BLOWOUT! On my way to life...

 I'd recently interviewed for a camp hosting position at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado.  After a couple nail biting weeks of waiting, they hired me!  Located eight minutes from Bill's work, a walk away from the girls' best friends house and great shopping close by, this was an ideal location for the summer.  Granted, there is no running water or park amenities.  But the views are amazing...

Sweeping vistas of misty mornings over the mountains; Table Mesa and half of Denver laid out before our feet.  Out our front door is grass and sky and great wifi...

Anyway, moving on to the blow out.  Earlier that week, I'd taken our rig into Camping World for an oil change and 16-point inspection.  Everything looked good except for the tires.  Deeply cracked from weathering, they recommended we replace all of them for the tune of $1500.

Yeah.  Like that was happening on our budget right away.  We decided to hold off and try to squeeze out a few more miles since we weren't leaving Denver for the summer.

We were staying at Chatfield Reservoir and I headed out mid-morning for Bear Creek Lake Park, where we would stay until the Fairgrounds called.  About a mile onto the highway, I felt the rig start to shake.  Something wasn't right.  I looked over at a passing car, and the passenger waved at me and pointed at the RV.  I slowed to a crawl and pulled over immediately.  The driver's side outer rear tire had blown spectacularly.  It took off a portion of our wheel cover.  Shaking, I called my husband.  He dropped everything and came back.  I also called Good Sam Emergency Roadside service.  I thought our service had lapsed and was prepared to renew it so that we could get service.  To my amazement, we still had two weeks left.  They promised to call back and help me renew at a later time.  But called for tow service right away.  About two hours later, a truck pulled up behind me...

During my wait, I was praying for angels to surround the rig and for God to protect me from the passing motorist. Just to keep me safe and thanking him for a minor blow out instead of major damage to my home.

This monstrous truck pulls up, with crosses and "Jesus saves" all over it.  I just about cried with relief.



The driver angled the truck to protect my little rv and himself while he changed the tire.  Slowly and methodically, he pulled out all the necessary equipment to change the tire.

I stood on the side of the road in amazement, tears sneaking past my sunglasses, as I realized the significance of this moment.  How God angles Himself as a barricade to protect us from the highway of life.  Especially when we are broken down at the most inconvenient time. 

I learned where our spare tire was kept and how to retrieve it the next time.  It is brand new with the sticker still on it.  With the proper tools, he quickly removed the bad tire and put on the good one.

Whew!  I loaded the blown tire in the front passenger seat, getting sliced by the metal running through the rubber.  After he cleaned everything up and we were ready to drive off, he followed me all the way off the highway.

I thankfully parked the rig.  When we moved to the Fairgrounds, I drove very slow and took back roads.  Not taking any chances. Plus, we renewed our Good Sam membership. Thank God, we were safe and sound with nothing but a two hour wait on the side of a busy highway...