"Flatter than a pancake"

A joint campout, what fun! Full of anticipation, we headed out last Friday for an extended weekend of camping.

It was a warm summer evening, free of the rain that has been the nightly routine for several weeks. We were admiring the scenery and commenting on the look of the various crops as we drove along.

About 15 miles north of Stettler, we both heard a “POP” and looked at each other. That was not a sound we were accustomed to hearing. A glance in the rear-view mirror revealed the situation – flat tire!

The highway was too narrow to stop, so we turned into a farm driveway. The lady was very nice, offering a cup of coffee and providing us with a civic address. A phone call to AMA assured us that someone would be coming to change the tire. We proceeded to wait – and wait – and wait.

Meanwhile, we watched as the farm owner made her evening rounds of her animals. One could easily tell they were all well looked after and loved. The donkey brayed, the horses watched, cats meandered across the yard, the dog was continually by her side.

Finally we received a call from the tire shop. They would be leaving shortly. Two hours after we stopped, the truck arrived and a pleasant, stubby young fellow quickly changed the tire for us. It was quite obvious that the blowout was a result of wear. That led to a big decision. Do we try to finish the trip on the spare, replace the damaged tire, or replace all the tires before another one blows?

We returned to Stettler for the night, and headed to the tire shop first thing in the morning. They had the correct tire size in stock and were able to work on it right away. An hour–and-a-half later we were on our way with four brand new tires on the RV. The accumulated air miles will come in handy for fuel certificates!

If it were to happen, which it would have sooner of later, it was a "best case scenario". We were safe, the weather was good, and there were no deadlines. Thank you, God, for watching over us. Thanks to our gracious hostess, and thanks for AMA+RV. Somehow that renewal notice doesn't look so expensive now.