Westward Ho and Another Mishap...

We left Red Bay on Wednesday. We didn't get our appointment Monday like we were told, but Tuesday whoever had an appointment in the express bay at 7am didn't show up so they called us and we got in then. They fixed the AC issue by replacing the controller and the sensor. Rusty had to go with the mechanic though to tell the parts guy we wanted both things switched out. It turns out the low voltage issue is a known problem and we're not the only one with it. It only happens on the Freightliner chassis. They've tried everything to fix it but nothing has stopped it; including changing out the batteries like we wanted them to do. The mechanic said he thinks it some weird glitch that will take them a few months to work out. The good news is that they haven't discovered any problems with RV's getting this error. This time in Red Bay was easier because we knew what to expect and we took full advantage of having access to the mechanics.  I'm sure we were driving them crazy with all our questions, but they patiently answered every one.  It was also cooler this time so we were able to walk a lot more. I made friends with a horse on the other side of the RV repair bays but the one day I remembered to bring carrots with me they had moved them to another field. He was a very sweet horse and would come say hi to me and Whisky. One day a calf came over to see Whisky but then when the little guy got close he freaked out and jumped backwards. It was funny to see a cow move sideways like that.

On Wednesday we drove to Marion, Arkansas which is just west of Memphis. The original plan was to stay there for two days and do something in Memphis but neither Rusty or I liked the RV park and they were doing construction on the road into Memphis so we decided to leave early and head on to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We've been here since last Thursday. We're staying in a KOA campground just outside of the National Park, but the way the park is we're surrounded by it. It's been nice being here for a few days but I f*cked up the Fiat when we drove it off the dolly. The campsite is on a slant and gravel. When you drive the car off the ramps on gravel you always hear this kind of crunching noise. I didn't realize the angle was wrong and we pulled the front bumper loose:

Rusty was able to screw it down on the underside and then tape it so it doesn't shake too much when we drive. Both Rusty and I feel like idiots, but I guess if you're going to learn a lesson it's good no one got hurt. You can't really tell how bad the angle is until you try getting in and out of the RV. There's quite a gap between the last step and the ground.

The hot springs here are very different than those we're used to. That could be because it's not created from volcanic activity. Instead the water is created by traveling down through the earth, heating up from geothermal gradient. The water has no smell or taste. There are water filling stations available so we've been drinking a lot of it. There are a couple of bath houses still in operation. Once operates like it did in the 1900's, the Buckstaff is more like an assembly line where an attendant takes you through each of the stages:

1. soak in a tub where they scrub your back

2. sit in these steamers

3. shower off

The problem I had with doing the Buckstaff was that there is definitely this sense of classism that I've been struggling with throughout the south.  My apologies for the quality of the pictures. They were behind plexiglass at the museum. That's probably one of the reasons we didn't do the Buckstaff, we did a tour of the museum first that outlined the issue pretty clearly:

So Rusty and I decided to do the communal bathing experience at the Quapaw. This was a newer bathhouse with four different temperature pools. It was okay, but compared to our favorite hot springs pool in Glenwood Springs, we felt we only needed to do it once.

It's still been hot where we are but there was a promenade walk that I wanted to do so we did that yesterday in the heat. There's lots of water available to drink but it's 104 degrees. We took advantage of every bench we could find in the shade. The walk takes you behind the bathhouses where you can see some of the open springs:

If you get a chance, check out the national park website and take a look at how they laid out the park. I have to say it's the weirdest one I've ever been to. They even close the sidewalk in front of the bathhouses at 10pm, but then the shops and restaurants on the other side of the street stay open.

This morning we leave Hot Springs and head to Texas. We're avoiding heading to the I10 for as long as we can so we don't get stuck in any more storms and to stay out of the mess caused by Hugo. We're also trying not to hit Arizona too soon so we avoid any 100 degree days. Rusty's done a great job of planning out our stops and making sure we have reservations; although it's late enough in the year that it seems like the only time the RV campgrounds fill up is on the weekends.

xoxo
Julie

P.S. For my techie friends, I've figured out that hooking up our hotspots to the wireless extender eats through our data plan so we've changed how we handle wireless access. Now we connect the extender to the campground wireless and use it for our computers and iPad's. We use our phone hotspots to connect to the TV's for media streaming.