Friday, May 4

Mike - About an hour out of Banning with a nice tail wind, heard a bang, looked back and smoke coming from trailer tire. NOT AGAIN. (In '09, I'd replaced one tire before leaving, and blew two more during the trip. 2nd time I also replaced the 4th. 1st blowout was on I5 N of Sacramento, and waited about 2 hrs for roadside assist.) Pulled over and nursed it another 100 yds to an exit. Changed it myself this time and drove the 60 miles to Blythe. Pulled into a gas station on outskirts and asked for a good tire place, which was just a mile or so down the frontage road. Walking back to RV, I saw something not too far off and could not believe it was a Boeing V-22 Osprey. It was doing touch-n-goes in a circular pattern, so got out the video camera and filmed a run. Thank you Lord for such a great spirit boost; w/o tire I'd have missed it. This was longest leg of trip, and 7-1/2 hour day turned into 11 hours. After setup, pool and spa were great relief!