Guest Author - Erin Lehn

We were headed east after spending a week in Yellowstone National Park. We chose to take the scenic route and leave out of the east entrance towards highway 14. Leaving the park was a steep ride down with too many sharp turns and constant adjusting of the trailer brakes. Needless to say, it was stressful experience. We just wanted to hurry up and make it to I-90 so we could arrive safely to our next destination in South Dakota.

After passing through the town of Lovell, the landscape became desolate. And even though the land appeared relatively flat, we were climbing steadily and soon couldn't drive over fifty miles per hour. We were towing our fifth wheel with our Ford F-350 Powerstroke Diesel engine, and it usually took climbing pretty well. Soon though, we saw a huge pass up ahead and decided not to even try going any further. The summit was over 9,000 feet in elevation, and since we were already driving so slowly, we decided to plan another route.

We saw a dirt road to the right and decided to back the rig onto the road so that we could turn around and head back to flatter land. As soon as we started backing it up, a steady steam of fluid started shooting out of somewhere in the engine. We got the rig off of the roadway and started to inspect. It didn’t look good. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully, we had our cell phone, and were able to switch to analog so we could call Good Sam Club's Emergency Road Service. Several hours later, we had Hanser’s Wrecker Company from Billings, Montana come to our rescue. The guys were really friendly and helpful. They towed our truck and the rig, drove us the three hours to Billings, and set us up in a nice RV park on the outskirts of town. And the best part? We didn't have to worry about the high costs of those towing fees. Can you imagine what that would have cost us if we didn't have that service?

That wasn’t the first time we were in a position where we needed to call Good Sam Emergency Road Service. It was probably the fourth time on our trip that we needed to call for help. When you are a full-time traveler like that, you are prone to having more problems on the road. On each occasion, we were given great customer service and prompt attention to our needs. Good Sam is networked with thousands of locations nationwide so that they can quickly connect you to a place that can help you with your RV.

We spent a week in Billings while we waited for a new transmission for the truck. We didn’t really have to be anywhere, so time was on our side and we just spent it exploring the area on our bikes. We are just glad that we had Good Sam Emergency Road Service in that instance. And for all of our future trips, we know that we will not leave home without it.