Shredded

“Alex, we have a problem,” Marcia announced as we were parking the Airstream trailer at a lakefront campsite in Missouri. My jaw dropped when I made my way around to the side and noticed one trailer tire was gone. Not just flat, but gone!

All that remained on the left front wheel was a small shredded strip of the sidewall. I had no idea that I had been driving, for who knows how long, with a bad tire. Fortunately, our trailer has tandem wheels and independent axles and will pull well on just one set of tires. The manual guided me through the tire exchange process. I elevated the remaining good tire on leveling blocks and could get the spare on without having to use a jack.

While pulling our trailer, it is common for occasional passing cars, especially those of fellow “Airstreamers,” to toot their horn or flash their lights.  On our way to this campground, while traveling down country roads in the heartland of America, I had thought the locals were unusually friendly by the way they honked, waved, flashed their lights, and gestured.  Next time this happens, instead of just waving back with a smile, I am going to check my tires.