There's Always Tomorrow ( michael )

There's Always Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day we go to Tucson, AZ to see/pick up our new "to us" MCI bus. To do the deal. As you have read, we are looking forward to the day as it will change our lives in ways we haven't even thought of. As we prepare for our new family member, we wonder which route to take. Should we take 1 to 2 years and totally convert the bus so all the comforts of home are at our finger tips? Or, should we throw in the basics in the next 3 months and enjoy the USA and complete the project while on tour? We are asking all who read our posts to ponder these questions and give us your point of view, and please ask your friends what they think. The pros and cons. We can use all the help we can get. Whatever path, we can be sure, "There's Always Tomorrow." All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Bus Conversion Sites & Blogs "BUTS" ( michael )

Bus Conversion Sites & Blogs "BUTS" There are alot of them, at first glance. Some professional and some novice sites. BUT, when you take the time to look at them, there are only a few that are, in my opinion, helpful at best and then they are incomplete. I have found a site that offers the bible for bus conversions for $XX.95. It states that you can read it for free on line at said website, BUT, when you go there it says that you can read part of this guide from this date to this date, then this part from this date to this date, and so on. It would take you 6 mos. to get access to the whole thing. But, I said, "I'll give it a try". It takes time to convert a bus, BUT,there are no good links to the book, they just go nowhere. This is a professional site? The large bus conversion companies have some good bus stats and pictures, BUT no real conversion information. Now, this is not a bad thing. These guys want your biz. BUT, guys like me cannot afford their services so we have to fend for ourselves. The private sites have better results. BUT, I am finding them to be works in progress and incomplete. Some sites start out very descriptive with lots of photos, BUT stop cold after the roof gets raised or the inside gets ripped out. Some sites are very descriptive BUT have no photos that have anything to do with the information given. And I found sites that are quite the opposite. Some websites are just plain confusing with no real value whatsoever. I came upon a site that was very well put together with lots of links to other pages, BUT there is a statement on the front page, "I put the bus in storage until I have time to work on it". That was in 2006! I've found sites that state they have been working on their bus for 2, 3, 5 and even 10 years. TEN YEARS!?! This is not encouraging to me AT ALL! BUT, I also found sites that quickly put in the basics and hit the road within 3 months of buying their bus. BUT, then they are working on it while they travel. I can hear it now, "Is it done yet? Is it done yet?" Try listening to that everyday. Pros & cons for this one. Hmm, another topic to blog about. The bloggers and forums are very helpful on a case by case basis, BUT, you cannot go to a specific category. You have to search the months and years of archives and hope to get lucky. Or you can just ask the specific question and hope for the right answer. Basically start from scratch. If someone could bundle all this information into one user friendly site. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. I think all in all I have found just enough good information for a complete bus conversion. BUT, then again it may be just enough information to get us in alot of trouble. The internet info is still incomplete, BUT its coming along. You cannot find everything you need to convert a bus into a home in one place on the internet. BUT, with lots of research, I'm talking lots of time, you can find just enough to do it. OK, all BUTS aside. It seems to me that you need at least some skills in the building or the mechanics department and alot of time to learn how to convert those skills to fit your bus project. If you don't have some knowledge or someone to guide you, steer clear of the bus thing and buy a manufactured ready for the road RV. BUT, if you do have what it takes, you should find converting a bus one of the most fulfilling events one could experience in ones life time. From planning, buying, building, completing and then traveling with your new family member. It will be a dream, my dream, come true. No "BUTS" about it! All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Its a dirty job but, someone has done it (michael)

It's a dirty job but, someone has done it. I dread the up coming event, and yet I can't wait for it to start! The research hours (and I mean hours of it), should come in handy. I can only hope it goes smoothly. In every article it seems the bus owner goes through the 7 gates of h*ll before slaying the putrid beast. Time and time again I read the out cries to the experts, "Heeeeelp, I can't go on like this." Is there another *%@* strap somewhere? UNCLE, Tag me. Please, I beg of Thee!!! They explain how they are covered from head to toe in crud, blood and frustration while chanting vile verses that would make a sailor cringe. Did these brave and brawny soles venture into this nasty task willy nilly? No research? No clue? I picture them standing alone in the bottom of of the deep pit with skin leaking where shards of stainless have pierced. A smoldering Saw-All clutched in filthy blue tinted hands as a deluge of rain drops fall down upon the defeated soldier. He looks up into the heavens and simply screams, WHHYYYY?!? It has all the makings of a true nightmare. Off course I'm talking about the removal of the bus privy. The stainless throne fortress that holds all the remnants of human "squat and leave its". I salute all those who have gone before me. This should rank up there with crossing the equator, H*ll week in college, earning the Arrow of Light or Eagle badge. There should be an annual convention just for Rolling Chamber Pot Removers and a boot camp that fledglings, like me, could go and listen to the ones who have been there, done that!" The Masters" And maybe, bring home a "How To" manual. And, don't hold me for a $59.95 ransom please. Some things should be gratis. At the very least, this one. I stand tall before the Gods. Its my turn now. It has to be done. I will go, but I will go in armed with all the information and required weapons I can find to dispatch the honey pot beast. My forefathers, my Masters, will be guiding my hands as I endeavor to cut the crap. Excuse the pun. Wish me luck. Wait! I have an idea, "Oh, Honey. I need a big, big favor..." All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Getting back on track ( michael )

Getting back on track. With all of the bus drama going on, we haven't stopped down-sizing. Each week that trickles bye, Christi remains on the lookout for stuff. She ventured into the Munchkin's domain last week. I did not see her or him for a full day. I did see boxes and bags of stuff appear just outside the portal of the forbidden waste land. The realm of our 11 year old is a high-tech cluttered cave at the end of the hall that emits sounds of horrible explosions, intense flashes of light and screams of bloody murder. Being an ex-military man, I damn near hit the dirt on my way to the bathroom when the red hot lead sprays out from the void along with the shrieks of zombies meeting their maker...again. How my wife mustered up the courage to enter such a vile place I'll never know. But, she did. She, with head held high stated, "I'm going in", and just marched right in. I would have at the very least thrown in a couple of frag grenades, then assault the fortress in the standard 2x2 formation. Not her! Armed with only a vacuum, trash bags and rubber gloves, she dove in. I love this woman. Hours later she emerged with victory in her eyes along with a small mountain of tween stuff banished to the local thrift store. Transportation of hoards is my job. Without haste, I load the SUV luggage rack with the things that were still alive, the rest went inside. I chained and locked down everything in fear that it may somehow crawl back into the forbidden zone, or more important, attack me! On the way I hit a pothole and something moved behind me as it let out a blood curdling scream. I powered through the feeling to bale and delivered the payload with due diligence. Arriving back home, I expected to see a stink faced tween and a disgusted mother, but instead, there was peace and harmony with a sense of pride. The rats nest had been transformed into an eye pleasing, young man's bedroom although those sounds are still there. All in all, we're all getting back on track. Wonders may never cease. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Idle Hands? ( michael )

Idle Hands? I don't think so! We have some time until the bus arrives in the driveway and we jump into its refit abyss. We could rest on our laurels and wait. NOT! We are heeding the advice of our heroine and trailblazer Toast. She writes a hands-on sailing blog called Toast Floats ( blog.toastfloats.com/ ) that is good reading and quite entertaining. She suggested that we hit the websites with a live aboard theme and research, research, research. I have to say that we have found a wealth of information from bus conversion to places to spend the night for free. It's almost overwhelming. I have also found alot of sites that are not complete. The authors start out with great topics, lots of photos and step by step instructions and then...........................................Nothing. Ahhh hello!!! I got this thing off, now what do I do with it??? Then there are the Mega websites that have all the links one could ask for on the RV conversion topic. BUT, when you start to explore this mega vat, its empty. The multitude of links go nowhere. I look for a contact link............none, and when I do find one, I get no response. Then I find that alot of these sites have not been updated for years, yes, YEARS! It's like leaving 2 squares of toilet paper on the roll. Sure, the roll's not empty, but you sure can't finish the job with it! Isn't there some sort of web spider out there that targets these sites? Something to remind the authors to maintain their sites? If not, how about tagging the dead sites so we don't waste our time. Hey, Microsoft, anyone? I understand that sometimes the "life" thing gets in the way of ones good intentions and S*** happens. So why not give the site up? Ask for help, pass the torch or sell it! Hey, there's an idea. Ebay anyone? I could list all the dead ends and maybe I'll start a list. Hmmm, Maybe I'll call it "stale sites or dead links or don't give a rats rear.com. All I ask is that the authors of these dead/stale sites show some pride and responsibility. You showed you had it when you started the project. It's time you finished what you started. Complete the project. Update the site. Put a fork in it. DO SOMETHING! Idle Hands? Blaaaah........ All the Best, Michael & Christi