Is it Good Luck or Bad?

I started the morning loading up the trailer after a gentle rain.

While picking up camp to better than new condition I found this.....

Now I'm not the superstitious type but even I know that tails indicates bad luck and I found 2, both tails up.  (Does that mean double bad luck?)

After fond farewells to beloved Priest Lake, I loaded up and headed down the highway.

Forty miles from the lake I hear what sounds like a gigantic blow out and huge bump coming from the rear of my rig.  The rig handles well while I pull our to the side of the road to check out the problem but I'm a mess.  First I checked all four tires on my truck, Little Hoss.  Every thing is as it should be.  I check out the tires on the trailer, they are fine also.

 So what could be the matter ?

Then I see the tail end of my trailer and damage that wasn't there before..

I'm searching through my recollections of the last few moments and didn't see anything on the roadway that I could have hit.  What could have happened.

I look down the highway from where I just was and see two cars stopped on the highway and they are standing around a tire mounted on a wheel on the side of the road.  I didn't see a wheel on the side of the road I went pas.  I consider myself an alert driver  and I can't believe I could have not seen something that large on the side of the road and then hit it.

A truck driver going the opposite direction saw me pull over and stopped to render assistance.   He went down and picked up the mounted tire that did not match any of my new tires and came back and checked out my rig.  The under side of my trailer had no other damage so we speculated for a bit what could have happened.  

I was still at loss to explain what could have happened.  He scratched his head and offered to take the tire and wheel to the dump on his next trip, so I agreed, not knowing what else to do.  He felt it was safe for me to travel on into town.  So on I went.

Later down the road I had a little thought of one last place to check...    I pulled over in a wide spot and checked the under side of my truck.

This is what I saw.....

Or rather what I didn't see.....
It took me a minute to realize what was missing.  What you should be seeing is a spare tire and wheel mounted on the under side of the truck.

It was gone...  zip....   nadda....  gone.

Somehow the tire came loose, dropped to the ground moving to the right corner of the trailer.  It appears metal bumper of the trailer frame cut the tire and kicked it up causing the trailer damage. 

Poor little Lolita.....

I guess I'm relieved that I am still what I consider an alert driver.  I was seriously doubting my driving abilities that I could have missed seeing something so large as a tire and wheel and then hit it with my trailer.

Geez, I couldn't make this stuff up.... All in the life of a vagabond traveler.

So I ask you.... was it bad luck or incredibly good luck?