Driving home from work tonight I barely missed a deer. Again. Same road I took out a suicidal deer a couple years ago. I have been known to honk my horn while driving this road. But tonight there was lots of oncoming traffic.
I really need to get a deer whistle.
About a mile later I drove over something in the road. It sounded metalic. I knew I didn't hit anything on the side of my SUV so it wasn't the bridge tresses or concrete moorings. But for the life of me. I couldn't imagine what it could have been. It was very low to the ground and this road is very dim, without street lighting. Like Sgt. Schuktz of Hogan's Heros fame. "I saw nothing." Thankfully I had not been speeding, and suffered no injuries.
In fact, I drove a few feet before the tire pressure sensor told me what I feared: the pressure was going down. I likely had a leak or worse. I pulled over into the Summer Fun parking lot by the snow cone stand and got out to assess the situation. Then I remembered I have Ford Roadside Assist. So I found the website and started the online process of ordering the service. It was misty and I really didn't want to change the tire myself. Been there. Done that. Have the T-shirt. Many, many, many times.
A BPD Officer arrived so I abandoned the website and started getting the donut and jack out. He took everything to the front passenger tire. That's when I realized whatever I hit had taken out both passenger side tires! My donut was not going to get me to anyplace selling tires.
I returned to my abandoned Ford site and finished ordering a tow. Meanwhile the Officer went to assist the other THREE cars that ran over the same thing. When he returned, he informed me it had been a tire and rim.
Meanwhile, the Roadside Assist site had the Ford Dealership address as 17 miles away. It's not. The OLD location was, but the location they've been in for several years is only 2.2 miles from where I was. I called and spoke with an operator who was located in Belton Mo. She got hold of the tow truck service (Anytime Towing--I highly recommend!!!!) to make sure they didn't tow it to the old Ford location.
She also said she would send a complimentary Lyft to get me home. Then she told me I was her first Belton Tx, and her first Lyft.
My phone was down to 1% and not taking a consistant charge. So she relayed that information to the tow truck and lyft drivers before I hung up. The Belton policeman came back and waited with me until the tow truck arrived just a few minutes later.
Cody, (or maybe Colby), the tow truck driver waited about 20 minutes after my SUV was loaded and he talked with several of the other stranded motorists, who had walked over to see if they could enlist his services once he finished with me. Lyft still had not arrived. They had been told my phone was dying and I would likely not be able to reach them to confirm the need for a ride. I checked my phone and the charge was back up to 7%, so I tried calling all the numbers in my recent calls list. The only one that was capable of incoming calls was Cody/Colby (the tow truck driver standing 3 feet away).
So I went to the website again and finally got connected with some guy with an accent I had difficulty unterstanding. I briefed him, gave him my phone number, and the lyft confirmation number and he placed me on hold while he checked it out--he wanted to just call me back. I nixed that real quick. When he came back on the phone, his "brilliant" suggestion was for me to "ride with the tow truck to the Ford dealership and wait while they 'try' to find a lyft for me." Yeah. They were so successful with lift the first time. Nope. Not happening. Moving on to Plan B: Phone A Friend.
By this time, I had been in the parking lot almost an hour. I told the Road Assist Guy I would move on to Plan B: Phone A Friend. Going to the closed dealership (which would take me further from friends and home), to "hope" for anhother lyft, after my lyft "confirmed" lyft had been worthless, was not an option. I told him, "Thank you anyway. I'm hanging up now." Three times. The third time I cut him off by hitting the hang up button. It was getting late and I needed to make phone calls before my friends turned into pumpkins. Otherwise I would have to turn to Plan Z: Hoof it.
Cody/Colby, the tow truck driver, heard my convo with road assist guy and asked where I lived. When I told him, he said he would drop me off.
The trick was getting up into the tow truck. LOL. That was a sight for passerbys! I haven't had to climb that steep of steps in several years.
Actually, the real trick was getting back down. I thought I might have to jump into Cody/Colby's arms. Luckily for me he was a big boy and could probably catch me. Luckily for Cody/Colby I was able to use the multiple heavy duty grab bars. I also used my cane as a third leg. I was once again a sight for onlookers. This time they were the neighbors in my cul-de-sac.
I made it home safe and sound, my SUV is at the Ford dealership, and my phone is charged.
Thank God for Cody/Colby and Anytime Towing.
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