A Saturday misadventure

So today started like any other Saturday. I got up, fed the cats, showered, went to Target, the coffee shop, Weight Watchers, back to the coffee shop (for another latte and a bagel), and then to Joann for some more yarn for a project I have in mind. After this, my friend, Suzy, follows me back to my house so that I can change my top (I spilled latte on myself) and drop off my car, and then she and I are going to head over to Shelton, WA, to see if we can't find something at the Walmart there that's not available at the Walmart in Yelm or the one in Lacey.

As usual, when it's Suzy and I on the road, no matter which car we take, I'm driving. She doesn't like to be told where to go, not even by me. Everything's going fine right up until the time we pass Little Creek Casino and Resort. If you're familiar with this area, you know that Little Creek is literally halfway to nowhere. You're not in Olympia anymore, and you're about the same distance from Shelton. As we're passing the casino, there's a terrible noise. I mean seriously terrible and terrifying. I ask Suzy, "is that us?" She opens her window a bit and says, "I think so." Me: "I'm pulling over." Fortunately I was in the right hand lane, so I get the hell of the road in a hurry into the breakdown lane. Northbound US Highway 101 is on my left and the on-ramp from the casino exit is below me on the right with a grassy ditch between. As soon as the car was stopped, we could tell we had flat tire as the front passenger end of the car is definitely lower.

We contemplate for a few minutes what to do, and then I remember that Mom (yay Mom!) has just recently added me to her AARP Motoring Plan so that I can get roadside assistance if I need it. I call her to see if she thinks they'll cover me even though it's not my car, and she figures it can't hurt to try, so I call them. And they cover me. No problem. We'll just have to wait 55 minutes or so for the wrecker to come out and change the flat for us.

He actually showed up in 40 minutes or so, but couldn't unwinch the spare (carried underneath Suzy's Blazer) because it's rusted down tight. Because it's a 4-wheel drive car, he calls for the flatbed tow truck to come out and tow the car to the shop, and we catch a ride with him. We make other calls to let people know what's happening and to arrange for Suzy's son to meet us at the shop just in case the spare thing didn't work out. Much merriment ensues as we're waiting outside the shop (Bayside Towing in the Mud Bay area of West Olympia if you're keeping score).

Then the flatbed shows up with the car, and we actually get a look at the tire (which we had not seen before). My mouth was hanging open as I took this picture.

Scary, isn't it? As scary as this is, it could have been so much worse. Had it not been a sunny, dry day . . . I shudder to think. As the car was being taken off the flatbed, we could see pulverized rubber dust falling out of the tire as it rotated.

Anyway, the spare was released from under Suzy's car (with the help of power tools and some hot sparks flew), and it was popped right into place. The shop ended up being out of the 5-mile free tow radius, but the overage charges were not bad at all, and everyone's safe and probably at home by now (I'm the only one who I know for sure is at home).

And I may never attempt to go to the Walmart in Shelton again.