Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hello all, Christi and I are now living in St. George, Utah. We were transferred from San Diego to mgt. a RV Resort for Western Horizons in April. In early July the Resort was sold to Equity Life Style and became a ENCORE Resort. We were offered the mtg. job and took it. We now have a house in Leeds, Utah that is 4 mins. from the park. Things are going well for us, our son Jared has moved back back here and is doing great in his new school. We plan to stay here until he is done with school. Mrs Jones is sitting on a space at the resort without her furniture. We removed all of it to put in the house. This will be a good time to change somethings in the ole' girl. We built a small stage in the resort clubhouse and are currently doing our show every other Sat. during the season that will end on Dec. 1st. Off season we stay open but we will have time to do a few shows down south. We hope that some of our friends will come by to see us. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Meeting & Greeting (michael)

Meeting & Greeting It is a very strange phenomenon living with a bus around you. Not just the fact that you built it to suit you and your needs and with the turn of a key, or flick of a switch in our case, it will take you to all points of this great continent. I am talking about the strange thing that happens every time we park. People, mostly men, stop and just stare at her. Not Christi, the bus! They just stand there looking up and down at her like they have been pulled back into their past or lost in a dream. Then the haze is gone from their eyes and they are at the door asking about her and reminiscing about the good old days driving for some big tour company. Their eyes light up as I take them through the bus. We talk about the past; theirs and ours, and the hours pass like minutes and before you know it, we are just like old friends. Now, can someone tell me what it is about an old bus? It does not seem to matter what year, make or model of bus you have. People seem to love looking and talking about them. We have made some great friends since we built Mrs. Jones and I am sure that we will make many more. It's a crazy life, but we sure feel safe with 15 tons of metal around us. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

KUDOS to DALLAS (michael)

Hello All, I just want to say "THANK YOU" to a fellow Bus Nut. THANK YOU DALLAS! You helped Christi and I with our conversion of a charter bus into Mrs. Jones. The advice you gave freely to us not only saved us thousands of dollars, your expertise enabled us to complete this task on a "MUST" 90 day time line. Christi and I didn't know a thing about buses when we started, but with the kindness given to us by the people of this website, Nick,Cody,Larry,Tom,bill,Scott Paulx3,BOTN,Sean,HTredneck,mike,Buswarrior, I could go on and all the other "Bus Yodas", you know who you are, we are learning.

A specal heart felt thanks goes to Dallas. You above all helped change our life forever and gave us the confidence to do, what seemed, the impossible. We are proud to call you our friend. There are not many opportunities in ones life to make a profound difference in anothers'. If you are not here, what is the next guy to do? All we know is that we feel we couldn't have done it without Dallas. All the Best to you sir, Michael & Christi Hargis and Mrs. Jones

And Cat, Dallas's wife answered in a Personal Message: I just saw your post and read it to Dallas. He said "cool" which for him is a mouthful. I watched his face as I read and I could tell he was very touched. Thank you for taking the time to post that. It meant a lot to us both. I am really hoping he will be willing to come back to the board soon.Cat

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Our 1st 450 Miles (michael)

Our first 450 miles are behind us. We are sitting at the Hollywood casino in San Felipe, New Mexico. Nex to the casino is a campground that Hilda & Randy Smith told us about for $10.00 per night. It has electric only with a dump station. We signed up for a card in the casino and got $5 free play each, so it panned out. This was our first long trip with Mrs. Jones and it went OK save some minor mishaps. About 30 miles down the road the sewer smell filled the rig. We put in some deodorizer to make the place livable. I will have to flush the tanks instead of just dumping them! As you know by reading our blog, all the glass was broken out of the bus when we got it. Trevor, the person we bought it from, had replaced the windshields and also replaced the small side glass with clear plastic. Well this didn't hold up very well at 70mph. The driver side popped out but I grabbed it in time to save it and Christi held it until I pulled over. We temporarily fixed it and moved on. Then the other side started to whistle! We need to find some windows bad!!! Lets see, what else, oh the brake lights would not work on the toad. Found a lose wire. I forgot to hook up the water pump to the batteries. “OOPS”. Had lunch in Lordsburg, NM. Then the “NOT GEN” light came on??? Then it went off, then it came on again. Then it blinked on and off for a minute and now its off!?! I am looking for it in the E-Manual that Dallas gave me but no joy yet. Going up Texas Canyon the engine temp. got up to 210 but she pulled the hill real nice. The whole trip Christi was finding all the things that were rattling, banging and falling and securing them. Oh and the Genny ran out of gas so, no air for a very short time. Christi likes her air conditioning. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

The Big Stuff Goes Through The Window (michael)

The Big Stuff Goes Through The Window Thank goodness for friends. Brother Larry Bowers, Ray, Jeff and Loyd came over to load the big stuff. I prepped the Ole' girl early. Took out the side window and removed the front door to the house. The guys showed up and took all of 20 mins to get the couch and the refrigerator through the window and in place.

Just fit.

Nice fit.

Tight fit.

Its all working out.

2 days left. Christi started nesting. Long day comming on Sunday.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Plasma Cut Window Skins (michael)

Plasma Cut Window Skins Today my good friend, George Couch, plasma cut the window skins for our bus. George is the owner of Desert Rose Iron Works here in Tombstone, AZ. We picked up 5-4'X10' sheets of 20 gauge cold rolled steel. I took it to George's shop along with a side window frame. He put a tape on the frame, scribbled some numbers in a pad. Then he entered the numbers into his computer and this machine came to life. I helped him put the sheet steel on the table and the plasma cutter went to work. This thing cut through the steel like butter. It was fast and accurate. The plasma cutter made short work of of my steel. Thank you George, you're the best! Now, home to clean, prime and paint.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

The "Must Have Tool Kit" for a bus (michael)

I was on the the MAK bus conversion site on-line, Chating and we starting talking about tools. I realized I didn't have a clue as to what should be in a bus tool box. So this AM I posted the question and bam! The respounces started coming in and still coming. So I will up-date this post as needed. Here is the question; What is your "Must have" Over The Road Tool Kit? We are converting our 1987 MCI 102A3 and would like to know what tools you would have on board? We will be on tour for aprox. 2 years+. And where do you stow them? PIC"S PLEASE. We will be making a list. The LIST:Coach-Net road service and a high-limit Visa card. Everything else is optional.Sean Two full sets of combination wrenches from 3/8 to 1-1/4. 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2" socket sets in English 3/8" drive metric sockets, 50' of air hose with tire chucks and a blow nozzle, Multimeter, wiring pliers, side cutters, vice grips, water pump, pliers, needle nose pliers, forceps, Drawer full of screwdrivers from jewellers' to really big, Hot glue gun, soldering kits, hammers, 3/8 cordless drill & a complete drill index, 3/4" drive socket set, 1" impact with tire sockets to fit the bus, 1" breaker bar with a 4 foot snipe, 2 x 20 ton bottle jacks, a variety of C-clamps, staple gun, caulking gun, electronic leak detector, Cat 5 cable tester, 2 really big (like 14") Crescent wrenches, Oil and fuel filter wrenches, 2 1/2 gallon yellow diesel can, filled, crimper and a selection of crimp-on electrical terminals, 5-tool combo kits, (the kit came with a drill, sabre saw, reciprocating saw, mini circular saw, chain saw, and flashlight, right-angle drill, Jack stands & cribbing, big channel locks, A/C guages, Magnifying glass, dremel tool, bullseye glass repair kits, hacksaw, butane torch, step ladder, those little stretchy numbers with the round ball on the end (?), And as we discussed last night, that most versatile tool of all --- the IR thermometer, utility knife, hammer, handheld grinder, heat gun, 5 foot folding ladder also stows under a bunk bed inside, I carry a parts drawer set of various lamps ( marker, turn sig etc), peumatic connectors, Tee's, valves, of various sizes,DOT tubing, 6 amp 12V battery charger, Don't forget the duck tape! (DreamscapeEagle) LOL, up-dates to come. Now I know what to get the bus for X-Mass. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

"O"nan Geney (michael)

"O"nan Geney An oldie but goodie. This two cylinder job was a gift from the Hendersons here in Tombstone, AZ. It is going striaght to the shop to be re-built. Here is all the power we will ever need. Phil is going to re-build it.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

The BUS Forum (michael)

The BUS Forum. There are lots of forums on the web now. Everything from sewing to sex. If you have an interest, there is a 95% chance you can find somebody talking about it in a forum. If you have read any of our posts, you will see we have a "new to us" bus. I needed to find some information about it. So I went surfing and found some website with good stuff on it. Yea, it was ok, but I needed more. I needed to ask some real questions. Some hard questions. I needed to find the experts. Not just expert sites. I needed to find the guys that wrote that stuff. That good stuff about my bus. As I wrote before, converting is not for the faint of heart. Its down right tough. You must have passion for your bus. I needed to find the people with that same passion. I FOUND THEM! MAK Publishing Bus and Coach Conversions Bulletin Board. Here is the link: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php Now don't be afraid. When you fill out your request to join, you will get an e-mail that sounds like an armored 10' tall guard at the iron gates shouting, "Who goes there and what do you want here?" Just answer the questions and you will receive your welcome, link and password. You will find that the cold, stern e-mail voice is in reality a kind, knowledgeable and helpful expert that is ready, willing and able to help you. And not just him. There is a whole team of bus fanatics that can't wait to get involved in what ever question you present. I have only been at MAK for 2-3 weeks, but I have been posting, polling, commenting, helping, asking, chatting and making lots of new friends. I am having a blast. So, if you have a bus or are thinking about getting a bus, come on over and sit a spell. Get comfortable. Have some fun, ask some questions and watch the experts work miracles on a daily basis. But, I must warn you! This is addictive. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The Best of Both Worlds (michael)

The Best of both Worlds. I have been in the RV Community since 1994. My 1st RV was a 1973 Kayot 22/24 class A. What a piece of..... I loved that old wreak. It was my ticket to freedom. Through the years I up graded. A nice Terry travel trailer. Then to a Bounder and the last one was a class A Gulf Stream. I bought a membership and went to all pot lucks, outings and Mexican train get togethers. I have always dreamed of owning a bus. A real bus. But buses are for the rich. Right! They would never except people like us into their world. Not we are bad people, we are quite good acutely. But the bus people live on lakes and golf courses.Right? Now, we are still the same people only now we own a bus. a nice bus. A MCI Tour bus and we are getting to know the bus people. We are finding out that the bus people and the RV people are the same people. They are helpful, friendly and kind. Turns out, we have always been a part of this great big family. Who knew? "Honey? were gonna need another happy hour".

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Who's your Phil? (michael)

Who's your Phil? After reading more and more on-line about buses, I started to swim in doubt. Just as most, if not, all of you other bus nuts did. I stepped back and looked at this thing in the driveway, ripped apart, sub-project after sub-project opened and scattered about the yard. A grand vehicle that I drove home under its own power only 4 weeks ago now calls to me in my waking hours and in my dreams, "fix me, complete me, take me for a ride". Now I build houses in 3 to 6 months. Remodels in less time than that. Why does this seem so different? So alien? I am doing the same thing. Approaching the project in the same "git'er done" game plan. Then I start to question myself. "Can I do this?" What do I mean? I have to do this! "O, STOP IT"! I know what I need, I'm going to call Phil. You see, we've got a time constraint on our hands. We have to be in a bus, in Blue Mesa, CO for July 4th weekend for a 3 show stand. I need Phil. Phil will get me back in the groove. He knows everything. Phil will show me the way, give me the straight path to go on. But, how will we pay Phil? I don't have the funds for expert help. Ahhh, my old friend barter. Hey Phil, what do you need? How about this and you help me with this? Deal. Wow, Phil came over yesterday and started removing the air conditioning system. I started hearing the old Mighty Mouse song, "Here I come to save the day". Phil took charge. Get this. Cut that. Bring this over to that. I was safe again. Things are moving along at warp speed again. My thinking is back on track. I think we all need a Phil around from time to time. But I don't think Phil knows just how much we need him. Not just his expertise. We need his great attitude and hard charging "lets get it done" and "you can do it" ways. He puts it all back in perspective. I can do this! So, what's your "Phil's" name? Grumpy? Nick? Tom, Dick or Harry? The point is," WE NEED OUR PHILS!" To teach us. To show us the way through the dark. To show us how to become a Phil for someone else. So all you Phil's out there, the next time you get that stupid question, that call in the middle of a rainy night, remember you're the hero now, the go-to guy. When all is wrong in the world, only you, in our eyes, can make it right. And one day we will take that torch and carry it proudly in your honor. Thank you Phil for how you are and all that you do. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

A Thank You to Mr. Trevor Hall (michael)

A Thank You to Mr. Trevor Hall. Christi & I would like to thank Mr. Trevor Hall for all his help with our life changing MCI Bus adventure. He sold us this great bus. He sent us an e-mail. Trevor wrote "Hey Mike and Christi! I just checked out your blog and you guys are making great progress! You will be on the road in no time! And at least you got all the "no fun" stuff out of the way, now its on to the fun "clean" work. Well, I just wanted to drop you guys a line and say hello. Hope all is well! Keep up the good work!-Trevor". Thank you for believing in us and helping to make our wish come true.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Different Other Stuff (Christi)

Different Other Stuff It's interesting that Michael wrote on this topic of stuff. I've been thinking about it myself for the last few days and wanted to write about it, but wasn't sure what direction to take. It's interesting that as we get rid of stuff that we have been lugging around for years, we must at the same time gather new stuff for our pending adventure. By the way, we have lived in an RV before, though it was more of necessity than choice and we were parked pretty much the whole time. Living that way was much like the proverbial, 10 pounds of crap stuffed into a 5 pound bag. After almost 2 years, I was so anxious to get out of that rig, that we bought a trashed fixer upper (house) and moved into it in 2 weeks. We had plywood floors and just the bare essentials. But it felt like a mansion. So why would I even consider moving back into an RV again? Well, this time is much different. This time we are doing it because we want to. While Michael has toured before, this will be a first for me. I've had a small, but sweet, taste of what touring will be like and I can't wait to get on the road. As usual, I've gotten off the subject. This recent focus on stuff started about a week ago. We've been seriously down-sizing around the house, although there is still alot that must go. We sold one of our vehicles to a neighbor who, hearing of our plans, asked if we were interested in selling. It seemed the flood gates opened after that. Living in a small town can be a pain in the neck, but it has it's good points, too. It's hard to miss a 40 foot bus in someone's yard, so word go out. People slow down and gawk as they drive by. Another thing about a small town is that, after some trial and error, you find out who your real friends are. Almost all of our real friends have shown up with a contribution to our new venture. It's as if they want to be a part of it. Either that or they can't wait till we leave! I have to say thanks to Rocky, George, Doc, brother Bill and we can't leave out another Bill who gave us redneck decorating advice. (It is a bus after all). He suggested leaving the carpet runner on the ceiling and add rope lights. But the best yet...I told him about Michael wanting to keep our king-size bed because his feet hang over the end of smaller beds. He said, (you have to read this with a southern accent), "You don't need no king size bed, just push open that winder and stick yer feet out!" Thanks again, Bill. But the best and most surprising part of this has been the feeling of rightness. I was stressing about getting this bus, right now, in this economy, with our construction business verrrry sloooow. Money is tight. What the hell are we doing?? But as I drove behind Michael the day we brought the bus home, I knew it would be alright. I didn't know how for sure and I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us, but it would be OK and fun. And since the day we sold my car, it seems everything is falling into place. As if it's supposed to happen this way. I can't help but glance up at the Big Man Upstairs and say, "Thanks". All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below