” Rodney said as we drove on into the darkness.
We had been going for a good 30 minutes in silence when he said “So why do you dress that way?”
“I just do, I’m the kid who never grew up” I said sheepishly, not really wanting to get into the whole ABDL thing with somebody who probably does not understand alternate lifestyles
“Looks like you’re the kid that never potty trained either” he said making me blush. “My boy George was a bedwetter until he was in high school, I know what a diaper under jeans looks like and that walk. When he was probably 13 or 14 I caught him wearing one of them in the day, not sure why though”
“Yeah well some people find them comfy and comforting” I said, leaving it at that.
By the time we finished that conversation we were pulling into the small town, if you could call it that. It was the gas station, a small market, and 2 large metal barns with cars around them and a house trailer in the back. He stopped and backed the truck and my RV onto the lot. He dropped my RV and told me to make sure my brakes were engaged before he unhooked it. I hopped in and set the parking break and checked my level and I was good. He told me that George would be in around 8 am and would have it done then.
The next morning I was awake right before 7 am. I had my coffee brewed and was finishing my eggs when I heard a big pickup truck pull onto the lot. That must be George, he hopped out of his truck and walked into the house at the back. I quickly went to the bedroom and got changed and cleaned up as I was probably going to need to vacate the RV so they could fix the tire. Sure enough at 8 am George, Rodney and a lady who was probably his wife came out of the house and walked past the RV. Rodney and George stopped and knocked on the RV door.
“Well good morning. Hope you slept ok being this close to the road.” Rodney said
“Hi I’m George, We’re gonna start working now on that tire, did you need anything else checked or done?”
“You know check the rest of the tires and if you got time change the oil too, you do take credit card right?” I asked
“Sure do. Your kitty can stay in the RV, if you want to go over to the gas station/café and wait until it is done, I’ll call ya when we know something” George said
“OK, I said as I put my boots on an walked across the road”
The lady who I assumed was Rodney’s wife greeted me when I came in and asked how my night was. I ordered a cup of coffee and some toast and bacon, since I was out of bread and bacon in my RV. About an hour later Rodney came over and sat down across from me, and I knew that I was up for a sales pitch.
While I was waiting at the gas station / truck stop / laundromat / hair care center/post office/you name it!, I found a CB radio that looked like it would fit the bill for me. I had noticed that the RV had an extra antenna which I assumed was a CB antenna.
“OK, so we checked your other tires, the other 3 on the back should probably be replaced, the other inside one is probably going to go anytime, and the other two don’t have much tread left. I can get them all replaced after lunch, I’ll have them in stock then.” He showed me the estimate and I agreed to it.
“Hey that antenna above the drivers side mirror, is that a CB antenna?” I asked. “I think there is still wiring in the overhead compartment above the drivers seat.”
“I can check on that when I go back over. If the wires are there it should be pretty easy. I can take it back over there and get it installed while I am waiting on the tire guy.” Rodney said
I went back to the RV to grab the laptop and worked on some stuff in the café then ordered lunch; baked steak, mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetables. True to his word he had the tires replaced around 3 pm and I was back on the road at 4 pm. I gave them my business card, and they gave me there’s and I was on my way to New Mexico.
I loved New Mexico. I stayed in a little town called Tucumcari. I had only planned for a night or two… I ended up staying for 3 nights. The first night I ate at a great Mexican restaurant then I spent about an hour checking out the neon on the various buildings. The next day I definitely had to hit up the dinosaur museum, which I certainly did wearing my dinosaur onsie; never minding the looks I got. I went to several other museums there as well. I seriously loved that little town, but I had to keep moving along down the route.
I stopped off at a few more places before I scooted into Arizona. I stopped at the jack rabbit trading post and then had to take a photo of me Standin’ on the corner in Winslow Arizona, then the wigwam motel in Holbrook, Meteor Crater.