Rick McPherson June Newsletter, 2023
It was Memorial Day, about one o’clock in the afternoon. I had left Bothell with a full load on the Peterbilt and was headed South on I-5. Traffic was heavy on the Holiday weekend and when I passed Olympia I started getting sleepy. Great time for a quick nap, I thought, and started looking for a rest area. At mile marker 93, I pulled in to the Maytown parking lot and shut off the big diesel. Ahhhh! Sleep came almost instantly with the windows down, a soft breeze blowing and my cell phone turned off.
Within fifteen minutes I was conscious again and fired up the truck. I put the Eaton Fuller transmission in gear and eased forward. The noise I heard next shocked me. “What is wrong with this truck?” I said out loud.
I jumped from the cab and discovered the right front (steer) tire was off the rim and had a large puncture in the sidewall. Had I continued driving and not stopped for my nap, disaster would have ensued. Steer tire blow-outs are particularly deadly because the front bumper of the truck drops down instantly, digs into the pavement and causes the truck to somersault or roll over. That’s not good.
I’ve talked about guardian angels before in these newsletters. I believe in them.
“Scholars tell us there are three guardian angels mentioned in the Bible. Each of these angels has different responsibilities: MICHAEL is a warrior, RAPHAEL is a guardian, and GABRIEL is a messenger. But they share a common purpose; they act on behalf of God, helping His people and bringing Him glory.” – Wikipedia
That being the case, I would like to thank Raphael for being on duty that Memorial Day and guiding the big Peterbilt off the road and keeping its driver, load, and innocent travelers safe, from destruction and death.
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