Blowout

We got up nice and early Wednesday morning in anticipation of our trip to Tucson. I baked bread so we'd have some for lunch on the way, and we said our goodbyes to our friends.

You may recall that a week before Thanksgiving this past fall we were headed to Benson, AZ, about 45 miles outside of Tucson. Our fan belt broke in Anthony, NM, we had to be towed to Las Cruces, and we spent the next five days in a hotel room. While we were waiting for the repairs to be made we visited Desert Haven Animal Refuge and ended up in Williamsburg for three months as workampers there. This was ultimately a very good thing, for we have really enjoyed the last three months.

Still, it was with just a tinge of trepidation that we headed off to Arizona.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we were enjoying being on the road again.

Within the first half mile KC pooped and peed in his crate. This was his usual reminder to us that he dislikes travel. I prepare for this by covering his nice, cushy crate pillow with a Chux pad, which I remove as soon as he has finished displaying his displeasure. He then rides comfortably, if not happily, the rest of the way.

One hour into the trip we heard a BOOM and immediately the tire sensor alarmed. We had blown out the inside rear passenger tire. Bob did everything right: he did not brake, but stayed in control and gradually brought the coach to a stop on the shoulder of the road. We called Coachnet (our roadside assistance plan) and just five short hours and over $1300 later we were back on the road.

Ok, maybe those hours weren't that short! What did we do? We watched a train go by...

...we read our Kindles...surfed the web...sent and received texts from our friends Retha and Mike (who were waiting for us in Tucson)...and listened to podcasts. Truth be told, it was a very long day. 

Because we were so tired at this point, and because the wind had picked up and was now gusting pretty hard, we decided to call it a day and spend the night in Deming at a campground. We will start out again on Thursday morning for Tucson. Keep your fingers crossed for us!