smarandr
Well-known member
Friday I decided to take the day off of work and take my two boys who aren't yet in school up for the day to do a little light scouting/fishing in my elk unit. The fishing wasn't spectacular, but I did manage to pull a nice (for that stream) brookie out of the water. 
By the time we cooked and ate the fish and screwed around for a bit more it got to be about 6:00. I hate driving out of that area when it's dark because of all the wildlife that frequents the roadsides, so we packed things up and started for home--but the adventure was just beginning.
A few miles down the road I spotted a lone cow elk off to the side; naturally I stopped to watch it for a few minutes and in that time of course one of the kids decided that he needed to pee. Once I got him back in the truck and buckled in I could hear a hissing sound coming from the rear of the truck. Turns out I managed to shred my tire on what I can only assume to be a badly shaped rock.
By the time I got the tire changed and back on the road it was about 7:30 and the kids were starting to get a little restless/hungry. Fortunately I was going home via a different route than normal that would take me through the booming metropolis that is Arco, ID. We rolled into town about a quarter after 8:00 and stopped at the gas station for some drinks and snacks. After loading the boys back in their seats I thought I check that the lug nuts were still tight when to my dismay I saw that the spare had also sprung a leak.
Needless to say there aren't any late night tire repair places in Arco, so I was a little worried about what to do next. Finally it dawned on me that my new (to me) truck came with a year of roadside assistance, and as luck would have it I even had the number in my glove box. So I called the number, told them I had two flats, two kids, and a dog and that I needed some help. Help turned out to be a tow that had to come all the way from Idaho Falls as well as a saintly wife who was willing to pack up our other kid and make the drive out from Pocatello after a long first week back at school.
We finally made it home about 12:30 Saturday morning no worse for wear, but I did have to buy two new tires. As bad as it was, it was probably as good as it could have been; I was in cell range when the second tire failed, I noticed the failure in a safe location, and the tow was free. Considering how much time I spend up in that area things could have been a lot worse. The experience has convinced me that I need to get one of those Delorme In Reach devices before I head out again.
By the time we cooked and ate the fish and screwed around for a bit more it got to be about 6:00. I hate driving out of that area when it's dark because of all the wildlife that frequents the roadsides, so we packed things up and started for home--but the adventure was just beginning.
A few miles down the road I spotted a lone cow elk off to the side; naturally I stopped to watch it for a few minutes and in that time of course one of the kids decided that he needed to pee. Once I got him back in the truck and buckled in I could hear a hissing sound coming from the rear of the truck. Turns out I managed to shred my tire on what I can only assume to be a badly shaped rock.
By the time I got the tire changed and back on the road it was about 7:30 and the kids were starting to get a little restless/hungry. Fortunately I was going home via a different route than normal that would take me through the booming metropolis that is Arco, ID. We rolled into town about a quarter after 8:00 and stopped at the gas station for some drinks and snacks. After loading the boys back in their seats I thought I check that the lug nuts were still tight when to my dismay I saw that the spare had also sprung a leak.
Needless to say there aren't any late night tire repair places in Arco, so I was a little worried about what to do next. Finally it dawned on me that my new (to me) truck came with a year of roadside assistance, and as luck would have it I even had the number in my glove box. So I called the number, told them I had two flats, two kids, and a dog and that I needed some help. Help turned out to be a tow that had to come all the way from Idaho Falls as well as a saintly wife who was willing to pack up our other kid and make the drive out from Pocatello after a long first week back at school.
We finally made it home about 12:30 Saturday morning no worse for wear, but I did have to buy two new tires. As bad as it was, it was probably as good as it could have been; I was in cell range when the second tire failed, I noticed the failure in a safe location, and the tow was free. Considering how much time I spend up in that area things could have been a lot worse. The experience has convinced me that I need to get one of those Delorme In Reach devices before I head out again.
