Pacific.

Roads to the other side

Passage through Wyoming. Big Sky country.

 Highway 85, a windy one lane journey through the mountains 

 and then, just like that…. it was flat

Snowed in. Repaired out. 

So when you buy an old Bus, you have to expect that there will be some repairs along the road. Who knew there would be this many!! After our stint in Elkheart, Indiana, we were crusin' along. "Hammering down" at a good clip as my Dad would say. We made it into South Dakota where Nate learned how to replace fuel filters as well as some colorful new language! Having sat for so long, our fuel tank has grown algae so its a constant battle to stay ahead of it. Armed with new knowledge and a few extra filters, we headed into the sunset…

We got as far as Rapid City, when all hell broke loose. Mind you, the bus is no pleasure cruise. Its bumpy, smelly and loud enough that Nate and I generally don't talk until parked (plenty of productive daydreaming happens during this time). So, as we pull into Rapid City to get new tires put on (thank you J&K!!) we were alerted to the extreme more-than-normal bumpiness that still persisted and had grown worse since our tire change. Anyways, long story short we spent the whole day in another garage getting all fixed up and all poor. The joys of home ownership! As the hours ticked by in the waiting lounge, the impending doom of a blizzard got closer and closer. We thought that we could put a few night driving hours in and get ahead of the storm but as soon as we got back on the road, we quickly got right back off. The wind and rain were becoming so strong that we knew it would be nothing but bad news if we kept going. We decided that safest thing to do at that point would be to stay put until the blizzard passed. We found a Walmart and nestled ourselves behind the building to wait it out. 

This is what we woke up to…..

And then...

                    This happened!!

             

So here we are, hunkered down in a Walmart parking lot in Rapid City, South Dakota, for the

 next day or so. They are predicting 18-24" of snow!! Thank goodness for warm blankets, 

hot tea and good books. Hope you are all warm and snugly somewhere. 

This is where we'll be, held up in our hippie fort...

 

 

Sunrise. South Dakota

Find the real world, give it endlessly away,

grow rich flinging gold to all who ask. 

Live at the the empty heart of paradox. 

I'll dance there with you - cheek to cheek

-Rumi

Wisconsin. And two things they grow here.

Elkheart, Indiana

If Wapiti (Elk) shows up, it means: you're entering into a time of plenty, one where you'll have everything and anything you need. Call on Wapiti when you're involved in a project that requires considerable stamina and durability to see it though to completion. 

******

Alright, so we all could have guessed this was bound to happen….The bus broke down…. 

We were trucking' along nicely. Top cruisn' speed of 65 (70 going down a very steep hill) I had finally wrestled up the courage, and Nate the exhaustion, to take a turn behind the wheel. Driving a bus sure ain't as easy as one would think. You can NEVER take your eyes off the road, there is no texting, no fiddling with the radio, no eating and definitely no holding hands with your passenger. HA. Come to think of it, maybe the world would be a safer place if everyone drove a bus? So there I was, driving…

 I pulled off to take a little stretch in Elkheart, Indiana. Fueled the bus and ourselves up and off again we went. Well, almost. Just before we pulled out of the truck stop, GUSH went all the coolant. This is about the time that we found out our 'super premium premier AAA' policy does not cover the bus (since she is a "renovated bus" and not a manufactured RV") Major Bummer. Thankfully, being in the heartland of trucking country has its perks. Did you know they have Mobile Mechanics?! After calling a bunch of these fine people, we resided to the fact that no one was able to come rescue us until morning. So we had ourselves a little party we did. Propane got hooked up, a scrumptious dinner and apple crisp were made (with Champlain Orchard apples!) cocktails were had and two humans and one cat were all snuggled up in bed by 9pm1

Our angel of mercy showed up late morning to replace our water pump and within three hours of his arrival, we were back on the road. Would you believe that he had never even heard of apple crisp, let alone tried it! Well you know he drove away with a good dose of VT's finest. THANK YOU Jeremy! We like you a whole lot! 

So now here we are, rolling through Minnesota. Turning heads and causing accidents. Not really, but I fear we may one of these days. Everyone is so mesmerized by our front door. I pray they don't go texting or picture taking in those little cars of theirs. The world would be a much safer place if we all drove skoolies. Who's with me?!!

Pagoda, the Coyote

Love and Gratitude Soul sister and Warrior Mama. Thank you…

Gordon "Nateguy" Ramsey