New, but Old!

hjorg5 · 08-10-2017, 09:22 AM

Hey all!
About 7-8 yrs ago i joined this site when i bought my first bus. It was a 63 blue bird, and my kids and i lived in it for a year in Key West. it was one of the greatest times of our lives. Sadly, that bus was rotten all the way through and we gave her away to another family in need of housing down there.
Well, my kids are now 19 and 21 and we are looking for another bus! Still in the process of finding that right one. We'll be doing this build from the ground up.
I'm excited to be back and reading through all the great new info since i was here last! Thanks for having us!
HeidiandherBus

jmcustom · 08-10-2017, 09:58 AM

Welcome back! We look forward to seeing your build progress if you have time to post pics.

Sent from my 2PZC5 using Tapatalk

Brewerbob · 08-10-2017, 12:35 PM

I gotta ask where you parked it and what it cost you!! Ain't nothing down there cheap tho that's gotta be the cheapest way to live in Key West. The upper Keys would have been easier; not as glamorous tho.

cadillackid · 08-10-2017, 12:45 PM

I wonder where they parked too... I simply wanted to drive my bus down there and the hotels are kind of like "dont take up 4 parking spaces!! exscept the ham,ton / hilton since im diamond status... and NOTHING is cheap... bob has it right!
-Christopher

Brewerbob · 08-10-2017, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I wonder where they parked too... I simply wanted to drive my bus down there and the hotels are kind of like "don't take up 4 parking spaces!! except the ham,ton / hilton since im diamond status... and NOTHING is cheap... bob has it right!
-Christopher

There's not a lot of dirt down there to start with. Even less dirt that doesn't already have something on it. I was going to google KOA and trailer park but I decided I wasn't quite that bored.

You damn sure can't drive a 40 footer down there, you'll never make the turns!!!

hjorg5 · 08-10-2017, 01:07 PM

Hi guys,
It was horribly expensive to live down there! My first spot was Boyd's campground. Really nice, close to work but it cost 1800/month in the off season. I had to find another place, and quick b/c it was going up to 3600$ month come season.
I ended up at a wonderful place on MM 9.5 called Geiger Key. Right behind the Boca Chica Naval base at a place called Geiger Key Marina and RV park. It was Wonderful. Waterfront, beautiful.. a restaurant and TIKI bar which was great after a hard 12 hr shift at the hospital. They even paid my kids (10-12 yr olds) to bus tables, haul ice, clean up and manage the kayaks. We LOVED it there. At first they charged me 1200$, and when they got to know me and realized i was working at the hospital the owner lowered my "rent" to 900$. He loved my kids.
I recommend Geiger Key to EVERYONE i come across... even if you're just going down for a week or so. I'm sure they've raised their prices now but it's still one of the hidden gems of Key West! They have a great website, just google Geiger Key Marina. You won't be sorry. And of course, when i was there they were BUS friendly.. we were "The Bus Family"!!

hjorg5 · 08-10-2017, 01:09 PM

Brewer Bob,
My skoolie was a 1963 Blue Bird, 38 footer. There was no way i could drive it downtown in Old Town but we did drive it pretty much all around there. Carefully... lmao!

Brewerbob · 08-10-2017, 01:33 PM

[QUOTE=hjorg5;218666]Hi guys,
It was horribly expensive to live down there! My first spot was Boyd's campground. Really nice, close to work but it cost 1800/month in the off season. I had to find another place, and quick b/c it was going up to 3600$ month come season. [quote]Sweet JESUS!!! That's more than my original mortgage. And that's more than my refied mortgage by a lot!!!!

Quote:

They even paid my kids (10-12 yr olds) to bus tables, haul ice, clean up and manage the kayaks. We LOVED it there. He loved my kids.

That's cool.

Quote:

At first they charged me 1200$, and when they got to know me and realized i was working at the hospital the owner lowered my "rent" to 900$.

Better obviously but still pricey in my book.

Quote:

I recommend Geiger Key to EVERYONE i come across... even if you're just going down for a week or so. I'm sure they've raised their prices now but it's still one of the hidden gems of Key West! They have a great website, just google Geiger Key Marina. You won't be sorry. And of course, when i was there they were BUS friendly.. we were "The Bus Family"!!

I am bored enough to google that.

Side note: If you find yourself in the upper Keys, I recommend a hole in the wall joint that is almost literally under a bridge. No clue what the MM is.

Habanos On The Creek
Tavernier Creek Marina, Tavernier, FL 33070
https://goo.gl/maps/L2Taowh5hc32

Brewerbob · 08-10-2017, 01:51 PM

What does a barge cost? Float the bus over to Fish Hawk Key (or any of those). Go all Tom Hanks and Cast Away.

cadillackid · 08-10-2017, 02:46 PM

you definitely couldnt drive a 40 footer along duvall or near... but you can drive one roosevelt just outside of the downtown area.. and then bicycle that last mile or 2 in.. the last time I was there i was doing a job at a hotel right in the middle of it all.. 10 days all room expenses paid at the southernmost resort.. however they get $400 a night in season and even more for events like fantasyfest . the hotels up just a couple miles away. are like 30-40% of that except during special events.. so when I go on a trip where I gotta pay my way I stay in one of those instead of right downtown.. even AirBnB rooms are pricey in downtown..

-Christopher

Brewerbob · 08-10-2017, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

you definitely couldnt drive a 40 footer along duvall or near... but you can drive one roosevelt just outside of the downtown area.. and then bicycle that last mile or 2 in.. the last time I was there i was doing a job at a hotel right in the middle of it all.. 10 days all room expenses paid at the southernmost resort.. however they get $400 a night in season and even more for events like fantasyfest . the hotels up just a couple miles away. are like 30-40% of that except during special events.. so when I go on a trip where I gotta pay my way I stay in one of those instead of right downtown.. even AirBnB rooms are pricey in downtown..

-Christopher

Oh I know. That's why the last time I went we were at Mile 30 or something. Even some random campground for tent camping was more than $50 a night on Key West.

Have you done FantasyFest? I've not; not big on crowds but would like to give it and/or Mardi Gras a try.

dan-fox · 08-10-2017, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Have you done FantasyFest? I've not; not big on crowds but would like to give it and/or Mardi Gras a try.

Believe it or not, I got FantasyFest sprung on me one time. I have a friend who's the Events Manager for the Hemingway House, and he manages a few rental properties on the side. So we got a week in a teensy weensy house for much less than it was worth, and it turned out to be during FF and we weren't aware. He also got us a great table outside, right on the street, at a great restaurant so as to watch the world go by. Expensive, but fun. Not sure I'd do it again. There was a lot of stuff that just can't be un-seen in that parade.

hjorg5 · 08-10-2017, 06:45 PM

Haha! I did FF the year I was there. It sure was crazy.
All in all though we had a wonderful time there AND we became
Bus-a-Holics! Definitely Google Geiger.. it's an awesome place!

Brewerbob · 08-11-2017, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan-fox

Believe it or not, I got FantasyFest sprung on me one time. I have a friend who's the Events Manager for the Hemingway House, and he manages a few rental properties on the side. So we got a week in a teensy weensy house for much less than it was worth, and it turned out to be during FF and we weren't aware. He also got us a great table outside, right on the street, at a great restaurant so as to watch the world go by. Expensive, but fun. Not sure I'd do it again. There was a lot of stuff that just can't be un-seen in that parade.

So, ... you still have this guy's phone number?

It's great having friends with connections.

I'm not too worried about not being able to unsee things. I'm the tame one of the bunch by comparison to the rest of the car buddies. Blue waffles is kinda lost its edge in shock value. DO NOT GOOGLE THAT ON A WORK COMPUTER, ANYTHING YOUR WIFE AND GIRLFRIEND OR KIDS WILL EVER SEE. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hjorg5

All in all though we had a wonderful time there AND we became Bus-a-Holics!

Wait, you became busaholics because of FF? Again, you can't drive a bus in KW on a random, non holiday Tues at 10am in the morning (when all the drunks are still sleeping it off).

Quote:

Definitely Google Geiger.. it's an awesome place!

Already did. I was expecting the Bay side and kinda shady. You're right tho. Looks great. Tuck out of the way and quiet.

somewhereinusa · 08-11-2017, 09:27 AM

I was stationed at NAS Key West 1969-70. My new bride and I lived in Woodson's trailer park on Stock Island. Kind of a dump of a place. It seems to be Boyd's RV park now. My new bride rode out the storm Camille in that trailer by herself, I had duty that night, I spent the night in a tin shed on the flight line. Luckily the storm hit mainland FL instead of the keys.

There wasn't really much on Stock Island at the time. At that time most of the keys didn't have anything on them. It took me a month to figure out how to get downtown without ending up at the cemetery.

Brewerbob · 08-11-2017, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I was stationed at NAS Key West 1969-70.

You are old and crotchety then. I was born in one of those. You know any Photographer's Mates down there? Not sure when my uncle enlisted or when he was stationed at Key West but he was there at least awhile before '76.

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