No shame in my game

Just east of Leavenworth, Washington
My first big rig experienceChris gets top billing today

Tuesday morning started out challenging.I got about 3 miles out of town on this bike path and my rear tire split right down the middle.It went flat so I tried to pump it up and it actually held air.There was a piece of wire stuck right in the tube.I managed to find a bike shop 5 miles back into town.I replaced both front and rear tires with new ones, and saved my old front tire as a spare.I got back on the road at about 11:00 a.m.About 25 miles down the road I started to get a real sense of danger because there was absolutely no shoulder to ride on.Cars were whizzing by at 70 mph.And for the first time on this journey I was scared.My intuition was me telling to get off the road.I couldn't stop thinking I was going to get run over.Just then a semi was coming in the opposite direction and I could here another one right behind me and all three of us were about to converge at the same point.I could here the truck behind me brake,so I bailed off the road.He gave me a friendly beep as if to say thanks.I just shook my head and said that's enough.Up the hill about a half a mile was a gas station and I pulled in frazzled.This guy comes out of the store and says, hey thanks for getting off the road, most bikers would have just kept going.I said oh, that was you.Yeah he said, this is a real dangerous road Lot's of people get killed out here.I told him how I felt and said,I need to get of this road, I'm ready to start hitchhiking.This is nuts and I'm terrified.So he offers to take me 70 miles to Libby where I was trying to get for the day, and I say sure!I strapped my bike onto the empty flatbed and away we went.Chris and I get to talking and he is just the nicest guy.We're the same age and had a lot to talk about.We talked non stop for hours.He was picking up a railroad truck in Troy which was just the other side of Libby and bringing it about 350 miles away to Leavenworth Washington, which is only 100 miles east of Seattle.To make a long story short he offered to take me as far as he was going, so we picked up the truck in Troy and drove 350 miles out of Montana thru Idaho and into Washington.We had a blast stopping for dinner shooting the shit and telling stories of our adventures.We stopped and shared a hotel when it got dark.Two perfect strangers getting on like old friends.We got up this morning had breakfast and drove the rest of the way to Leavenworth droped off the railroad truck and said our goodbyes.Man, I could'nt make this shit up.He was happy to have some company and I was thrilled to escape that dangerous situation, get to ride in a big rig, and most of all be 400 miles closer to Seattle avoiding some serious mountain passes.Tomorrow I have to climb some 4000 ft. over Stevens pass and then coast 50 miles into Seattle.Right now I'm in a coffee shop drinking dancing goats alive and well thanking my lucky stars.I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. See ya in Seattle!