Tires and Shrines:
You have a lot of time to think on a cross-country trip.
What I’ve seen a lot of are shrines and shredded tires.
The shrines are mainly impromptu gathering of flowers, some are more organized and ornate with a cross or a name. All remind me that life is tenuous at best and a moments lost concentration or carelessness isn’t always forgiving.
The shrines are a reminder to stay vigilant, and drive carefully.
Most of the tires I see are shredded along the road. They look like truck tires. I see trailers with shredded tires wrapped around the rim. One rim had no tire on it, and the rim had been grinded down to less than it’s original diameter.
Today a car weaved through rush hour traffic in St Louis, as it went by I saw the drivers side rear tire was bulging at about half full. The car weaved on before I could do anything to inform the driver of the problem.
I was surprise some twenty miles further on to see the car off to the side of the road. The tire completely shredded on the rim, the driver searching for a spare in the trunk.
I was surprised he’d got this far, and surprised he hadn’t realized anything was amiss before running the tire on empty.
Drive safe, stay alert, and check your tires, and call your mother.
VERY good advice.