Trip adventure


Domingo

New Member
Took a long trip to Arkansas. It was fun however. I had several problems on my way. RV kept over heating on the way only if I operated the dash air conditioning. I decided to to use the house air no further problems. However It kept overheating every time I would climb any hill. Also started loosing power as it over heated. This was a problem since I decided to take HWY seven. Finally I decided to not go further. Pulled in into a rest area outside Hot Springs AK. Contacted good Sam's they sent a tow truck since it was late in the evening and all shops where closed they towed me to a KOA who was the best. They where overly accommodating. spent two days one in my RV the other in a cabin. I was towed the next day to ARKANSAS AUTOMOTIVE( 538 Valley St. Hot springs Arkansas 501-623-0055). At first he told me that it will take five to ten days to have it ready. I decided to rent a car and drive back home. Took my family to unload the RV an head for home. The Owner Brent James decided to stop all other projects and pulled all the mechanics from their jobs, and concentrated on my problem. he told me to hang out in Hot Springs for the day. He would try to have it ready by the end of the day. As he promised they where done by 4:30 PM. It turned outthe previous owner had a hole in the radiator, rather then fixing it properly he used STOP LEAK clogged everything. I was operating on half of radiator. Radiator was fixed and I had the best time traveling all over Arkansas.I met some wonderful people while in AK the KOA staff where awesome they drove us into town, the car shop and where able to find room for us in their park. The park was clean and made sure my kids had things to do while we waited. The Automotive repair shop staff where supper nice and made every attempt to make us feelscomfortable. It was a stressful situation.
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

Glad it all worked out for you Domingo.

My favorite vacation, so far, was the one I anticipated for 10 years in a houseboat on Lake Ouachita right there at Hot Springs.
 

Domingo

New Member
Re: Trip adventure

We camped at Lake Ouachita state park a couple of days. It was awesome. The water was crystal clear. My kids had a great time fishing. Tex was the lake everything you expected. Was it worth waiting ten years. hope you had a fun time. It will be one of my return spots to camp next time I am in that area.
 

cwishert

Member
Re: Trip adventure

Domingo it sounds like you had a great time in spite of all the set backs on the way. Just think if everything had gone as planned, you would have missed out on meeting alot of really great people. Did you run across any "Maneating raccoons"? Or maybe any nosy armadillos? I guess Arkansas is a great place to camp. Maybe we'll head that way some day. :) :approve:
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

My album has some of the pictures, but even though the lake was 6 or 7 feet down it was the best. We are planning on going back when we can drag out boat with us.
 

cwishert

Member
Re: Trip adventure

Tex, did you captain that house boat yourself or did you hire someone to do that? I think that is just awesome. I would love to do that but I think we would have to hire a captain or we would be in trouble. :eek: :)
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

Hey Domingo, glad your trip worked out. Your story also is a good plug for Good Sam Emergency Road Service. Glad they responded and took care of you promptly. I use them and I am always glad to hear they are doing a good job. One never knows when one may need help.
 

Pillaz

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

Domingo glad it all worked out in the end. Carol if you need a captain just look me up. Maybe you could talk Ironart into it as well. I have been a life long boater. Of coarse Rod will wanna come if there is a beach. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 

cwishert

Member
Re: Trip adventure

My husband has driven many a boat in his lifetime but nothing that big. Just like the MH it would take some getting used to. I can't wait until I get old enough to go outside and play all the time!! :) :cool: :laugh: :clown:
 

Domingo

New Member
Re: Trip adventure

DL, yes I was impressed with Good Sam Road side service. They called every 15 to 20 minutes to reassure us that they had contacted some one and would be there with in 45 minutes. They also arranged for the KOA to pick up my wife and three children from the rest area. I rode with the tow truck. They called the next morning letting me know who was towing me into town and what time they would arrive. They also called after the service was done and to make sure the automotive place had accepted the RV and to make sure we where happy with the repair shop they had located for us. I saved hundres of dollars in towing alone. They used an 18 wheeler tow truck. I would not travel with out Good Sams.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Trip adventure

Domingo ,, glad the repair shop bent over backwards for u ,, this is the stuff i like to hear ,, and try to base my rv business on ,, it's hard to find many repair shops that will do that kinda thing ,, if u get the chance i would go to rvservicereviews.com and post a good message about this place ,, u never know when one of us might have the kinda same prob as u ,, but also good that GS came thru for u ,, i am very happy with u'r outcome ,,, very pleasing to hear that there are a few honest repair shops that go above and beyond for a customer ,,, and i think Tex will agree on this with me :approve: :approve: :approve: :approve: :cool: :cool: :cool:
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

Domingo, thanks for posting on the good service you had. Good to hear that there are still business that take care of customers. Know we have several here like GTS and Rod that bend over backwards to serve us rvers and even come here to give free advice on our rv problems. glad your trip turned out great. Think we will be heading out that way soon.
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: Trip adventure

Domingo and Carol, that boat isn't any harder to 'captain' than a smaller boat. And it probably is a lit easier than a land-based RV.

One thing about being on that lake was that we got this feeling that we were on our own in a wilderness yet explored. No highways and no lights. This must have been the way early RVrs felt. Never knowing where they would be when they had to stop and never knowing what would happen to them on the way.

(Of course, we always had a radio contact available if we had had a problem.)
 

ironart

New Member
Re: Trip adventure

Did someone say BOATS.....I thought my ears were burning.. :) :) You can call me any time any place....I even have a "Real" Captains License (30ton class)
:) :)

Paul is so right about being on the water....It is a different world out there...Quiet and a little scary. Especially when traveling at night when you are 50 miles off shore and there is no moon and the overcast is hiding the stars. :eek: :eek: You just have trust your compass and hope you didn't forget to calibrate it for this years declination.
Some of the most enjoyable and scary times I ever had was delivering boats from San Diego, or LA to San Francisco and Washington.....Denise and I would do that for a little extra money. What an adventure that was....Oh Well....That's another story...

Paul...I'm so glad you enjoyed your adventure....Call me next time and I will go with......maybe if we rent 2 boats we can get a discount ;) ;) :) :)
 

Domingo

New Member
Re: Trip adventure

Arkansas was a fun place to visit, the mountains the people. I was planning on ending my trip at Eurika Springs but ran out of time since we spend several more days in Hot Springs, where my wife had a relaxing day at the bath houses. I was amazed how hot the water came out of the ground. We came back to Dallas by way of fort smith and into Oklahoma and down HWY 75. Rod I think I will go to that web site and post a good message for the repair shop. Tex, I am a good sailor if you need a ship mate. I was sad to sale my sail boat, but it was a shame to have a beautiful boat just sitting at the slip. The children came fast and did not have much time to go out on the lake. Man I can just imagine how cool it would be to sail in some of those lakes in Arkansas. Carol and John I did not encounter maneating raccoons or noisy armadillos. We did however picked up a traveling companion. a stick bug about six inches long that cling ed to my kids window where he likes to seat. That stick bug hung on from Oklahoma all the way to Hot Springs. My kids had a blast talking about that bug.
 
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