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Well we got the Bust part right.
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So we started packing after the kids got home from school. Of course in our typical fashion it took way more time to pack than it should have. Like always Jason was fussing at me for packing too much. But we got it done, and ask a neighbor to feed the dogs for us. Off we went at 6:30pm. We headed towards Castle Rock. The plan was for me to run into Target, get some snacks and breakfast while Jason went and got gas. I am waiting in line to check out when Jason calls and says that the bus has broken down and he is in the street, and can’t get out of the way of traffic. So I put the food up, and called a tow truck. Jason and the kids were down the street from Target so I walked to meet them. So we waited at the bus for the tow truck to get there. Jason had been able to get the bus off the street and onto the sidewalk. It actually didn’t take too long for the tow truck to get there. The only problem was that they could only take Jason in the tow truck. So the kids and I walked up the street to the A & W to get something to eat and wait on Jason. Jason got home and picked up the suburban and came back to Castle Rock to get us. Lucky for us it is only 8 miles from our house to where the bus broke down. This is the first time that the Bus has actually left us stranded somewhere. So we are home, and not going to Pike’s Peak this weekend we will try another weekend. Jason will spend the weekend trying to figure out and fix the bus. The kids were disappointed, but we will go another time. Jason has a theory that it has something to do with his Colorado license. He received his license in the mail today. Unfortunately it means that we will have to get the garage half way cleaned up so that he can pull the bus in to work on it. According to our home owners we can’t work on it in the drive way or the street. So i think that it will take most of tomorrow to get that done, then he can start to work on it.
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went somewhere you can see photos here

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So, for my birthday I couldn’t go home, the next best thing is totally camping however. What a great time to have our friends Jen & Chris and The Wicals. We were first going to camp elsewhere, but the snow was still enough that it was only partially open. 11 Mile State Park was the next location and it worked well. I arrived late at the lake where Troy and I spent a good hour trying to find where Chris had parked his vanagon, we finally found it and parked for the night. Next morning came early but appeared to be a beautiful day. The morning was spent just relaxing and making plans for possible adventures later that day. Chris and I took a quick excursion to scout out the top of a rock bluff where it looked like we might be able to take some photographs. Both of us had a good amount of huffing and puffing at this higher elevation, but we made it to the top. The top of that bluff was beautiful. We hung out there for a while before taking a different route to the bottom. Both Chris and I decided that it was too difficult of a path for the kids so the next trip would be adults only.

After lunch the guys picked up some water and camera gear and headed out to climb the bluff again. The climb was not bad and we were racing to get to the top before the sun really set down. After we arrived at the summit we just relaxed and waited for the sun to set. With the campground so barren it was amazing how quiet it was. After a bit we all set and took some photographs of the landscape. I think we would have stayed longer, but some dark clouds were rolling in and appeared to be heading towards us. We made it back down and just as we arrived at the camp the rain started to fall. We all took cover in our buses for a bit and it quickly blew over. The remainder of the night was spent hanging around our campfire and chatting. Everyone turned in and I slept quite well.

The next morning we all left the park back a long way that Jen & Chris took. The route was a great trip full of beautiful views of Pike and surrounding mountains. On the way back we all stopped to take a tour of the petrified redwoods near there. After the tour we all took a quick trip through Garden of the Gods park. I can’t wait to go back there, it’s quite beautiful.

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As the weather started to turn cold again the yearly cries from all over Tennessee and North Carolina became louder and louder. We want to camp! So starts the yearly excursion into the untamed wilderness at the coldest time of the year. Plans started rolling and soon the weekend was set. January 12 has got to be freezing, windy, and with mountains a good chance of some snow. Several weeks passed, and it was time to gather. The odd issue however was dealing with the extreme weather for this time of the year. Instead of packing in enough gear to safely camp at 0 degree weather, we all had to adjust to 50 degree weather with potential for rain. Strange, but true.

I decided to take Friday off this year from work and give me time to get to our rendezvous point early enough to enjoy it. I left Dickson about two hours later than I intended (which is typical for me) and got on the road. The bus ran great and before long I was rolling into Knoxville. I met with Chris and together we drove to pick up Jamie. As a side note Jamie lives in a neat historic area which I wish I would have had more time to visit, but we were men with a mission. Before leaving however I got to meet his family and two of his daughters. Both were a total joy but we were back on the road as quick as possible.

Naturally the interstate drive was long, but as soon as we turned off on the small highways the trip got a lot more enjoyable. Our two buses pushed through the mountains and before long, we pulled into Hot Springs, NC. Our cabin was located just right off the French Broad river banks, and we found it easily. Ric & Bobby had already arrived and I found myself enjoying the warmth of a roaring fire in minutes. With plenty of time until our hot tub appointment we set to the task of feeding ourselves. Various smells started to appear in our camp, all of which were quite delicious. Sitting and enjoying the fire we ate our fill, and then some. Andy also showed up at this time and the group was complete.

Hot Springs has been a destination for people for a very long time. At one time a huge bathhouse and hotel stood on the site, but in the 70′s it burned down. Now it is a much more spartan layout, however the same 105 degree spring water fills the tubs as it did at the turn of the century. We all piled in the bus and drove down to the springs. We waited just a few minutes and then followed our attendant up to our tub. We sat and talked about life, kids & jobs all the while enjoying the soak. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was over. Turns out we soaked for about an hour. Afterwards we all piled back in the bus and picked up where we left off around the campfire again. The remainder of the night was spent just having some male bonding time, telling jokes, stories and other assorted tall tales. Sometime late we all retired to the cabin. I hate that I didn’t take any interior photos of the cabin, it was a fantastic design that held six people fantastic. The last thing I remember was cracking the window to hear the music of the river rolling by.

I slept like a log and woke very refreshed the next morning to Ric reminiscing about some dream. I’ll let him explain that one, but I will say Charley Brown would have been proud. Before long we were cooking some breakfast and talking about our plans for the weekend. Rain was still in the forcast, and that cabin was certainly comfy. In the end however we make our plans to hike Max Patch and enjoy what mother nature had to offer. The group also got the opportunity to meet two ladies from Charleston (Emma & Kinnett) who were up for the weekend to relax. It was obvious they must have been dazed and confused from the spa treatment the previous night, because they asked for our suggestion of a good day hike. We described Max Patch to them and it seemed to be a good trip for them, so I showed them how to get there and we all parted ways.

The weather became more and more unseasonable as the skies opened up and we had beautiful weather. During the trip up to the Patch I realized I was just about out of gas, and made a mental note to mention that to the group when we left the next day. When we got to the parking lot we took the remainder of the spaces of a quite full lot. Looks like lots of people had already decided to take advantage of the weather and do a day hike. We unloaded our gear and did some last minute plans, talked for a few more minutes with a local shop outfitter who was dropping off a thru hiker. About this time a familiar SAAB turned the corner, so we waited a few more minutes for Emma & Kinnett who had just arrived. The consensus was to all hike up and make a large group. The hill looked daunting, and didn’t let us down. It was quite a steep assent from the parking lot. All of the savage group were loaded down, so we took a few breaks to catch our breath. I kept hearing an odd sound and never quite found it, however I think it might have been the girls laughing at us under their breath at how out of shape we all were
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It didn’t take long to make the summit. All sore legs were quickly forgotten as we all just soaked up the view and fantastic weather. While up there I walked with Ric & Jamie and found a geocache easily then made it back to the group. Those that were hungry fixed some lunch and everyone relaxed. There was a family up there from Charleston who had an amazing number of things in common with Kinnett so they jawed for quite a while. No complaints here, since the older grandmother of that group had the most fantastic Charleston accent I have heard. Kinda like going back in time. While up there we also took some group photographs and just soaked in the environment. Many groups of people came and went while we were up there. It was quite the spiritual place. As the day progressed the decision was made to start looking for a place to stay.

Our first thought was to hike about 5 miles to a shelter. We ditched that idea when we all realized that would require another 5 mile walk at night to come and do some star gazing. Everyone put their packs back on and headed down the trail. The down part was really nice as the trail was all downhill for many, many miles. A short while into the woods, Emma & Kinnett headed back in order to make it to the spa on time. It was sad to see them go as they added a fun dynamic to the group for conversation, after the fact I also realized I missed a chance to practice my portrait photography on two good subjects in a beautiful place, oh well. A short while after we found our campsite, and proceeded to make camp.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent finding a water source, and exploring the woods. As the sun set, stomachs started to grumble, so dinner was put on the stoves and prepared. A few hours later after enjoying the company around the campfire, Bobby suggested heading back up to the peak to view the sky, so we all grabbed our lights and headed back up the path. I cannot put into words the beauty of Max Patch after dark. It was quite honestly stunning. The entire group just lied on our backs watching the clouds blow across the hill. I was surprised how much light polution there was, but the site was fantastic. After some stretch of time we stood back up and headed back to camp. We spent the remainder of the night talking about the beauty of Max Patch and also (as normal) telling bad jokes. I was one of the last to retire but eventually did.
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I woke early, well before sunrise with the desire to make it to the peak again to watch a beautiful sunrise. Apparently I could not talk my body into getting out of the sleeping bag and rolled over back to sleep, dreaming of things that didn’t involve me getting out of my tent. A bit later I did get going and got to watch the sun crest over the distant mountains, so I did get to witness that work of art. Everyone seemed to be quite cheery so packing up the camp did not take any time. There was already some talk around the campfire of having another soak, so everyone agreed to have some breakfast then see if a tub was available. The hike out was beautiful with the warm colors of the sun lighting all the muted colors well. We arrived at the parking lot with a new challenge however. How to get my bus back to town to get some gas. We put our heads together and realized that there was at least a gallon of coleman fuel (just unleaded gas) among all of us, so it all went in the bus.

I spent the entire trip keeping a close eye on the gas gauge, but we did make it to the cafe for breakfast. We ate heartily and then did a bit of walking around the town. A quick phone call to the spa confirmed that we had an appointment for one more soak, hooray! As we arrived and gathered our towels I saw a familiar face. Apparently Emma had decided to have one more soak as well, so we all compared stories of our somewhat boring adventures and went our separate ways. That last soak was great, although not as good as at night. As our time expired everyone said their good byes and headed out. There was not one open gas station in Hot Springs on Sunday, so I had to pour a bit more fuel in the bus and cross my fingers. Chris followed me and I did make it to a gas station to put some much needed go juice in the TigerBus. The two buses continued home. At Knoxville Chris & Jamie turned off to their homes and I continued west. The bus ran good as always and I made good time. The weather held out for me with only a few periods of some showers. I arrived home to fine a family who were very happy their daddy/husband was home. I love that part.

Thanks to old friends for making this trip another fantastic excursion, and to our new friends, thanks as well for hanging out and letting me enjoy your company.

74755No not quite what you might think, but an addition anyway. This past weekend the boys took a road trip to Columbia, MO to pick up a 1964 Apache camping trailer. I managed to get a very good deal from a bus owner in Nebraska and via a series of hand offs it finally made it back home.

We had considered leaving Friday evening, but with temperatures dropping into the single digits and me being exhausted from several late nights, we decided to crash early and hit the road first thing in the morning. By 1:30am the boys were all on the road heading west. Most of the trip was uneventful however after turning onto I-64 a major head-wind kept the bus pretty handicapped. I didn’t even realize how much I was pushing it till we stopped just east of St.Louis and the oil light flickered. We also noticed many electrical utility crews that were all heading home after spending the week getting power back to MO from a major early winter storm that ground the state to a halt the previous week. After a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel and filling the oil, we headed off again.

Before long the bus was cruising past the sprawling city of St.Louis and into some very beautiful country of central Missouri. Most of the fields we passed were coated in a beautiful coat of white, with the sparse color of the drab brown trees or rocks just bearly breaking the monotone feel. As we drove I received a phone from our host D-Rick who made sure I had directions and was keeping an eye out for us. We arrived in Columbia with no problems and found his homestead easily. Right after pulling in I got to meet D-Rick in person. He also introduced me to a friend of his (who’s name I cannot remember) who was up for the weekend. We all spent a bit of time chatting, looking at his beautiful bus and watching the boys have a fantastic time in a snow fight. This amount of snow might seem small for most of you, however us Mid TN boys find anything more than 2″ a lot.120119

After easily hooking up the trailer, thoughts turned to food. D-Rick mentioned grabbing a bite to eat at a local pizza place, and we all agreed. Truth be told, not all agreed Stryder simply wanted a lunchable from Wallyworld, but we promised he would get it later. The easiest vehicle to ride in was D-Rick’s 66 passenger bus, so we all piled in and rode into town. My first impression of Columbia is quite nice. Just an overgrown college town that had a great feel to the place with lots of activity and neat places. Just a few minutes later, we found ourselves ordering some pizza and waiting for it to be cooked. Waiting was not a problem for the boys, who played a few games of pinball to kill the time. “Jason, Pizza’s ready” crackled over the overhead speaker, and I went to retrieve it. Pizza didn’t seem to kill the conversation and everyone proceeded to chow down. Stryder even helped when he was able to have a few slices of pizza as a “snack” and not real lunch. A young boy needs to save space for his lunchable after all. I sat, talked and ate to my hearts content with some very fun company. I also had a chance to soak up the ambiance of the establishment. Obviously a locally owned place mis matched chairs and tables were organized in a typical fashion around the many rooms. Some booths were scattered around, with a bar in the room adjoining us ready to serve drinks at a later hour. The dark and old brick wall had assorted items to add to the gruff feel. Drinks were served in plastic cups (which we got to keep) and instead of napkins, everyone was given a washcloth. While dining a group of college students entered with some familiar greek letters on their clothes. Apparently the local chapter of Delta Tau Delta were also going to have a bite to eat. I introduced myself as an Epsilon Alpha alumni and then moved back to chatting and eating.

We eventually made it back to the house and then said our goodbyes. Next stop was Wal-Mart to supply up for camping. D-Rick had suggested staying at Graham Cave State park just an hour or so east. It sounded like a good idea and we headed east. As we arrived at the park, it was a very hilly section of the state and the roads were quite steep. Fortunately the state had seen fit to clean the paths so travel was not an issue. We drove directly to the campground and near the restroom house saw a cluster of three deer. They quickly scurried off and we circled the park and picked our spot. We were not completely alone, but one other small group were camped out as well. The remainder of the night was spent cooking and playing checkers. No body wanted to enjoy the fire I had started, so I let it die down, and we all went to sleep early. Before sleep though I made the boys get out and look up at the start. I have not seen as many and as bright of stars since our trip out west in ’05. The trees somewhat blocked our view, and we went to bed.120147

The next morning we woke and started to pack. It didn’t take long with just three young men to pack. Within the hour we were pulling out the park and on to St.Louis. I had really wanted to see the Anheuser-Busch brewery, but were were a good hour or so early. The boys were up for visiting the Arch one more time so we made a detour to visit it. We packed in nearly the exact same spot as a few years ago and walked the long abandon street to the Arch. There were hardly anyone milling around, and it seemed nearly deserted. Fortunately for us there were rangers on duty and things were functioning normally. I didn’t want to spend the extra money to ride the elevator again, so we walked around the museum for about an hour and looked at the many exhibits. The anamatronics impressed Stryder the most and Wyatt liked the movie that covered how Lewis and Clark funded their famous expedition. About the time their attentions were waining we left to find the brewery.120171

I only had an address and vague idea of were to go. A quick U-turn and were were putting down a residential neighborhood that had been around for many, many years. Suddenly we came to the end of the rainbow, or perhaps the Mecca of Beer. For as large of an area as the brewery is, it certainly was quite hidden from us till we were right on top of it. I parked the bus away from everyone because of our trailer and as we walked the parking lot both of the boys covered their noses from the potent smell of fermenting yeast. The tour was schedule to start in about a half-an-hour so we took the time to look at all the neat history and gift shop that was available to view. The tour started with a trip to the Clydesdale stables where I was quite astonished by the time and money spent just for a “horse house”. The remainder of the tour was all down hill through various stages of the brewing of beer and some tid bits of history. I had a great time and the boys both either were entertained, or they simply behaved fantastic. During the tour I realized we had a “star” among us. Steve Valentine from the TV show Crossing Jordan and his (I assumue) wife were on the tour as well. Kinda neat watching them just hang out as normal slobs like the rest of us. After the walking tour, we headed to the Budweiser courtesy room for some free beer. I had a glass of 5 day old Bud, and a Rock-something or the other. Both were quite good, and I enjoyed them. The boys, being a few years shy of the minimum drinking age had Pepsi. We just hung around for a little bit, and during that time Stryder managed to spill his drink. We cleaned up, hung around some more and left. One the way out I picked up a bottle opener for the bus.120177

Getting out of St.Louis took a bit of work. I followed the signs to I-55, but apparently none of the signs indicated that I could only get on one way. Yet another u-turn and a few zig-zags in downtown later we were on the Interstate heading east. The new trailer pulls with little work and it was easy to forget it was back there. The route home was the same as we took to get there. Nothing eventful, and we arrived back home in time to visit and show off our new trailer.

Pictures of the trip are here

The third annual “HeMan Woman Haters Club” campout was a blast. Nothing better than quality time with old and new friends alike. Thanks to Ric and Pam for putting us up for a night. We camped at a campground at Doll Flats which is directly on the Appalachian Trail. Beautiful country.

Friday was spent with the troops gathering at Rics house. Naturally I was the last to arrive and was greeted with smiling faces, pizza and cold beverages. The night was spent telling some jokes and stories around a campfire outside then retiring to the floor. Moring came quickly but Slay was nowhere to be found. Lots of discussion ensued about theories of where he might be. Nobody remembered him leaving. Eventually we actually got up and looked for him, and discovered he just spend the night in Lurch outside. With that aside we all packed up in the Astro van to drive to Bobs Dairy Land for some good greasy breakfast. At Bob’s we expected to meet up with the other local, Bob. As the impatient lot we are waiting proved to be more than we could handle. Soon we were back on the road hunting him down.

Not finding him at the trailhead we went back to his homestead and found him grinning in the driveway. (Bobby grins a lot) He loaded up in his truck to put at the end of the trail and we headed off. Before long everyone was in the van heading up our last paved road to the trailhead. Lively and talkative, we sat and watched the scenery pass by. Suddenly the van lost traction on a bit of frozen road. Ric expertly handled the situation with a controlled slide backwards to a stop. With heartrates up a bit we piled out and I managed to get my gear run over a bit as Ric turned the van around. Nothing damaged, we all loaded gear up and started the long trek up the hill. This proved to be quite a chore with a road that was little more than a sheet of ice, but as experienced campers we plunged on.

Everybus 2005

Ahhhhhh! Spring is in the air, last minute bus projects not nearly done, kids
driving parents up the walls. Must be time to kick off the bus camping season.
Unfortunately this year I was only able to get off for one day from work so a
late night drive was required to make it at any decent time. Just days before I
finished the hitch needed to mount my new single wheel trailer to the bus so
this would be it’s first outing as well.

Troy Wical was on his way from Colorado, but I expected that he would be quite
further on the trip than we were by the time we left. However around the time
we started to get packed on Thursday night I received a call from Troy. Turns
out they were quite close to us and stopping by. A bit later his double cab and
family roll into the driveway. A bit of discussion and we decide to all take a
quick cat nap before heading out. By 2:45 am everyone was buckled in and ready
to go, so the trip officially began. As we approached Nashville a casual voice
came over the CB from Troy, “looks like you just lost your cot”. ??????? So
much for that. We pulled off to the shoulder and walked back expecting to see
30 pieces of something that once resembled a cot. To my surprise it only
suffered some road rash and was completely fine. Just to be on the safe side we
stowed it in the DC and continued on.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful with no major (or minor) mishaps.
Stopped in Knoxville for breakfast and coffee. I also exchanged my new GPS
which didn’t work out of the box for one that did work. Cool toy, I geeked out
with it the rest of the weekend. Other than nearly being involved w/ a semi
pileup on I-40 in Greensboro we pulled into Hagan-Stone around 3ish, and
started to setup camp. Ric and Slay had saved us some room next to the pavilion
so that is where we started. After the necessary hour of playing musical buses
trying to fit them all in place we settled on an arrangement that worked, and
proceeded to drink from red cups. As soon as the sun went down so did the
temperature. Between the very gusty winds and the temp it got COLD. Real
freakin’ cold. I think someone said 37.

Before socializing the heater situation was explored. We had 5 buses that all
had some sort of electric heaters, but only one plug. An arrangement was struck
that provided heat for anyone w/ kids, but left others out. Next year I will
bring a propane mr. buddy just in case, as I was left out in the side tent
while the rest of the family was in the bus under an electric blanket. Better
than trying to squeeze 6 people in a std westy bed though. The rest of the
night was spent visiting old friends, attaching names with faces and general
“shooting the breeze”. Got to meet Rob Laffoon finally who gave me some great
tips about traveling to Yellowstone this summer. I finally crashed around 1:30
with lots of people still up.

The morning brought light into the tent, but nary a bit of heat. The wind was
still quite strong, but I managed to wake from my slumber to take on the day.
The FMBC came through as usual with fantastic breakfast burritos, although I
feel a bit horrible since I didn’t get a chance to help out. Olivia had not
seemed herself the previous week and continued to feel bad Sat morning. I spent
most of the morning trying to comfort her and get her to sleep. I did however
get a few small chances to see all the kids enjoy the second year of the moon
bounce. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful in talking Steph in participating int
he campout competition that Greg Potts put on, and had to pass on it. The kids
also got to participate in a art contest. I didn’t get much of a chance to see
the artists at work, but sure loved the final products. Now that I had my GPS
I wanted to go geocaching, and knew of a cache in the park. Me and the kids as
well as Troy and child in tote all struck off trying to find a cache located
.88 miles from us. It was quite a hike for the kids, but in the end we found
it. This was my first cache find, and loved it. We were the fifth group from
Everybus to find it that day, so next year I might setup a scavenger hunt for
the cachers.

We made it back with no problems (but very weary children). I did miss watching
the camping competition though. I bet that was a lot of fun to watch. The rest
of the afternoon was spent looking for parts I needed and helping collect money
for the type2/vintagebus 50/50 raffle. As the day progressed the chili started
to cook throughout the camp. This created quite a nice aroma to try and peddle
tickets in. Thanks to everyone who bought in. This type of thing always helps.
MUD and his international group of judges began to see who made the best EB
chili this year, and as time approached for the dinner it became apparent that
the entries this year used quality instead of quantity. Steph and I had already
decided to cook solo this year, which was a good thing this time around as
there really wasn’t enough to feed everyone as hearty as in years past due to
less entries in the contest. Hopefully next year this will strike a chord and
everyone will bring something for the dinner.

Following dinner the award ceremony began. Our host Chris started to give out
door prizes for the lucky winners, and IIRC Bruce won the T2 raffle and took
the cash. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and after that we were treated
to some good bluegrass music. It’s a good thing I like it, because we were
right next to the band. The remainder of the night was spent sitting around and
enjoying the company. I tended to move from campfire to campfire and didn’t
stay any place real long, but had a great time visiting with everyone I met. I
turned in around 12ish and slept pretty sound.

Sunday morning was spent tearing down camp and trying to say bye to all the
people that were much quicker packing up than we were. Finally around noon we
had everything stowed. I finally found John Y right before leaving, and got to
chat for a few minutes (sorry John had to get moving). We carabused back with
Mike D, Travis, Eddie, Slay, Troy and Ric. When 421 left I-40 we split. The
trip was pretty uneventful until our Marion stop. We said our byes to Troy and
went to leave. Got in the bus and nuntin’. Engine would not turn over
what-so-ever. Messed with it a few minutes, but could not get it to start.
Relay clicked, but still no sound from the starter/solenoid. We ended up having
to tow start Butch because I was pointed uphill with no room to back up. After
getting it started she ran fine. We drug the Slaymakers to Hardees for some
good greasy food and parted ways after dinner. Had to keep the bus running at
stops so I didn’t have to push start it. With Steph taking the wheel for the
last 50 miles we pulled into the drive around midnight. Everyone was exhausted.
We rolled out of the bus and managed to drag all the kids to bed.

Fantastic trip like always. Bus ran great. I used about a quart of oil over the
trip and drove roughly 900 miles. I noticed an increase in vanagons this year
(especially syncros) and what seemed to be a reduction in the number of
eurovans. Splits and bays seemed about the same. Weather was a mix of near
freezing night temps with incredible day temps. All in all a great time.

Buses on the River 2004

“I double dog dare you” —
Those words were spoken to me, errr make that typed, Just a few days
before BOTR this year. I had decided I was going to go but the rest of
the family was up in the air. Rather quickly after this it was decided
that if I did go I was sure not going to leave Steph and all four kids
for an entire weekend. So as late as Thursday me and the three kiddos
were slated to appear for some fun and foolishness at the river. However
after Chris Thomas dared us to bring the three week old Olivia, we sure
couldn’t turn away from that. Our street credit could be in jeopardy for
such a horrible backing down of wills, and we sure couldn’t stand that.
By Friday it was definite that the entire clan would be making the trip
to Erwin.

Last year we left town after work, but arriving after dark to the
campground is a pain at this site. Lots of trees make quite a task of
trying to pick out the perfect spot, so we decided to go the sleep
early, leave early method. I was to meet Daniel (who was making the trip
so he could swap out his vanagon with a bay window) east of Nashville
around 2am. As usual it took longer to load up the kids than planned,
so we rolled out of the driveway at 1:30am sharp. Just as I was pulling
onto the highway, I get a call from Daniel who has already reached our
rendezvous point, but was leaking quite a bit of oil. We modified the
plan to just keep in contact and try and meet somewhere on the road. He
as slowed down by making sure he stooped every now and again to feed it
oil. I should have been able to over take him in a few hours.

Mother nature decided that a wet drive would help keep the kids quiet,
so we drove in rain nearly the entire way, but had to slow down a decent
amount to safely travel in some heavy down pours. We finally managed to
catch on the coat tails of Daniel and stayed even for the rest of the
trip on I-40. A few stops to check oil and stretch later we reached I-81
and took another stop, to rest and let the kids stretch. Daniel and his
girlfriend were quite tired (having had no sleep) and made a change of
plans to simply meet the other bus owner at that exit to swap out
vehicles. We left them there to rest until the meeting. I tried my best
to talk him into camping with the rest of us, but I’m not a great
salesman, and he had family in the area he really wanted to visit.

The drive up 81 was quite normal. You know 65 down hills and slower up
them. We took the JC connector to get to Ewrin and then decided to pick
up a few more supplies at the local Super K-mart. Apparently the “Super”
part of the name only indicates that two register lines will be open
instead of the standard one. Steph spent quite a while in there, but
Olivia was certainly not happy. However, as a nice bonus if you start
the bus and drive she immediately quiets down. Many laps of the parking
lot later Steph emerged from the K and we pushed on. As we neared the
end of the trip I was having quite a chore getting up some of the hills,
and was starting to sweat it. Fortunately it was simply a pretty severe
head wind, which let us pass after it must have decided to give the old
bus a break. Finding the campground this time was much easier in the
daytime.

Just as the burritos were finished up we arrived. Like everyone else the
campground patrol pounced quickly to pay up. As I started to look for a
place I found Ric who had saved us a prime spot. We were greeted quickly
from Chris, Jenn and Bryce (the 2nd youngest camper there). It was
really nice to see him in person. Quite the future moonie. The rest of
the morning was spent setting up camp and letting the kids run wild.
After the family all had a spot to crash for the night later I set about
showing off Olivia to whoever would listen. Visited with old friends,
and met a few new ones as well. As the day wore on, the rain we managed
to trick on our trip managed to find us. The camp quickly went into
“tarp” mode and everyone simply moved conversations to covered areas.
Later after a bit of prodding from Ric, I spent some time floating down
the river. It was much calmer this year, but very enjoyable. The sun
even managed to peek out from some clouds.

A fun ride on the farfrumfloatin back to camp awaited us at the end of
the journey.The Tootsie managed the kids games again and everyone that
participated in it loved it. All the kids were given fun prizes as well.
A bit later the award ceremonies started. Lots and lots of door prizes
and the awards. Our family was even given “Sit’s lowest in the water”
award. Something about having six people in a little 66 split. Thanks
guys what a great award. As Brad, Dawn, and Ric set to making real
supper, I fixed some good salty SPAM burgers. Yea, sure turn your nose
up at it, but I like it. The rest of the night was spent just enjoying
the company of friends, and trying like crazy to get that darn fire to
stay lit. We eventually gave up and since I was running on very little
sleep I joined the rest of the family for some R&R.

Sunday morning we woke to a picture perfect cool morning. Fixed some
coffee and ate some pop-tarts. We started to slowly tear down camp and
pack up. All the while visiting with as many people as possible. Watched
MUD work on Rics engine to take a look at the jets. (BTW anyone know
what size engine needs a 120 main?). The mechanic duo got the jet
swapped out and back in quickly. Around noon we fixed a quick lunch and
took off. As a change of scenery we drove back on HWY 108. This path cut
through some beautiful land and as amazing as it is, was quite straight.
Unfortunately due to time we eventually had to travel on the big blue
lines from the map to get back home. Butch performed perfect as I have
come to expect from her and we made a very consistent 65mph back home.

As we are leaving the Cookeville area, my cell rings again. Turns out
Daniel has had a turn of bad luck and is now stuck on the side of the
road. Fortunately, we will be driving by his location in under 20
minutes. As I start to crest a small hill I see his new westy on the
side and pull over. I joked about how he should have come camping and
then I took a quick look at the engine. His ignition was just fine, but
the carb would not adjust at all. It didn’t appear that I could do much
for him there. He made a call to AAA and when he was able to confirm he
had a tow coming we left him on the side, so we could get the kids back
home to see if these three children covered in dirt were actually ours.
I got a call later that night that he and his girlfriend were able to
get back home with no problems (although a bit later than planned).
Hopefully he can get it sorted out quickly and get it back on the road.
Around 8:30 we rolled in to home and discovered that we had in fact
actually carried the correct kids home. Everyone hit the hay as quick as
possible.

Thanks to the TN Mech for another great weekend. I love going, Steph
loves it and the three kids definitely love it. I am happy to report
that the new addition also gives it the thumbs up. Lots of people came
up during the weekend talking about how hard it must be to travel with
this large of a crew. Truth is, we enjoy the fellowship and travel very
much and don’t consider it a chore at all. I can honestly say that
traveling and camping with this small group of people has been a
blessing in my families life.

Natural Bus 2004

With the impending addition to the family, Naturalbus has been slated as
our last bus event of the year for quite some time. I still hope to make
some later ones, but sure can’t promise things like that with a new baby
hanging around Since it was our last one we were all looking forward
to having a nice weekend, soaking up the sun and the amazing views that
Western (not West) Virginia has to offer.

Steph and the kids picked me up at work ready to go around lunchtime
Friday. We took off as quick as possible, to avoid getting hooked into
anything else at work. Took I-40 east (but what’s new here) until we got
close to Crossville. There the construction was in full effect and put
us about an hour behind schedule. Finally got out of that stuff and
headed on toward Knoxville, with no more stops. Around dinner time we
took a road break and had some burgers, then off we went again up I-81.
I have real mixed feelings for this road. It’s really a pretty
interstate, but quite hilly and heavily traveled by semi traffic. Being
fortunate on this trip, the semis were down in number this time. As we
made our way into Virginia, the threat of rain seemed to grow every
mile. I had been watching some clouds develop to our north most of the
trip, but it didn’t seem very menacing or dangerous. Apparently the
really mean clouds were hanging out over the hills.

As the sun set and the rain started everyone reminisced about our last
trip to Naturalbus where it rained nearly the entire trip up there. By
this time the truckers must have finished the meat and three at the
stops and were back on the road in force. Always nice to share the road
with some of those guys on a rainy, hilly, dark interstate. After the
constant companionship of these fellows, I was sure glad the trek was
near the end and we pulled off the interstate to some more bus friendly
highways. Fortunately we knew the way, so finding the campout was easy.
I pulled into a soaking wet campsite around 12:30 and found Mark
cowering under the front porch (just kidding, he was hanging with his
wife). I made a quick walk around the camp to find a site, and got a
chicken wing shoved in my face. I took care of that problem as quick as
possible and wish I could have stayed around for more, but the family
was waiting for me in the bus.

I couldn’t really find a good spot in the rain, but recognized Jamie
Auch’s hightop, and pulled in next to him. We immediately sat to getting
ready for bed. This proved a bit harder to do than usual. Only things
that couldn’t get wet stayed inside, but that added up in a hurry, and
since we didn’t have a definite location for setup I didn’t want to
setup the side tent. A bit later we settled on getting most of the stuff
pushed out of the way and got settled. If you think those westy beds are
small for two people, try 2 adults (1 is pregnant) and 2 three year
olds. Wyatt was lucky and got his child cot location, but everyone was
packed. We actually had to sleep feet to head just to be able to fit.
Not a comfortable arrangement, but it was better than just getting soaked
in the rain.

Sometime in the night the rain stopped and we woke to a somewhat cool
moist day that seemed to be just brimming with adventures to be found. I
spend the early morning moving the bus over so I could setup the tent
and setting up camp. While working on the my fellow Moonies were working
hard cooking breakfast burritos. The remainder of the morning between
eating and setting up camp was spend telling the kids no First thing
Wyatt did was hook up with Tanner, and the two remained mostly
unseperated the rest of the weekend. After breakfast we went down the
the campground pond to play in the sand. The kids slowly got wetter and
wetter, before I knew it they were running in and out of the pond, to
become completely soaked to the bone. Since I had obviously lost my
parenting skill of keeping them dry, I went ahead and let them play for a
while before lunch. Lunch came and I had to drag many unwilling kiddos
up from the water to try off before the kids activities. The sun had
finally made its appearance by now and the day was looking fantastic.

The kids had a great time making bead necklaces and key chains in the rec
center. While the adults watched and threw some help when needed. Armed
with cool beads the kid krew launched another assault on the pond. this
time Steph had the bright idea of actually putting them in bathing
suits. While the kids played the Hillbilly Puttputtputt tourney was going
on. I didn’t play this year, but it was quite the turn out. Lots of
people playing for Ronald McD’s house. I spend the remainder of the
afternoon sitting and talking while the kids played on the beach. One of
those present was none other than Chris Cybulski, who was on a mission
to disprove the theory that he never leaves NC on bus trips. Also
showing off his nice new EV with bling (chrome) rims, that unfortunately
don’t spin As dinner approached the quest for the best pasta at
Naturalbus was in full swing. Everything smelled fantastic everywhere
you walked.

The judges did their thing and opened the flood gates to the public. We
did our best to devour all forms of high carb food, and it sure looked
like everyone was happy and stuffed. With the threat of rain the DJ
didn’t want to have his gear get wet, so the beach party/award ceremony
was moved indoors later that night. I visited around before the award
ceremony and helped with kid duty till that time.

Every conversation I had that evening usually had a story of what we
would do with the tye-dye engine that Mark had brought for the raffle,
So everyone was quite excited to see who would take that beauty home. At
the awards the campout prizes were handed out to some well deserving
folks. And the door prized were spread around. Lou won some cash in the
50/50, and my camp neighbor Jamie won the 1700 engine. The remainder of
the entertainment was a group of people hula dancing. During the
performance somehow I managed to get selected to share the stage with
some other campers. I didn’t feel too bad since Hula Lou was gonna be
center stage. I did my best to shake my money maker and had a great time
acting like a fool. After the dancers were done I headed back down the
the camp to help out with the kids.

Steph and the twins hit the hay early, but Wyatt and me were all around
the camp chatting. I spent most of the time at the fire chatting and
having a really nice time visiting with those I had not seen yet. I
turned in 12ish and had a much nicer sleep than the previous night.
Sunday morning we woke to fix some breakfast and then break down camp.
This took a lot longer because lots of people I had missed Sat were
milling around and I chatted a lot. We eventually got ready, and decided
at the last minute to pass on the carabus, so we could get home before
2am for once. The trip home was uneventful. We just drove and stopped
when we needed. Had lunch in a Cracker-Barrel parking lot picnic style
and enjoyed the rest of the weather on the way home. Pulled into the
driveway around 10 ready to crash in bed.

This campout is a great time. Lots of stuff to do and see, all in the
beauty of nature. We’ll be there next year for sure. Congrats for the
Naturalbus team for raising over $1000 for the McDonald house.

We took a Memorial Day trip up to Picket State Park and had a great time. You can see the trip report.