The Way I Roll

What trip would be complete without a major mechanical failure? Once again, I narrowly avoided a more serious disaster. I picked up my U-haul trailer Wednesday afternoon . . . went to my buddy Dave's parents' house in southern IL to pick up my canoe - approximately an hour away . . . stopped to pick up a set of tires in Granite City, IL . . . and returned to the Sem just before midnight. The next morning, loaded up the trailer . . . finished my Exegetical paper . . . and hit the road about 1:30 in the afternoon. As I was pulling out of the Sem I noticed a slight wobble in the right trailer tire. As I got out onto the highway, the wobble continued. So, I took the next exit and pulled into a residential area off Clayton Road - approximately 1.5 miles from the Sem. As I walked around the trailer to investigate, I noticed that I was short roughly five lug nuts and one stud. Apparently the 32-point inspection at U-haul failed to recognize merely hand-tightened lug nuts. I had now lost five lug nuts and one of the studs had sheared-off. Dave said he noticed a noise when I left his parents' the night before. I didn't notice any vibration or anything. So, I spent the next 3.5 hours on a side street - in 98 degree weather - waiting for the roadside assistance dude to show, realize he didn't have the right parts, leave, and return to replace the hub. Fortunately I didn't have to unload and load a new trailer. Thank God (!) I didn't lose the wheel on 64/40! (I had visions of my canoe and unmentionables strewn across the highway as unconcerned St. Louisans and Illinoisians flattened boxes of Luther's Works and talked on their cell phones.) So, my prediction was wrong: I made it to my Mom's at 2:45 in the morning and left around noon to head up to JBs for an expedition Lewis and Clark would be proud of . . . .