I didn't tell my tire story from my trip east this Summer.  I had decided to
make this trip on the tires I had, even though it had been suggested to me
that maybe I ought to get new tires.  The tread looked good enough to me.

So there I was tooling down Interstate 81 about 2 hours out of Washington
D.C. and I started hearing a noise that seemed roughly wheel-speed.  No,
I said to myself, that's just got to be uneven pavement.  But I kept
hearing the noise.  No, I said, that's just the pavement.  Finally I agreed
with myself to stop at the next rest area and take a look.  Well, there in
the left rear tire was a hole about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide, with
the core showing through.  I think that tire must have been a retread.

Meekly and slowly I drove to the next exit and got off, onto Highway 11
in the middle of nowhere.  And right there in the middle of nowhere was
a tire store.  I thought it was 4 o'clock but I was still on Central time
and it was actually a couple of minutes till 5, closing time for the tire
store.  The guy said if I didn't dawdle about deciding they could go ahead
and put some on.  So I got tires, Coopers.  They had a terrible time getting 
the lug nuts off the wheel with the bad tire, even with their impact wrenches.

So great and lucky, I got back on the Interstate and it began to rain
Cats and Dogs.  And there was a vision passing before my eyes of me out
soaking wet in the rain unable to get the lug nuts off....

Will Self
'84 Vanagon