Some Catching Up

I learned yesterday that my insurance is going to pay a significant chunk of the repair costs of my "wreck" some two weeks ago.  They're also going to pick up my lodging and the costs of the rental car.  The ball joints themselves are considered "maintenance" items and they're not covered, and I really have no quarrel of any with that.

To be honest, I didn't think they'd cover any of the repair at all.  I went in to office of my State Farm agent to get reimbursement for the towing.  I didn't know that they'd cover some of the damages under the "collision" coverage.  The word "collision", to me, suggests two vehicles colliding and causing damage to each other.  My collision, so to speak, was with US 95.  Anyway, the check is on the way, and kudos to State Farm for coming through.

As for the aborted trip, well there's been a lot of bad weather in this part of the country as well.  California got hit with a series of winter storms during the week that I would have left, and I would have arrived yesterday, with the inclement weather affecting Arizona.  We had steady cold rain for a good part of yesterday and the mountains to the north have a good dusting of snow (the mountains to the east are under cloud cover but I'm sure there's snow there too).  It's in the upper 30s outside as I write this, unusually cold for Tucson but not unprecedented.

In the meantime, we have one more night of madness left to contend with, then it's all over.  We can get back to normal.  I'm staying in tonight, and will probably listen to the police scanner as I find out where the drunks and crazies are.  I'm not going to blow $40 so that I can go out and drink in a bar tonight.  If I want to, I can knock off some Guinness here at home, or maybe some wine.  But that's it.

I guess I could have the TV on tonight.  The Sci-Fi Channel is running a marathon of commercials all day long today, interrupting it every now and then for three minute excerpts of The Twilight Zone.  The History Channel has a marathon program of "Pawn Stars" or "American Pickers" or something like that.....they just won't do history programming anymore, and that's a shame, because back when they did they were giving me a reason to sign up for a satellite package.

I don't have much in the way of reflections as this year ends.  It had some great moments and it had some disappointments.

As for what I want to do next year, I haven't bothered to figure that out.

Meantime, here's a picture of my "collision":

No Christmas in San Jose this year

Early Sunday morning I started my road trip to San Jose.  I left my driveway at 1:30 AM, or maybe it was 2:00 AM.  I popped awake, full of adrenaline, and was eager to get going on my annual Christmas road trip.  Initially my biggest concern was traffic delays at the Hassayampa River bridge on I-10 as that the Arizona Department of Transportation was warning that 90 minute backups were expected at peak travel times.  So, it was either start then, or take the long way 'round using US60 thru Wickenburg.

Anyway, I crossed that bridge in the early morning hours, and continued on.  Inclement weather in Southern California was in the forecast, and the L.A. radio station I was listening to was warning that the Southland would be getting their worst pounding in ten years.  I had already made the decision to turn north at Quartzsite, cross at Parker, and then catch I-40 at Needles and to do what I could to make Barstow or Buttonwillow or some such something town with a reasonable motor lodge.

I stopped off in Quartzsite for a quick breakfast of two hot dogs (OK, so I like hot dogs better than "normal" breakfast.....so what?) and for gasoline.  I noticed something not quite feeling right with the right front wheel, as if it was mushy or something.  I got out, thinking I might have had a flat, but it looked normal, so I was back on the road.  It acted normally then, so I thought nothing of it for the next half hour or so.

I crossed at Parker, and some ten miles later I was at the junction of highways CA62 and US95.  The steering wheel seemed to shimmy somewhat upon leaving the State of California Agricultural Inspection Station which is at that junction, but then it behaved itself.  I remember thinking, did it always act this way? 

One mile after that it happened.

I'm zipping up US95 at seventy miles per hour, when there was this jolt, like I had hit a pothole.  The right front of the truck dipped down somewhat and it wasn't steering any more.  I went along this nice long 200 foot skid thinking I had had a blowout, and that I was in the process of losing my rim.  It wasn't good.

Well, it wasn't a blowout.  I got out and saw that the tire had separated and had buckled underneath the truck.  By doing so, it protected the truck from undercarriage and body damage, but it was still not good.  I mean, I'm looking at my destroyed front suspension and brake fluid leaking along the roadway, and noticing this nice gash in US95 that's going to be there for a long time until someone comes along to repave it.....and it was recently repaved too!

For a few minutes I stopped to process my latest problem.  I wasn't quite sure what to do.  I had my cellphone on me, which these days is a necessity, and I called 911.  The dispatcher arranged for a tow truck, and within ten minutes an officer of the California Highway Patrol was on the scene to render assistance.

The CHP officer was a cool guy.  He set up cones to divert traffic away from my truck, as that I was only halfway off the roadway and his attempts at pushing me off didn't work.  We conversed about a number of things.  He told me about some pursuits that he had been on, with one of them having ended right where we were.  There was another one that started in Arizona on I-40 that the CHP had to take over when the big rig being pursued crossed over at Topock.  The Arizona Department of Public Safety had spiked the tires, but the big rig continued on that put a gash in eastbound I-40 that lasted for several miles.

Anyway, my truck ended up being towed to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, which is where I am at as I am writing this.  The guys at the Toyota dealership already have been able to fix my truck, and I get it back tomorrow after they've had a chance to road-test it themselves.  I have spent the past three days here in LHC, known for being where the old London Bridge is now at, and tomorrow I get to go home.

There won't be a Christmas in San Jose this year.  It will take me two days to get there from here, and by the time I'm there it will almost be time to drive back.  Plus, northern California right now is being slammed by some bad winter storms, my mother has a severe cold that she doesn't want to give to me, Chip has the flu which he doesn't want to give to me, my sister and niece are in Lake Tahoe with my brother-in-law, and my inclination tomorrow is to return to Tucson where I can sleep in my own bed.

These are no doubt circumstances that are somewhat more adverse than what I'm normally used to dealing with, but I find myself in good spirits.  I am grateful to the Good Lord for commanding His guardian angels to watch over me throughout my wheel coming off, because had this happened on the interstate surrounded by traffic......well.......I might not have lived to have posted this entry.

I'm going to call this one of the best Christmases I've ever had........ because I'm still here.  There hasn't been one like this since 1978, when I survived an armed robbery that was, if I'm not mistaken, 32 years ago as of tomorrow. 

What more can I say?

Stay safe, everyone.