Blow out

My car had a flat yesterday that I didn't notice until I got ready to drive down to the river to meet Susan and walk the dogs.  I made it a block before returning home, completely crestfallen.

"I have a flat, can't walk the dogs today" I said to Kevin when I got back home.

"Here," he replied, throwing me his truck keys, "They're my dogs, too."

It's moments like these that make me realize why I fell in love with this man.

Kevin drives a BA Honda Ridgeline Pick-up, a manly vehicle the dogs were uncertain of because of the lack of cushioning in the cab. (He has lots of work tools back there) I managed to meet Susan by the river 30 minutes after our original time. We had an hour of daylight left and got our walk in.

The truck gave me repeated warnings to fasten the passenger seatbelt. The "passenger" was two anxious dogs moving around apprehensively in the front seat.  None of the dogs had been in Kevin's big truck before.

I did manage to meet up with Susan before it got dark, starting our walk at 5:45pm.  The sun was low by then, giving the trees along the river a golden hue.  I made it back home in the dark.

"Make sure you call Triple A first thing in the morning!" said Kevin before going to bed.  

I did call AAA, but not until early in the afternoon.  The computer voice asked me three questions about coronavirus before processing my claim:  have I had any flu-like symptoms in the last 30 days?  Have I been around anyone else with coronavirus within the last 30 days?  Have I traveled to a coronavirus hotspot in the last 30 days? The young man who put on my donut came within 20 minutes and was gone in ten minutes.  Then I got to see the damage of my rear right tire.  This was not just a flat tire with a screw embedded deep in the middle, but a complete blowout on the inside.  How did that happen?  Glad the flat happened while driving 15mph and not 45mph or faster.

My other three Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires all look evenly worn.

I was going to get new tires anyway before any road trip, but now decided to go all out and order Michelin Defender T&;H tires via Costco, taking advantage of their $149 off for a set of four tires.  Delivery to the Tucson store off Kino Parkway won't be  for 5-10 days and  I'll just make it a day trip.  There's not much I can do in Tucson when many of the trail heads and all the brewpubs are closed.