Faith, Flat Tires, and the Kindness of Strangers
I was never afraid.
Not when I threw a leg over the bike.
Not when I left the farm behind.
Not even when the back tire gave out in the middle of Montana.
The only thing I felt was a soft, steady urgency: make it to class in three days.
That first night, I chased the daylight west and made it to Dickinson. I don’t like to ride in the dark—too many critters on the move, and I’ve seen enough deer at dusk to know better. So I made a silent pact with the road: daylight riding only. Let the light lead me.
The next morning was perfect. Clear skies. Cool air. That kind of quiet joy that sneaks into your soul without asking. I didn’t even notice when the smile started. But once it arrived, it stayed—like the road had lit something up inside me.
A memory rose up to meet me on the road. When I was eleven, traveling west to Washington with my grandparents, they bought me a postcard. It showed a herd of horses standing on top of a butte, framed by a brilliant blue sky. I loved it so much that I used to hold it up to the car window—pretending it was my actual view.
And now, all these years later, riding under that same vast sky, I glanced to my right—and there they were. A herd of horses, silhouetted on top of a butte, with a backdrop of endless blue. The real thing. The postcard come to life.
A whisper from the past. A promise kept.
I headed toward Butte, free and open and fully alive.
Then—outside of Billings—I felt it.
A wobble.
At first, I chalked it up to road conditions or passing trucks. It happens. But there were no trucks this time. Just me, the bike, and something that didn’t feel quite right. So I slowed down and pulled to the shoulder, my heart sinking. I’d just had the rear tire replaced in January. Surely the front had gone flat.
I hopped off and checked. Front tire? Solid.
Rear tire? Flat. Completely.
Now what? You don’t carry a spare on a bike.
Had it been my truck or car, no problem. I’ve changed so many tires on the mail route, I could do it blindfolded. But a bike? That’s a different story.
And no way was I calling home to hear “I told you so.”
So I did what I’ve always done: I figured it out.
I called a tow truck and the nearest Harley shop. My GPS originally said I was over an hour and a half from Billings—but it hadn’t updated. Turned out, I was only 20 minutes away. The universe, it seemed, was looking out for me.
When the tow truck arrived, two kind, capable men hopped out. I didn’t even have to lift the bike—they handled it like pros. Efficient, calm, and just what I needed. In no time, we were rolling into Beartooth Harley in Billings.
The folks there? Just as kind.
They were short-staffed, about to close for the day, but they welcomed me in. They got the bike in for repairs without hesitation—and treated me like I belonged. Not just another customer, but a person with a story. One of the mechanics even mentioned he had a relative from my hometown. A little thread of home, weaving its way back into the story—right when I needed it.
They discovered it wasn’t just the tire—it was the rear bearing, too. It could’ve been worse. It could’ve happened somewhere remote, or late, or after dark on a mountain pass. But it didn’t. It happened where help was nearby. And they got me back on the road with care and efficiency. One of the techs even took the bike out for a test ride before handing it back, just to make sure everything felt right.
They asked if I was scared—riding all this way alone.
I said no. Because truly, I wasn’t.
The only thing I felt was a bit of stress to make it on time. But fear? It never caught up with me.
Before I left, they gave me advice about the mountain passes ahead—especially the second one. “Don’t ride it in the dark,” they warned. I tucked that wisdom in with the rest.
That night, I made it to Bozeman. The sunset on the horizon. My smile still stretching across my face. My faith in the human race restored a little more. My belief in divine timing? Confirmed.
Sometimes the detour is the sacred part of the story
Chasing the Wind, One Woman’s Journey into the Soul of the Road-Chapter 2: A Postcard, A Promise, With No Fear—Just Faith
