As I always say, the rv and Jeep never develop problems when they’re sitting in our driveway. Just before we departed on this trip, we picked up a nail in one of the Jeep tires. No problem, right? The repair shop found that the nail was just past the edge of the tread and dug into the sidewall. That can’t be fixed (theoretically). The leak was slow so that tire became the spare which requires a bit of babysitting. An order was placed for a new tire which will be installed when we get home. And we were off like a prom dress.
Yesterday we spent a few
pleasant hours sunning, picnicking and paddleboarding on the beach here at
Flaming Gorge until, fatigued and grinning, it was time to pack up and head for
home (Noobee). But wait! Let’s drive around a little on the other
small sandy, dirt roads that lead down to the water, just to see what’s
happening. Still not ready to call it a
day, there were other back roads to explore around the little town of Manila; neighborhoods, the courthouse and rodeo
grounds, to name a few.
Then, it happened.
The dash tire alarm began
to sound. Low psi in one of the Jeep
tires. No problem, we figured, it’s
probably the spare that needs a little air.
Upon further investigation, Rob discovered that it was not the spare
after all. Another tire was low. These are fairly new knobby tires with 4,000
miles on them. Somehow, on the
exploration adventures, one of the tires picked up…. wait for it…. an animal
leg bone. It looks like a chicken bone
but there aren’t too many wild chickens running around up here. And this bone pierced the tire, guess
where. Yup, at the edge of the tread,
digging into the sidewall.
What the....?! This is our new
Chickenbone Tire.
Do you know how many tire
repair shops there are in Manila, UT? Or
for that matter, within 50 miles?
None. So we are crippled and
stuck. Can’t even drive down to the
beach. We spent the morning switching
the two bad tires, making the Chickenbone Tire the spare and the tire with the
nail to the left rear since the leak is slower and less scary looking.
We called ahead to
Richfield, our planned midway stop on the way home and ordered yet another new
tire. They promise to have it by
Tuesday. Tomorrow will be a long drive,
limping 300 miles to Richfield, stopping as required to air up the bad
tire. In Richfield, we wait till Tuesday
in the hopes that the new tire actually arrives. (Hope the gin holds out! This is Utah, after all.)
And thus ends this
vacation, not with a bang but a whimper.
Meant to send this out earlier but
forgot. I don't know what these guys
are. We saw them on the Sheep Creek Loop.
Oh, Lindy, such a sad tail we are not accustomed too. :-(
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice having two Liaison Engineers close by.
Wishing you both a less traumatic time on your return trip towards home.
Best of Luck.
F & L
Oh no sounds like the Brizendine travels. We blow a motorhome tire in Alamo NV, 5 years ago on our way to Idaho. Surprisingly, they had a tire shop there and they fixed it or George bought a new one. I don't know which. Miss and love you both.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear your misfortune. Best of luck with the tire.
ReplyDeleteWho are you? Please tell me!
DeleteFrank - It sounds like you and Rob had a bout with Murphy. Murphy’s Law always prevails when least expected. That’s problems where repair services are not available, and you’re trying to relax, like on vacation. I remember we experienced the same tire problems when traveling, and usually out in the middle of nowhere. But never a chicken bone! BTW did you ever find out what kind of animal you shot the picture. Could they be long haired bison? Take care and be safe. Frank
ReplyDeleteOh...no! Always something in the RV world, it seems. We were once driving back from AZ in the heat of summer and blew a tire in the absolute middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert. It was SO hot it was unbelievable. AND we had our cat with us. Took over an hour for AAA to get there and change the tire on the RV. NOT fun! More hugs.
ReplyDeleteOrlin and I feel soooo sorry you had to go through this, but on a NEW AND BRIGHT NOTE.. You now have new and ready to start more adventure for the rest of the summer....
ReplyDelete