First (048)

The first time doing something is always kind of a shit show, right? Last night, we brought Thelma home so that we could pack up and head out without having to pick her up at Mike's parents' place on the way to camp. It was a good call on my part, because something about the drive to our place sparked whatever caused the flat tire last time she was moved. The mechanic we took the wheel to couldn't find anything wrong, but we decided to buy a spare anyway. Good thing we did, because we woke up to the same tire completely deflated. 

We ended up putting the spare on and deciding that maybe we should just replace both tires and wheels to be safe. In this process, we also figured out that the tire installed as the spare on the new rim is not rated for a heavy enough load. Thelma is a heavy lady at 3000 lbs. and two of the same new tire would only be safe to haul her empty. We called Discount Tire, and they moved a new wheel from one store to theirs just for us, and they had the proper tires in stock, rated for well over her dry weight. It took about an hour of standing around, but they jacked her up and replaced the wheels for us. 

We are now at the campsite, and we have zero data service with Verizon, but we are able to make calls. So as I type this, it just got fully dark outside, and we are going to drive toward a highway so that I can post and share this. I refuse to miss a day of posting. There will be lots of Thelma photos and videos on Sunday when we leave.