Day One: More exciting than I would have liked

[thrihyrne]

I'm safely in a hotel in Bristol, though it's taken me a while not to feel rattled. I had a quiet night last night and got on the road around ten o'clock this morning. I stopped regularly to stretch my legs, and after 3 or 3 1/2 hours on the road, as I was chugging up a hill on I-81 south, this horrendous noise assaulted me and I started yelling invectives because I was scared out of my mind. I slowed down and was pulling over and knew something had happened to one of my tires, and then saw one of my hubcaps hurtling ahead of me up and off to the shoulder of the highway. Panting and my heart racing, I turned the car off and put on my hazards, huge semis still roaring past me as I retrieved my hubcap and investigated what had happened. My back left tire had totally blown out. Not flat, shredded. Once I could breathe somewhat normally, I called AAA and they said they'd be there in about a half an hour. A young man stopped and I let him know that I was being helped but thanked him, then a representative from the county sheriff's office stopped. He stayed with me until AAA showed up and put on my spare, and then he let me follow him to the nearby town (I was, amazingly, only 1 mile from the exit) to a tire place where I got two tires replaced. I could've stood to have all four replaced, but they only had 2 in the right size, so they're on the front. I'm mostly recovered from it all, and have had my belief that a very good number of people in this world really are well-meaning and full of integrity. I told the sergeant once I was at the tire place that he was an angel. "I've been called a lot of things," he said with a smile, "but never that!" I got his card so that I can send him a thank-you note.

So. I actually had to stop about 10 miles down the road after I'd had the tires replaced to walk around and focus on breathing. From time to time I get really tingly hands and my lips tingled and were kindof twitchy; my thumbs get pulled into my palms involuntarily and it's pretty scary. It doesn't happen very often, but after keeping my composure through all of that I think it just hit me and I really couldn't function. I was feeling that my car was the potential enemy; I've not had anything like that happen to me before so suddenly. I've had a flat tire, but nothing that loud and scary. Plus, I'd had a bunch of work done to Bianca (the car) including a timing belt and other belts and two front axles, so there's a part of me that's hyper-aware of the changes to her and worrying that some key bolt is going to drop to the ground and I'll crash into a guardrail or something. It's the downside to being a writer and a person with an imagination that really should be curtailed.

But now I'm safely at my hotel and I have internet again, yay!!! I felt so isolated without my connection to you all. I'm also in active strife with my mother, so I've been keeping my phone off until I get a little more distance and/or I'm planning to call people with whom I'm staying on my journey. On the plus side, I went ahead and posted a room wanted ad on the Portland craigslist, and in the 2 days since I posted it (when I was internet-less) I heard from no fewer than 6 people! One person needs somebody sooner than I'll be there, but the others I've emailed and let them know the situation and I'll see what they say. I think that's tremendous, and bodes well for the future. Tonight I'm relaxing after going to the ubiquitous Wal-Mart to get a chicken ceasar salad and 2-liter of Diet Coke; I brought my little boom box and have tunes on I enjoy, and will type up the beginnings of a fic I'm working on. Today I was too frazzled and emotionally strung out to really think about fic while driving, but hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get more into that groove. Plus I'll be staying with a fellow writer for a couple of days, and I'm hoping we'll sit around and do some writing and/or talk about it while there.

I'm enabling comments, but I probably won't be able to reply. Just wanted you all to know that I'm safe, en route, and quite enjoying having A/C. :)

Comments

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

*phew* Glad that the tire blowout was nothing worse, and that you and Bianca are both okay. Hope that the next leg of the trip features nothing so exciting!

Holding thumbs re: your room post on craigslist. I have wireless, so we should be able to set you up with access here, no trouble. *g*

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

OMG that is ALWAYS the way - tire blow out when you're on a trip - Ack! Glad you are ok. *big hugs* Head west and call when you hit water;)

[euclase.livejournal.com]

ZOMG!

Wow, what a great story, though it probably was far from great while it was happening (and the great part I'm referring to is the sergeant--definitely sounds like an angel).

*hugs you tight*

Chicken salad and Coke = comfort for the tingled soul. Take care of yours, darling. <3

[mrsquizzical.livejournal.com]

lawks!!! i'm so glad you ended up with someone to help you and that you came across some good souls.

*hugs*

you call yourself a writer!?

[huntmooses.livejournal.com]

where's the villain? where's voldemort? where's sauron? We all want to know more about your gun-totin' angel. And this mysterious young man who stopped...

I'm going your way tonight, on to seattle for a wedding, but drop a line if you still have my number if you hit a boring spot in the road. and, for god sakes, no more passive-aggressive tire blowing!

now I'M confused!

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

I'm really happy you came out of the tire blow out in good shape. Also that the Portland ad is having good results. I'm sending you good thoughts. tunes are good, and good radio stations--and don't be afraid to stop along the way to rest, you aren't on a schedule, and the main thing is to get there in one piece--a peaceful piece.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I was, too! I half thought that my engine had exploded or something. Thankfully, not the case. I'm sure I won't really be able to relax in my own car until she runs normally for a few days, but that's probably to be expected.

Thanks for that! If you wanted to go ahead and email me directions from the highway, that'd be great. I'll probably plan to leave in the morning from Kansas City as my friends there both work, but you let me know what time of day is best to plan to arrive. I'm so excited!!!! :D

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm okay, too! I had a brief flashback to a trip to Florida I took with my wasband and my stepkids back when Bianca was new to us… we got hit at an intersection about an hour or so away from our beachouse, had to get a rental and stuff our things for the week in it. My poor car. She's been through a lot! I keep petting the dashboard and telling her how wonderful she is. ;)

Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!!

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Well, once I realized the car was okay, it was just a totally blown tire, and help was on the way, I was able to relax a little bit. I'm glad that I'm doing all of my driving during the day, when places are open and there's plenty of light. One of the highlights while talking with the sergeant: he'd gone to his car to check on something, and he'd asked me to stand to the other side of the guardrail because my car was kind of close to the lane still, but I couldn't move her. So I'm outside, slathering myself in SPF 50 sunscreen, and he walked up and said, "Yeah, I needed to put sunscreen on my scalp!" He was clean-shaven. ;) I told him I had SPF 50 and 55 if he wanted to share.

I'm hanging in. It's good to be back in touch with people. The front desk clerk was also a total peach; a young man named Joey who has a deep regional accent, freckles, dimples, and was so sympathetic when I explained what had happened to me. I may miss that aspect of the south when I get up to the northwest. I kindof like getting called 'dear' and 'sweetie.'

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Yes; there's definitely something to be said for this part of the country. There are many attributes to the south that are less than ideal, but I know I'll miss getting called 'dearie' and other things, and men being chivalrous. And not in a creepy way. I'm very independent, don't get me wrong; I also had an interesting and short conversation with a woman at a rest stop who was moving from Maine to Florida— one of those happenstance conversations. She had asked if I was going home from school. ROFL. I loved that she thought I was in college. :P

Re: you call yourself a writer!?

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Hey, now! No Voldemort or Sauron, just the Smiter of Older Tires. The sergeant was a kind soul, shaved head, and we joked about sharing sunscreen. His sons are in some band and travel around; he was a calming influence at a time when I was quite shaken up.

The young man was shirtless, tattooed, and said he'd broken down on that stretch of highway not that long ago, and wished me well. It's part of this southern mythos, I think. ;)

You're programmed in my phone, I think… much of the time I'm in 'roaming' mode, but I'll be sure to call if I'm yearning for a friendly voice. ♥

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I am, too! The tingly-fingers and mouth thing were a bit scary, but I knew it would pass. I was doing really deep breathing in the car, but it's one of those things that it really takes time for it to go away. As for tunes, I have a tape-deck adapter for my iPod, so I've been listening to that. Radio could be fun to try too, though. One can hear all kinds of songs you've forgotten about when flipping stations while going cross-country.

I'm exceptionally aware of being careful on this trip, hence spending nights in hotels rather than driving 10 hours straight as I used to. I'd much rather have manageable stretches and time to decompress, emotionally and psychologically, than do marathon drives like I used to. I don't need to prove to myself that I can drive for hours on end; I've been there and done that. This is about taking care of me, not pushing myself to extremes.

Thank you for your kind words! ((hugs))

[llembas.livejournal.com]

Oh, what happened to you is one of my nightmares! I would've been a nervous wreck. I'm glad Bianca is back in working order again. Hopefully, after a rough start the rest will be easy in comparison!

[knic26.livejournal.com]

I know that a flat tire is bad enough, but a blowout on the interstate had to be especially worrying.

I am keeping you and your journey in my thoughts. Be safe!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Great job of handling that! If anything like that ever happens again, it will probably not be quite as scary.

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

What a scary start to your trip! It sounds like you took it all in stride until you could safely react. Go you!

[stormwynd.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear the tire blowout didn't turn out worse. And here's hoping that you were getting the bumps out of your journey early on, so that the rest of the way will be smooth sailing.

And when you hit San Francisco, drop me a line if you're up for dinner or coffee or something.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

I hope so, too!! And thanks for letting me borrow/use your lovely icon. *g*

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

It was just so shocking! But once I had calmed down enough to realize, "Oh, it's a blown tire; you have a spare, you have AAA, you have a cell phone, it's going to be okay," I was much better off. The anxiety of it just manifested itself a little later once it was all over.

I will be!! Thank you for thinking of me.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

i'm so glad you are all right and that there was a safe place for you to freak out.

*hugs*

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Well, here's hoping it doesn't happen again. I'll probably invest in the other two new tires when with other friends who have recommended places to get them. I'd had the tires looked at, but these things happen. I'm just more nervous in my car now, but hopefully that will pass.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Thanks much! Me being me, I was trying to make things seem as normal as possible, which might be why the fallout hit me so hard. Still, alls well that ends well. :)

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

It could have been so much worse than it was… I'm so grateful for the timing, really, and the location.

I'm hoping to see you! Once I get to the west coast I'll email you. :ponders: Do I have your email? Mine's on my bio if you'd care to send me a quick note. I should be in SoCal the 23-25 or so, then San Jose around the 26/27th, and then SF after that. I'll be posting regularly, though, all forces willing. ;)

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Me too!! And now I'm in a nice quiet hotel and can burrow into bed and hopefully get a good night's sleep. I'll email you as I get closer to you; need to confer with my other friend there and another friend who wants to meet up. I'm so looking forward to spending some quality time with you!

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

me too! I am very flexible if you want to meet with me with your friend wothout me knowing her name, or with this other friend or alone its all good!