Best Home Yet

[Accordion]

I drove a little over 250 miles on the first day of my trip.

I parked overnight at a Wal-Mart.

[Accordion]

At the other end of the parking lot was a large Chinese buffet restaurant.

It was the largest place I have ever seen. There must have been 150 different bins of food.

I just picked about 10 different items. I did not even know what they were. The stuff sure tasted good. This was my supper.

[Accordion]

After eating, I hooked up my little DVD player to the socket I had installed to plug my GPS unit into.

I sat in the driver's seat and watched a movie that starred Vin Diesel.

[Accordion]

The next morning, I awoke at 6AM. I spent 30 minutes for each dog, walking them. There was a half mile of grassy area there.

Buddy peed a lot. He was just about to take a dump when a friendly little pit bull surprised him. Instantly, Buddy stopped his doody and played with the other dog (who was NOT on a leash).

I was hoping that with an additional 15 minutes, he would do his doody. BUT NO! he just spent the time peeing on all the places that the pit bull had peed on.

Emma did everything she needed to.

Ordinarily, Buddy can hold it during the day. However, the motion of the bus while I was driving was too much for him.

Suddenly I smelled the stink. I thought Buddy must have farted.

It was so much more than a fart. He left a big surprise on the vinyl cushion he had been sitting on.

I stared in disbelief. Fortunately, it was hard stool.

Also, fortunately, I was close to a truck stop.

I bagged the (gift) from Buddy and threw it away and cleaned the cushion.

I also filled up the fuel tank. It was at that truck stop that I calculated that I get 8 MPG with the bus.

Another couple of hours and I had arrived at my destination. Pictures of my new home front are next.

[Accordion]

I pulled into town. I called my friend and received directions to his farm.

It was a 12 mile jaunt on narrow roads. The roads were curvy. I did very well by staying close to the yellow line in the middle of the road. I never went off the right side of the road.

Had I gone off the right of the road, it would have been a bad thing. The shoulder was lower than the road.

I was looking for a big red metal barn, after which I was to turn left on a road that is gravel.

I did indeed turn on to a gravel (road). It was actually somebody's driveway.

I sure felt dumb. As I pulled up to the house, I realized that I had to turn around which meant backing up on those people's lawn.

Luckily, no one was home there. I am sure I left some tracks on their lawn.

I am proud of making a very efficient K-turn.

A little ways further, I found the correct gravel road.

My friend lives at the end of that road.

Once again, I had to make sure I did not fall off the sides of the road.




Zac said that once I see his motorhome, I will be there.

It is a Hawkins Motor Coach. It the same kind as Bob's machine. It is a few feet longer than Bob's.

It also has the Caterpillar 3208 diesel motor. It is a diesel pusher. It also has a turbocharger.

It is capable of going 90 MPH. It gets 8 MPG.

Here are some pics of it.

When you turn left at his motorhome, you get to my parking spot. You will see pics of that shortly.

Here are pics of Zac's machine.

[Accordion]

This is a beautiful place. Bob described it as something from a Norman Rockwell painting.

The property borders 900 acres of state forest.

Zac has dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and geese.

Here are some pics of where I am parked. I have an electrical feed, access to the shower, and am parked in the shade of a big tree.

[Accordion]

More pics of my parking spot.

[Accordion]

We leveled the bus. That kept the roof air from leaking on the inside. It also took some weight off the front tires.

The front had to be jacked up eight inches.

[Accordion]

That is all the pics for now.

I will be here for a while. I am helping Zac build a 2500 square foot underground house.

You'll see all the pics and reports on that on another thread.

Thanks for looking at the 1973 Blue Bird chronicle. It's taken over two years to get to this point.

[Accordion]

I am now posting from the present. I have been here three months. I helped my friend Zac for a little while in the beginnings of his underground house, as well as did a photo chronicle.

Funds for the house build have run out, so it is at a standstill. Presently, I am having a very difficult time finding work. I sure hope that changes.

Here is the link to the underground house build.

http://www.permies.com/bb/index.php?topic=8803.0



When I get some work and save up some money, I will be able to actually finish the bus.

Meanwhile, I will keep reading all the threads on this forum. It is better than watching movies.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Accordion

Nice tractor! Makes me miss our old antique 8N. But had to sell it and the Massey-Harris when we became "houseless". They did go to good homes.....

[Accordion]

Lorna, you can see what this little 2cylinder diesel tractor is capable of doing by going to the link of the underground house that I posted above.

By the way, I love how you painted the hot dog cart once you got to Texas.

[bus-bro]

Hi Accordion. I followed your bus on Sharkey's site. I guess he took all the marbles and went home.

It's always interesting to see your pictures.

[Accordion]

Bus-bro, The Shark has retired.

Here is a report on flooring. Although I like the way the wood floor looks, it is NOT a good option if you have dogs. In this photo you see how nice it looked when I first installed it. It still looks good on the walls.






Now, after a couple of years of the dogs bringing in dirt and mud, you can see how the finish has worn. Also there are gaps between the boards that have separated. Dirt gets in the cracks. I have to vacuum the dirt out. I would recommend a durable vinyl floor or restaurant grade vinyl tiles. They are easier to clean, and are resistant to the dog's nails.

[Accordion]

I have moved to a new location. There is room for the dogs to run around. It is in the country. There is a great view out of my front window. Here are some pics. As you may know, I am, and have been a full-timer for a few decades.

[MikeyBskunk]

Man i love your new property it looks very peaceful!
Me and my dog are hopeing to get something just like that some day!
keep posting im loving your thread



Mike

[bus-bro]

Accordion doesn't buy property, he rolls onto property. A fulltimer doesn't pay property tax.

[wtd]

A fulltimer doesn't pay property tax.

If only it were true ...

[bus-bro]

Well, at least not directly; and not at all if you can find a free place to park.

"Must keep dream alive" mutters to self.

[Accordion]

I do have a place to park, but nothing's free. Building this deck is my way of "paying property tax".

I used to live on the streets of Los Angeles, Seattle,and other cities. That was known as "urban camping". Being parked on private property is a lot better.