Literally. This wasn't just a flat - the tread actually separated from the sidewall. The studded snow tire was pretty much shredded and smoking when I pulled over. And here I was hoping to get one more season out of those tires....
Not a big deal, really. I've had many flat tires before, so changing another one wasn't anything new.
Having a post snap off with the lug nut and getting stuck in my wrench was, though. I had managed to loosen three before that happened... and one of those was not the nut holding the doughnut in the trunk.
So here I am, stranded at the side of the road with a shredded tire and no working lug nut wrench. I gave my wife a call (fortunately, I was able to get a signal where I was - that isn't always the case in the Idaho woods), so she started bundling up the kids and headed out in the other car.
About 10 minutes after I called my wife, a nice guy with a long beard and his own car issues stopped to see if I needed help. I explained the situation, and fortunately, he had a wrench in his van. He helped me get my tire changed and I was limping along in no time. I stopped at the top of a hill to wait for my wife, and the guy stopped behind me - he had turned around to follow me to make sure I got home all right. I assured him that my wife was on the way to help out, so he left at that point.
So thanks to Heavenly Father for helping me get home safely, and I wish special blessings on the guy who helped me out! It sounded like he's had some rough patches in his life, so I hope my brief contact with him might turn out to be something beneficial in his life.
