Work, Work, Work

Not on the bus this time, but a REAL job!

We spent the last few weeks just outside of Yuma, Arizona on some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land out in the California desert. We were only 8 miles from Yuma and only 3 miles from the Mexican border! Very peaceful, very sunny and warm, but sometimes very windy. And of course, no wi-fi. Which is part of the reason I haven't updated in such a long time. The other reason is that I've been very busy working.

"Working? But we thought you were retired!" Well, not quite. In order to make this work pemanently we need to have some cash coming in. So I went to look for a temp job in Yuma and found one at Penn Neon Sign Co.

Penn is owned by Perry Penn, the son of the founder who started the company after serving in WW2 in 1946. They employ about 17 people and are a full service sign company serving all of SW Arizona and SE California. I was a helper in the vinyl dept. under my new amigo Geraldo, a twenty-year veteran of Penn and really decent guy. Geraldo lives in Mexico and has to cross the border every day, which can take an hour and half each way!

I gotta say that everyone I worked with there was great. Perry is one of the best people I've worked for, very fair and straightforward. Ron Contreras is extremely knowledgeable about the business and I very much enjoyed talking with him. Carlos and Hebert (pronounced ay-BEAR) in the fabrication dept. went way out of their way at every opportunity to lend me a hand. I often felt like I was in their way but they made me feel very welcome on their turf. Javier and Ryan really helped me out with everything they could and I definitely had fun giving Rodney a lot of crap. Danielle had a lot of patience with me trying to figure out time cards and work orders.
I miss all of you guys and I hope to be back again someday!

While in Yuma we attended Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Pastor Kugler went my alma mater, Manitowoc Lutheran High School and knew my late uncle Eugene. We met many poeple there who knew some relative of mine, but we also found someone we knew from years ago when we live in Stoddard, WI. Ralph Proksch and his family went to our church there when he was involved in a car accident and almost died. They moved away to Apache Juction, AZ until a number of years ago when they moved again to Yuma. He is mostly confined to a wheelchair but is in very good spirits. We hope to visit with him when we return to Yuma.

Right now we are in San Diego, CA. After I left Penn, we went to a bluegrass festival in town (which would take a whole blog in itself) and drove out here for a few days. For a big city, it is absolutely beautiful. We spent an afternoon at Balboa Park and the whole next day at the San Diego Zoo which was wonderful.

Next, we will be going to Tucson, AZ after a short stop in Yuma.

Sorry for no pics, but we need to check out of our site by noon and it's almost 11:30. Hope to update more soon!

the Streets of Bakersfield

No, we're not back in Hollywood, we're in the hometown of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick. We are in Bakersfield, California. We checked into a very nice park called Bakersfield Palms. We are luxuriating with full hookups, a heated pool & spa and yes they do have palm trees! Lots of them. But the real draw is the citrus trees. I just can't believe how people in the south don't eat the grapfruit and oranges ripended in their own back yard. So we've taken it on ourselves to not let good food go to waste. The kids just love going to the trees and coming back with bags full of fruit. We all love eating them, too!

Some of you may not have been following our saga from the very beginning. I guess I'm just not sure where it started, either. It may have been when we started homeschooling. More likely it was when I just got tired of struggling through the long and bitter Wisconsin winters. We talked about relocating somewhere south but we had no idea where to start. Thats when we had the idea to travel first.

But how do we do it? Do we just travel for a while and come back? or make a clean break? Time to get educated. I found that if we were to become full-timers, we would not be alone. In this country there are probably over two million people who choose to make an RV of some sort their only home. And modern technology like e-mail and cell phones have only made it so much easier. Plus I should be able to find work along the way to pay the bills.

Finally we made the decision to go for it. We decided on a timeline that allowed for Hannah to graduate (she wanted nothing to do with the idea), to save some money and to put ogether some sort of rig to travel in.

But what kind of rig? It needed to be big enough for four people to live in comfortably. And definitely not too expensive. We didn't want to start out with debt. My first idea was a fifth wheel. They can be pretty roomy and the tow vehicle can be used by itself when the trailer is parked. Plus I found that second hand they can be pretty reasonably priced. The big problem is that while sometimes you may be able to ride in the trailer it's just not the same as traveling together in a motorhome.

But a class A motorhome big enough for two bedrooms (if you could find such a floorplan) would be way out of our little ballpark. Shoot, even the smaller class B's we saw were far too much. Plus they drink fuel like a sailor on furlough.

That's when I saw something that changed everything. On e-bay there was a converted bus. Not the hippie-jesus-freak school bus with peace signs and flowers painted on it (although many I've seen are really beautiful and school buses do make great conversions), this was full-blown highway coach. And it was beautiful and REALLY roomy. The whole idea of building our own RV really appealed to me, too. Those of you who've known me a while would probably understand that.

So I learned all I could about converting a bus, especially about which type would work for us. Unable to find any in the area (or even the state), I started shopping ebay. We found one in Des Moines and went to look at it:

It was a Setra from Colorado. It looked pretty good so we started bidding on it just before the closing. Just when it looked like we had it, though we were outbid at the very last second. (The guy later offered it to us at a small profit) We later found out that Setras really made poor conversions so it worked out.

Looking at all the models and talking with poeple who knew buses the one model they agreed was the best was the Eagle. They also commanded a premium even though they weren't made anymore. But in their day they were the Cadillac of buses. All the entertainers had to have them. They had a different suspension called torsilastic suspension. All other models use air bag suspension which give a kind of squishy ride and leans badly in corners. The Eagles corner flat and are legendary for their smooth ride. But I figured an old MCI would be cheaper and good enough for us.

Then one day I checked ebay and saw an Eagle that I thought might go cheap. It was a 1982 Model 10 with a recently rebuilt Detroit 6V92T and Allison 4-speed automatic transmission. It looked to be in really good shape, was in San Antonio, TX (no rust, I thought), had almost new tires (worth $500 each), THREE roof airs and even came with a diesel generator. So we bid on it just before closing and were the high bidder but we found that we were under the reserve. Next day though, the guy e-mailed me and said that we could have it for our bid. A cashier's check and a one-way ticket later I found myself in San Antonio.

Turns out the gentleman really needed the cash to save his house from foreclosure. His daughter is a Tejano singer (like Selena) and had a Sony Record deal, but her career wasn't taking off and she had gone back to her day job. He had gotten it from a Baptist church down by Houston and had only taken some of the seats out. The lettering, including the verse from Isaiah was still on it. As a bonus, he had already titled it as a motorhome. Which was a good thing, I later found, as otherwise I would have needed a CDL "B" to drive it home.

So after a mile-long driving lesson I drove the thing up to La Crosse.

I didn't learn until I got home that I had driven the entire trip without BRAKE LIGHTS!

LATER: The beast under the beauty's skin

WE MADE IT!

By now some of you thought we had probably fallen off the edge of the earth! Well, we haven't yet, at least until the "big one" hits "Shakeytown"(San Francisco to those of you in Loma Linda)!

That's right we made it to San Jose. The bus has been running flawlessly although slowly. She was built for the 55 MPH speed limit and although it can go faster she makes you pay dearly in fuel. She also doesn't like pulling a the car up and down hills either, as the all-day trip through the Salt River Canyon proved.

After our trip back in time to Weatherford, we stopped at the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK ("We're not very big we just think that way!")

We spent the next night at a Wal-Mart in Albequerque, NM. Woke up Sunday morning to see hot air ballons aloft just east of town. Got to AZ and toured the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert just before sundown. Stayed at a free campground just south of the park.

Next morning we started for Phoenix via the Salt River Canyon. Lots of climbs and descents, twists and turns. And stops to let the brakes cool. But a very beatiful drive.

Spent the next week at the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, just east of Phoenix. We did LOTS of hiking in the Superstition Mountains and along the Apache Trail. Mocha just like being outside, even though she couldn't go very far.

Got to see my Pop-Pop who's living in an absolutely beautiful care home while we were there, and visited with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Natalie in Scottsdale, who took us all out to eat- twice!

On the way out we thought we'd surprise Kenny. We turned off the highway and headed south. Passing signs that read "P.I.R" we wondered aloud "What could that be?" Someone suggested "Phoenix Indian Reservation". Well, this is what it was

Phoenix International Raceway hosts a NASCAR event every season. Even though we could'nt get in, Kenny just loved seeing it.

That night was spent at Quartzite, AZ where I met an elderly couple at the flea market the next day. They had just converted an old eagle bus and showed me the inside. That took so long we didn't leave till late and only made it Joshua Tree Nat'l Park (in CA) in time to set up camp. The park is bigger than the State of New Hampshire, but they couldn't build a campsite bigger than a postage stamp. So we stayed at a free BLM site just outside of the park for that night and the next. Saved 30 bucks, too! We drove to Thousand Palms/Indio in the morning to do laundry and shopping. Went into the park the next day and did a lot of hiking on HUGE boulders and then climbed a 5700 ft mountain. Boy were we pooped! We decided to move closer to L.A. so we could get an earlier start in the morning and beat the traffic. Stayed at a Wal-Mart in Beaumont, CA, just east of LA.

Well there were still plenty of drivers looking for Sunday morning deals just before Christmas. But we did find a spot to park in Hollywood and went for a hike on the Walk of Fame.

Got this guy to pose for me... who do you think he looks like? Shoulda got his autograph!

Kenny's highlight of the day:

Driving down Sunset Blvd:

You shoulda seen the looks we got driving a bus through Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills!

Tha night we stayed at a campground just north of Malibu across the road from the Ocean. The next day we discovered another camground right on the beach so we spent our next night there. Just happened to be Christmas Eve. Even had a campfire.

Kenny went sand/snowbording, too!

The next day we left for San Jose. After driving ALL DAY we made it to Palmer's campus and parked for the night. Next day, Jake checked with security and he said we could stay until school starts! We moved stuff into Jake's new place and did some shopping. Thursday, we drove up to San Francisco. Saw the Golden Gate Bridge, ChinaTown and the Crooked Street:

Today was just taking care of some business, (like blogging), and resting. Tomorrow we may go into downtown San Jose or maybe to Monterrey. Sunday we'll be going to Jake's new church. Then we may stay here a couple more days but no more. It's kinda cold here. Only highs in the 50's!

Keep Checking back!

Well On The Way

After a shaky start with the alternator belts, we got on our way Tuesday late morning. Made it through the snow to Jake's in Davenport, loeaded up some of his stuff and spent a cold night in the Wal-Mart parking lot (the first of many).

Wednesday was bright and clear as we made our way south on I-55 on the way to Memphis, got as far as Cape Girardeau, MO, coincidently the hometown of Rush Limbaugh. Again, Wal-Mart accomodations.

Next morning we traveled the rest of the way to Memphis, TN; home of the blues, birthplace of rock and roll. As many of you know, I am the world's biggest Johnny Cash fan, so of course we HAD to make the trip to Sun Records.

Me hamming it up with an actual mic that Elvis and Johnny Cash recorded with, standing on the very spot Elvis recorded his first song.

You can even rent the studio for only $85 per hour. Tour guide said three guys took three hours and just drank beer and listened to Johhny Cash songs a couple years ago. Wish I'd been invited.

Left Memphis late and pulled into another Wally World Hilton 20 miles west of Little Rock, AR that night.

Today we made it to Weatherford, OK, where my sign career began 25 years ago and where Judy and I made our first home. We stopped at Kaiser Sign Co. to find Cindy there. Cindy is Vernice Kaiser's daughter and she was working there 25 years ago when I left! I had expected everything to be different but to my amazement it was as if I had never left. Everything was exactly the same. I kept looking around and finding things I remembered from a quarter-century ago. Like a time warp. Vernice is 74 now and is trying to take it easy, but the work is still there. He and his wife Mary Lou have been trying to sell the shop, but no one has been able so far to follow through. I'll try to see him tomorrow.

The rest of the town looks really different although there are some landmarks that remain. Like the Sonic Drive-In. And the Wal-Mart. Which reminds me I need to get to sleep.

Will catch up later!

Up N' Running

Another learning experience with KR (Katrina Rose) yesterday.

Waited until about 11am to hear from Nelson so I just called and talked to Keith. He told me that Shane had the dryer repaired right away but there was no power to the heater for it. Had already spent quite a bit of time tracing the wire. So I got my laptop (which contains the repair manual) and headed down there with the car and the dolly thinking we could get this done and just leave from there.

Well the manual I have is basically worse than having no manual at all. It was scanned poorly and is incomplete. It had us looking for a cicuit that simply doesn't exist! So we finally gave in and Shane ran a new circuit. Had it done in just a few minutes, wrote up the info for billing, and took off for lunch. When they totalled it up, they found that Saturday's road service wasn't on there and we had to wait until Shane got back. Just when we got that info, their computers went down. We waited a total of four hours just for a bill. We decided that we were spending another night at my folks and stopped at my brothers place on the way.

Right now I'm folding laundry and waiting for everyone to get up. But I'm watching the weather and six inches of snow is expected directly across our route to Davenport. This state just won't let me go!

"This is Why..."

...was a phrase often repeated the last couple of days. For good reasons and bad.

Saturday started out just fine, with clear weather and a good night's sleep in my parents' driveway in Two Rivers, the town where I grew up. We unhooked the car and tow dolly, cleaned up the inside and prepared to take the bus to Judy's sister's house a few miles north of Mishicot. Along for the ride were our daughters Mindy & Hannah, Mindy's boyfriend Andy, and our son Jacob. Son Jordan didn't make it over because of mechanical problems.

By the time we got started the six inches of snow that was promised started coming down. No problem, though. The old Eagle handled the snow pretty well. Besides it was so cold the roads weren't really slick anyway. Well, by the time we got to Mishicot, the front air guage was falling. Fast. I just pulled over to the curb when the parking brake self-applied. Great. Judy called her sister and let her know that we would not be there for a while. I let her know "This is why we need to get out of this Wisconsin weather!"

So there we sat, not knowing what to do. But not for long. A guy came over from across the street asking if we needed help. He said the air line was probably frozen and we needed to add some de-icer. He invited me into his home,introduced his family and dialed a friend of his to get some advice. Then he asked if the rest of us wanted to come in to get warm while they waited. I thanked him and assured him that we would be fine and that we have all we need on the bus. I thought to myself, "This is why we are doing this, to meet new folks like him."

By the time I walked back to the bus, three of Judy's brothers and one brother-in-law had showed up to help. And help they did. We called a place Bob suggested, and piled into Ron's van to get some de-icer. After trying that for a while we called Nelson Truck and asked them to come out to help. In a very short time, Shane showed up and got to work. He was awesome. He crawled around underneath and between the frame and wheels of that bus like I've never seen. And that with the snow and wind and cold. It was all I could handle to just hold the flashlight for him. Well, he just would not give up. he tried everything, but the lines just wouldn't thaw. After about three hours working in the dark, it was time to call a tow.

We called Hwy 42 Towing. Kathy was very nice but said that all the trucks were busy on I-43 with the storm and it may be Sunday before they could send a tow. She asked if we needed transport for all my passengers, but I told her that it wasn't a tour bus but a bus conversion to a RV. She later called back and told me that because it would have to be a special tow (a bus has to be lifted from the back or the driveshaft pulled) it would not be until at least Monday before they would come out. She was very concerned that we would be alright but I assured her we had heat and everything we need on the bus and we'd be fine. We figured to have it towed to Nelson's and Shane went home. The kids got picked up to spend the night at my folks and Judy and I prepared to spend the night on the bus.

Well, we really had a great time. There was a Subway restaurant two doors down and they let us use the restroom when we needed to, and we had dinner there. Everyone we met in town was so friendly and accomodating. We got up the next morning, had breakfast at the Subway, and went to church only two blocks away. "This is why..."

When we came back we decided to try starting the bus and see if the lines had thawed on their own. The temps were above freezing and I called my dad to bring his torpedo heater to help. Well, it worked. The woman whose building we were parked in front of was out shoveling the sidewalk and said "Aren't you glad now you went to church?" Really nice gal. Turns out she remembered me from a place I worked at for 3 months 25 years ago. And my dad did some brickwork on her house. Small world. Called Shane and he opened the shop for us so they could work on the air dryer Monday morning. We came back to my folks to visit with my brother and his family and spent the night here.

Today we are just waiting for the call from Nelson and we'll take the car down there, hook it up and be on our way. We hope to get to Jacob's house in Davenport tonight. We'll be loading up some of his stuff to take to San Jose and he'll follow us out there.

Wish us well, It may be a while before we update again, possibly not until we get to CA. Talk to you then!

Catching Up

First, I have to apologize. With all the packing and moving and giving stuff away and closing on the house I haven'thad the chance to update.

Wednesday's party went off better than I had hoped. What a great blessing to have known so many friends. Some pics:


First pic are some of the neighbors who were the first to show:




Next are more neighbors

The proud new owners:

More friends

Rodger doing some bonding:

Apologies to the many I did not get pics of. I was way too busy enjoying all of your company. Thanks to all!

Thursday some dear friends took us out to Judy's favorite restaurant- Fiesta Mexicana on the south side of La Crosse.

They started homeschooling their son at the same time we started homeschooling Kenny & Gretta. Their son and Kenny are the same age and are the best of friends.

They gave Kenny something he would really like but I would NEVER give him: A Minnesota Vikings cap!

I guess I'll have to allow it on the bus.

Garbage day:

Many thanks to Hilltopper Refuse. They picked up literally TONS of trash from in front of our house over the last few months. Sometimes the garbage lined the street from the driveway to our neighbor's property line. Once it took them almost half an hour to load it all.

Friday was closing day. Went very well, no surprises. Congratulations Suzy & Wes! Hope you enjoy the house and the neighborhood as well as we have.

Left town that day and made it over to my folks in Two Rivers without too much trouble. Except for being pulled over near Forest Junction. Seems the lights on the car and the trailer were out. Just turned the lights on in the car and it was OK, but the battery was completely dead when we arrived.

Will catch up on the weekend tomorrow.