My girlfriend and I bought a basset hound named Beau.

I've always wanted a basset hound, mostly because everyone of them I've met is generally laid back and friendly. So we went to the Washington Basset Rescue and adopted one. He's a great dog.

Now, I like Beau, but he really isn't what I wanted to talk about, except that my story starts with wanting to get pictures with Santa Claus and our dog. I'll admit it's a little cheesy, but I'm pretty sentimental. Doesn't everyone keep stuff reminding themselves about sections of their life? Really? OK, back to the story.

So last Saturday we packed up the dog and set off through the snow and rain heading to Spokane. We got there, got a picture of us and the dog because we were late, and started back home.

I was driving the car on Interstate 90 when we heard a loud bang. Wait. Let me back up here. I was driving in the snow when we heard a loud bang. One more time. I was driving in the snow and it was dark when we heard a loud bang which shook the car and sounded like something was either bleeding behind us, or the car had something go wrong.

I managed to pull the car over without sending us into the ditch, and for a few seconds we just waited. Then we found out the tire had gone flat. It's not a big deal. I can change a tire. I'm not completely mechanically incompetent. Yes, it's cold. Yes, it's snowing. Yes, I'm doing this by the light of a dying flashlight on the edge of an interstate, but neither of us are struggling to get out of our seat belts before the gas catches and creates a big fireball like in one of the early 1980s cop shows.

What? Reality isn't like "CHiPs?" Darn. I really wanted to grow up to be Erik Estrada.

So we're standing on the side of the road, changing the flat tire. I've got the car up, the lug nuts off, and I'm ready to pull the tire off. I pull. Nothing happens. OK, maybe I don't have the car up high enough. I jack it some more and pull again. Still nothing.

Meanwhile cars and trucks are whizzing past us, to wherever they're going. I can't blame them. I've been one of those people who passed the person sitting inside of their car with their hazard lights on. We all have dozens of things we need to get done during the day, kids, work, bills and all the rest, I can understand not wanting to add to the stress by inviting someone else's problems.

Still one of the people pulled over, and after using his own jack and a rubber mallet we managed to get the tire off and put the new one on.

It's amazing when I think about it. His kids and wife were in his truck. They didn't need to stop. They could have gone home. His cows were calving, but instead he stopped to help.

Now, I can't blame anyone who passed us because I have done the same thing, but to the people who do stop all I can say is, "Thank you."

You make changing a tire in the cold and dark easier than it would be.

Cameron Probert is the Columbia Basin Herald county reporter. While his coworkers appreciate the stranger's help, we will make sure to give him a solid ribbing about wanting to be Erik Estrada.