Time on the road

Image: www.cartoonstock.com

  Ah yes!  The unlovable pothole!  The roads in Maine are full of them this year, they live in families and move around.  One of them bit me!
  On Tuesday, which would have been my first in town since Saturday, I went down Hermon Hill it's long and quite a grade.  At the bottom there's an area about 7 feet across where a culvert sunk in and created a frost heave.  At the end of the heave and toward the middle of the road was a pot hole the size of a bushel basket.  As my car launched over the frost heave (I was going too fast) my right front tire landed in the "basket".  The tire blew out the sidewall - and the fun began.
  I called AAA who said help would be sent, they called right back to let me know someone would be there in forty minutes, FORTY MINUTES!.  I guess given the time of day, 3:45AM, and location, in Hermon but could see the city limit sign, that may have been reasonable.  So, I waited, flashers blinking in the darkness, with the engine running to save the battery (possibly) and for the heat.
  I called Miles my 4:00AM rider and he said he would find other means of getting to work.  Miles is a friend who walks to work 3 miles and in cold weather I was helping out, we walk together when the ice is off the sidewalks.
  The help arrived as scheduled, the spare do-nut was in place and I was off to coffee with the guys and made that on time.  I ran a couple of errands and went to Sullivan Tire in Brewer to have a chat with Peter who manages that garage.  I've been a customer of Sullivan for about 12 years and they know me and my habits.  The tire needed to be replace, that's obvious, but the other three had about 1/32 of an inch left to use under Maine Law, and I have an inspection due next month, so what the hell replace all four.
  Now, these are those "lovely" little low-sidewall high-performance tires.  I don't like them anyway but on the model it's required.  I bought 3 and got the 4th on free, I had a $30. coupon Sullivan gave me for my birthday - so 4 tires, with new modules for indicating low-pressure etc. and an oil change with synthetic oil the bill came to $594.00!  Oh, I get a Forty dollar rebate.  I love pot holes so much so that today I'm taking Hollie to Augusta!