DRAFTMN
08/28/2003, 02:28 PM
HINT: DO NOT PARK ON THE STREET OVERNIGHT IN KEY WEST! I DID TWO WEEKS AGO (ON A WEEKEND TRIP) AND PAID DEARLY! SOME IDIOT WENT DOWN THE THE ENTIRE STREET AND SLASHED TWO TIRES ON EVERY CAR IN SITE! NO PROBLEM FOR MOST CARS THAT DAY EXCEPT FOR MY VEHICROSS! IT WAS SUNDAY MORNING AND THE ONLY TIRE STORE OPEN WITHIN 200 MILES WAS SEARS! THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T EVEN CARRY 17" LET ALONE 18" TIRES AND WOULDNT EVEN TOUCH MY DAMAGED TIRES! SO, THERE I WAS, UP A CREEK WITHOUT TWO TIRES! PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHY THEY SUPPLY A 17" DONUT SPARE? WAS IT TO ALLOW 1 MORE INCH OF BACK WINDOW VIEWING? ANYWAYS, I PUT THE "SPARE" ON THE FRONT AND WAS ABLE TO GET ONE OF THE LOCAL TOUR MAINTENANCE GUYS PUT A PLUG IN THE LESSER OF THE TWO FLATS AND STARTED OFF HOPING TO MAKE IT TO MIAMI! WELL, THAT TRANSFER UNIT WAS GRINDING AND SCREAMING ALL THE WAY BACK! BY THE TIME I GOT TO MIAMI (AT 45 MILES AN HOUR) EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED, SO I HAD TO DRIVE IT HOME AND ADDITIONAL 70 MILES! MY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WAS EVEN HIGHER WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT HOME! IT TURNED OUT THAT THE PATCHED TIRE THAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT WAS LESS NERVE WRACKING THAN THE TRANSFER CASE NOISES THAT WERE HEARD EVERY TIME I SLOWED DOWN! SO ANYWAYS, THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS EITHER CARRY AN EXTRA SPARE "ON THE ROAD" OR BE VERY CAREFUL WHERE YOU PARK!!