Q: How does a rock the size of the cantelope stop the V-Team?

A: It jumps out in front of Farve and temporarily sidelines him.

We'd been looking forward to going to Nago for some time, and were excited for our day trip on Saturday. We loaded the iPod with road trip tunes and got on the open road. Open road meaning it takes about 75 minutes to drive the 52km through the stoplights and towns on the scenic route to Nago.

We managed to avoid most of the rain, which didn't matter since we were going to be inside most of the day. We were about 2km outside of Nago when Copilot Michelle radioed over to Pilot Benny "WATCH OUT FOR THAT RO" clunk clunk. I looked in the rear view mirror as two of Farve's hubcaps sailed off onto the shoulder. I pulled over to find out what Farve hit. The "RO" was a rock in the road that Michelle saw at the last second , and I hit it square. So square that it managed to go under both wheels on the left side (passenger's side), knock off two hubcaps, and put a ding in one of the rims.

Another car pulled up behind me, and behind him a JP (Japanese Policeman) pulled up (all within 30 seconds of pulling over, a response time faster than Flash). Through broken English, the JP tells me that my hubcap hit the car behind me, scratching the bumper of the car driven by a University Student. Following my handy dandy instruction card on my license, I call the MPs (military police) at Camp Foster. "We'll send an MP and translator right away, they should be there in about an hour". Yup, we had to wait an hour for them to drive on the "expressway" (read "non-scenic" route) to get to us to file a report. It's the law.

In the meantime, I walked back to recover my hubcaps that were lying on the left and right side of the road. The hubcaps were just waiting for someone else to drive over them and cause an accident. I grabbed one and was about to get the other when I was stopped. "NO!" said the JP, apparently not wanting me to disturb the "crime scene." What about the rock, it's still laying in the road? Nope, that has to stay put too. Great, I'm just waiting for some other poor schmuck to run over the rock, or my hubcaps. Well, we're going to be here a while, how about I get a start on changing my tire. You can guess what that answer was... nein.

After 20 minutes of waiting, nature calls. And I'm not just talking about the rain coming down, but having to use the facilities that are not anywhere to be seen within 200 meters. So I tell JP that Michelle has to use the bathroom, and seeing no where to go, tells us to get into his car. Both of us, not just Michelle (apparently I was a flight risk). So we go to the station a minute closer to Nago, use the facilities, and he tells us to hang out since it'll be another 30 minutes until the MPs show up. So we hang out at the JP station awhile and jump back in the car to get back to the scene of the accident.

The MP and translator from Camp Foster show up and laugh at their lost in translation moment with the dispatch. They thought we had hit a curb and a wheel came off. It could have been worse, but thankfully no one was hurt. After finding out the MP is from Wisconsin, just south of Green Bay, Michelle found yet another GB fan.

Police report filled out, check. Changing tire, after a NASCAR pit stop pace with the translator, check. (He used to work at the auto hobby place on Camp Foster, and insisted on helping me put the donut on Farve). Revision to itinerary? Unfortunately, yes.

The donut wasn't going to make it up to Nago, then back to Kadena. So we turned around. The thought crossed my mind to just charge on to Nago, it was so close... yet Kadena was so far getting back. So we went straight to the salvage yard back in Kadena to find a new rim. Twenty-one dollars and 50 cents later, I had the rim replaced. Much cheaper than the rims that I damaged when I was younger... I wonder if I ever paid Dad for them...

Yet again, I remember Dad's advice to watch where we were driving. I remember one of us kids hitting a rock before (in addition to the other things I hit with the Red Truck) and getting flack for some time about it because it damaged the rim just like I did on Saturday. And yet again, Dad was right in the end--no matter how slow we are to admit it. How appropriate with Father's Day coming up.

And Farve, he's back in action. We're keeping an eye on him for any long-term effects or concussions. He did alright back in his first start on Sunday, a 75 minute drive in the other direction to Ikei Island.