If you've followed our ministry through the years then you already know that it has been a very long time since we made it through an entire year without a tire related incident. This was looking like it was going to be our year. With 7 months of retreats, adventure trips, day trips, and mission trips under our belt with not even a hint of trouble it was looking promising. All we needed to do was bring the trailer back down from NC as we transition into our slower season. Things were looking good. We just finished one of our best SLAMMED Adventure Trips of all time (details coming). All the camping equipment was packed up by 10am on Wednesday morning and my friend Mike & I began our 16 hour drive back to FL. Along the way we popped in to say goodbye to friends in NC and north GA as well as drop off equipment at our Gear Cache in Hiawassee, GA. Things were going good although I was a little behind schedule (no big surprise there!). Then it happened. Around midnight in Milledgeville, GA I notice sparks coming out of one of the wheel hubs on the trailer. That isn't good. We pulled over and assessed the situation. It appeared to be an issue with the hub, bearings, & possibly the axle. With all the repair shops closed it looked like our best option was to grease up the bearings, find a specialized repair shop, and drive very slowly to the shop so we could be first in line when the shop opens. With flashers on and virtually no traffic we started driving at a snails pace towards the shop 12 miles away. Well, to make a long story even longer, the sparks and friction ignited the excess grease and caused a fire around one of the wheels. This just went from bad to worse real fast. We were only a few minutes away from the trailer (and everything it) going up in flames. We had to act quickly. Multitask!! Call 911. Chalk the tires. Disconnect the truck from the trailer. Douse the flames. Thankfully, we were able to put the fire out with a gallon of water just before the the firefighters arrived. They were very helpful and kind. They even gave us a rear escort for the last mile of our drive at 3 MPH. They were ready to put out any reoccurring fires. Thankfully nothing reignited! We pulled into the shop around 3am. We tried to sleep, but eventually walked over to Huddle House for a 4am breakfast and waited for the repair shop to open up at 8am. The final verdict is that the axle needs to be replaced along with the hubs, bearings, etc. It's going to take a few days so we drove the remaining 6 hours back home last night. 32 hours later with maybe 1 hour of sleep we arrived back to Seminole, FL. Praise God for so many things. It could have been so much worse if this happened in the mountains or during the daytime when I wouldn't have been able to see the sparks. I will still need to drive back up to retrieve the trailer, but at least I'm able to get some needed sleep. Thanks for all your prayers, support, and encouragement! It's not always pretty, but it is always an ADVENTURE! =)
