Blow Out!

We finally got our truck back...Tuesday, a day later than promised...and left Winnemuca Wednesday morning. Fifteen miles from Fernley, NV, where we were going to spend the night, we heard a loud pop. Jack looked in the side view mirror and saw pieces of a tire flying all over...we had a blow out on the fifth wheel! Fortunately, Jack's a great driver and was able to safely bring us to a stop on the side of the interstate.

I'd never experienced a blow out before and it was scary, especially every time a semi whooshed by and rocked us, but I managed to maintain my calm. We have roadside assistance and just needed to call them...but for that we needed a cell phone signal...touch and go in the middle of nowhere Nevada. Switching between both our cell phones, on two different carriers, we were able to make the call...giving them our exact location proved a little more difficult...but CoachNet Roadside Assistance came through, got a tow truck out to change the tire and we were on our way within 90 minutes.

We found a place to stay in Fernley, Fernley RV Park, and bought a new spare tire. At the $16 Passport America rate, Fernley RV Park was great for an overnight stay...paved roads, flat cement sites and patios, and cable (although they were upgrading and the cable wasn't available the night we were there). We were tired and stressed and sick of being prisoners of the RV, so we went out to eat...something we never do on an overnight stay. The Black Bear Diner is a chain and the food was okay, though a bit expensive for what it was. It filled our need (and our stomachs), but we're not likely to visit another one.

Got on our way quickly the next morning and headed to Vacaville. We were both nervous the entire trip...worried about the possibility of another blow out...but we made it without incident. As we crossed the California border, Jack confessed that he's never made it through Nevada without a flat tire and swore we'll never set wheel in Nevada again! We've learned that the made-in-China Goodyear Marathons, standard equipment on most trailers, are an accident waiting to happen and will be shopping for four new tires before we get back on the road.

We are now happily settled in Vacaville, California for the next month and looking forward to great visits with Jack's children, grandchildren and siblings.