Forgive but punish part deux

If you read my last blog you know that one of my tires was recently slashed. If you read this blog you will know that there where still further consequences of that slashing.

After my tire was slashed I changed it out for a spare so I could take the flat one in and have it fixed. This was considerably more difficult than usual due to some rust and labor problems. But, from the comfort of my driveway and with all my tools, I was able to change the tire.

When I went in to get the new tire they checked my spare and found it was rather flat so they pumped it back up to perfection. This is where my last blog ended.

So yesterday I was driving through Death Valley. The valley is so named because it is a tough place. The hottest temperature in the western hemisphere was recorded there at 134 degrees (136 is the world record), the lowest spot in America is there (286 feet below sea level), and there is no water but tons of salt. It looks like the moon.

So naturally I was driving off road in the middle of the most inhospitable place in North America and I bet you can guess what happened. I got a flat tire.

I got out of the car and changed the tire with only a couple of hang ups, most of which I had already faced when I changed my slashed tire. I put on my spare with the confidence knowing that it had been checked and pumped up just a few weeks before.

Then I drove 240 miles to safety (Death valley is pretty Isolated).

When I was laying on my back in the dry cracked dirt of Death Vally working on the tire, you can be sure I was thankful I had practiced 2 weeks before and that my spare was now in tip top shape. My anger at having a slashed tire was a distant memory.

I'm not saying that having my tire slashed was a good thing. In fact, its possible that had my tire not been slashed I would never have gotten a flat at all (it wasn't the new tire that popped). I'm just saying its important to check the air pressure on your spare tire.