090516 - TIREWORKS

May 16, 2009
Las Vegas, NV

From Kingman, Arizona thru Laughlin, Nevada to Pahrump, Nevada is about a 200-mile lap with elevations from 1000 to 6000 feet. The weather has really warmed up to the point where we are now complaining how hot it is when the temperature wanders between 90 and 100 degrees. As the road’s angle of ascent increase, so does the strain on the engine, as we are forced to pull into the truck lane with a convoy of 18-wheelers using their low gears to climb slowly but steadily up the mountains. There are times when we can muster some extra power and pass a few trucks but it will not change our arrival time, so we just stay in the convoy.
About 10 miles west of Vegas, while stopped at a red light, a cloud of smoke or steam erupted from the engine compartment obscuring my vision and I knew something was wrong. My temperature gauge was off the dial.
To my right was a small strip mall, out in the middle of nowhere with a Walgreen’s on the corner and lots of empty stores not yet leased.
I figured I could boondock here if need be and at least I was off the road. Opening the hood to survey the problem was not very comforting. The inside of the engine compartment was wet and steam was coming from behind the radiator so I could only guess at the problem. My mental choices were either a broken hose or a hole in the radiator. I also noticed that my coolant reservoir was empty. Of course my first reaction was – oh great, after spending $1,300.00 to fix the generator in Phoenix, (which I think I got ripped off for), the beast is just telling me its getting old too.

I took a deep breath, tried to calm myself down and looked around. Just off to my left was a store call TIREWORKS. They apparently did tune-ups and shocks as well as sell tires, so I did not have any great expectations, but ventured inside anyway.

Behind the counter, Ken was very pleasant and attentive, and had one of the mechanics do a quick inspection. They advised a pressure test of the cooling system to determine a more exact point of damage. Of course I consented.
Eric, the chief mechanic reported that a hose behind the radiator was split but was in a very differcult position to reach. He assigned George to work on removing the broken hose, which took him about a half hour of tedious work.

With the broken hose in his hand, Eric asked me for $20 so he could send George to an auto parts store for a replacement. It sounded a little strange, but I gave him the money.

10 minutes later, Eric handed me a receipt for the hose, which was 15.49 and $4.51 from my twenty.

45 minutes later, Ken called me to the counter, handed me my keys and told me I was good to go.
When I asked about my “ticket” and charges he just smiled at me and repeated, “you’re good to go”.

I thanked him although I was not really sure what had just happened, then sought out Eric, gave him a twenty-dollar bill and told him to split it with George, and drove off.

From that corner strip mall to Pahrump is 49 miles of open road thru the desert without any signs of life or service or even an emergency phone box. Had that hose broken any later than it did, I would have been stranded on a desolate road and up the old proverbial dry creek without a paddle or a prayer.

Why and how things happen I have long given up trying to question or analyze.
That corner, that store, those guys – all part of an event you could call fate, luck, chance, accident, destiny or divine intervention. What do you think?