Tire of Death

Have you every started a trip wondering how it was going to end.  I mean most trips we  take have some plan.  A beginning with planned stuff along the way and then the sad return to whatever you normally do.  Right?  Well, this run to Caravansary 2014 has a vague plan but no real ending or solid beginning.  It feels a little up in the air.  It’s pretty easy to tell because I have dogged along and actually leaving.  I was going to go to poke around some strange places I have not been to and see what was out there.  So after some groove artwork from G and L after some lunch I finally decided to pull the trigger and head out.  Multiple stops and 4 hours later I was just leaving Ft. Worth on my way to the Sandhills.  I hate the first few of hours pulling the Rat and the Boat. I’m so puckered up with all the movement and noises that I am worn out.  Usually nothing goes wrong and I just get a self beating.  Not this time.  I had a rear blow out at about 1030 PM going 70 mph in the middle of nowhere.  The Semi that was tailgating me missed me by a foot or so going by and I was fishtailing all over the road.  NEWS FLASH:  If you see people on the side of the road for whatever reason please move over.  I will never stay in the nearest lane to them again.  Ever.  It’s very hard to fight a flat and dodge high speed projectiles too.  Also, I will be taking up a collection of about 17 cents per person to widen the emergency strip to the width of a real vehicle.  The interstate I was on did not have a wide enough piece of surface to change the tire.  Nice.  Your tax dollars at work.    The photo is the one of the newest and cleanest member of my Burning Man family.  Marathon ST 205 R75 15.  My new ultra expensive “spare”.  

I did manage to get to the Sandhills outside Odessa before dawn but barely.  With my new friend Marathon I decided to leave the big road for some blue line highway and have found some wonderfully beautiful scenery in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico.  Working my way Northwest tomorrow and Jerome.  It seems that road travel is life in many ways....stay tuned for that