Skoolie.net Gathering

[Steve]

Originally Posted by eggman

I am just now starting to work on my bus, so it probably won't be too close to being done.

Bring it anyways!

[eggman]

But of course, no need to show up to a gathering of skoolies with a car!! Current plans are to get the bus painted, rip out the seats, add a bumper hitch, mount generator, install AC, by the end of May.

Pretty sure that is an obtainable goal. I'll be using this bus to pull my old trail scout to and from the trails and to shows.

Jeff

[the_experience03]

I thought all the Scouts had rusted away by now and their axles scavenged for Jeeps.....kinda like 79-85 toyotas (those 'zuki guys are ALWAYS stealing our axles).

[eggman]

Nope, not all scouts have rusted away. However, I did give up my axles for a set of full size axles from a 1 ton chebby. Thought about setting a pair of scout axles under a zuk, just havent found a zuk yet (right price, free comes to mind) and I now have a bus to work on. But its all good.

[Zen Ken]

Sorry guys, I've been out-of-pocket for a fews days (what does that really mean anyway? I've heard people say that a lot). Anyway, as I said in my first post, there are pros and cons to using my land for a Gathering. This is raw Ozark land, no structures have ever been built there so there are no amenities. This will be "boonie camping". Everything, including drinking water will have to be brought in and hopefully all trash, trucked out. On the plus side, there is a country store and restaurant just up the hill. I'll check the next time I'm out there to see if they sell diesel, I know they sell gas. There are a lot of tractors out there so it is possible. To make it easier for busses to enter and exit the lower field I'll have to get a local farmer to move the gate and make it larger. I made it in and out with my rig (40 feet long) but just barely. The same farmer excavated a low water crossing (usually dry) for me so there shouldn't be be any problems with tail dragging. Some of the propery is ecologically pristine. Given the topography of the place, it possesses many micro-climates and hosts some rare plant species. There is a 30 foot bluff with water below but it is shallow and no good for diving. Besides, you might also have to contend with the giant (at least two feet long) alligator snapping turtle I've seen there. The place does offer the opportunity to observe a lot of wildlife, good hiking and there are some established trails. There is plenty of firewood on the ground so no tree cutting will be required (or permitted). To pinpoint the place on a map, it is just a good rock throw from the town of Manes (pronounced MAY-NESS), in south central Missouri, which is located in N.E. Wright County at the intersection of Missouri State Highway 95 and Highway H, a.k.a. the middle of nowhere. Going East on Highway H a few hundred feet the property line begins on the right and continues all the way down the long hill to Beaver Creek. Highway H borders the propery on the north, Beaver Creek on the East. Later in the season is better for me so the hay in the field can be cut and baled. It'll also give me time to get that gate moved. I'll also try to get some photos up. If anyone has any questions, ask away. As I sit here proof reading this post, I realize that "boonie camping" in the middle of nowhere isn't everyone's idea of fun as there is no entertainment close by. Hell, I'd meet you guys in a WalMart parking lot if they'd let us build a bonfire and set up a keg! As chances of that are slim, I thought I'd offer my place and the offer is good.

[TonyC in IOWA]

i can hold 150 gallons of water in my holding tank.

[the_experience03]

I'll just run an extension cord and water hose from someone else's rig when they aren't looking should I run out

Actually, the only REAL issue I would have would be whether or not the bus is even done yet. We just finally got the floor all done and all the measuring done for the floorplan (it's laid out). Time and money are entirely too prohibitive sometimes. At the very least I have an expensive mobile tent with a nice new insulated plywood floor for putting down an air mattress and sleeping bag.

[Steve]

I can hold 100 gallons of water and supply enough electricity to run several buses. I don't think boonie camping will be a problem.

[bdavis441]

Boonie camping is fine with me. I can be self sufficient for a couple of days at least. The place sounds great. If we all help each other out, I'm sure everyone will be fine. I could take a Thursday and Friday off and make a weekend of it. BTW, I'm assuming this will be a family friendly gathering, I'll have three little people with me, The 20 month old twin boys are entertainment by themselves!

[TonyC in IOWA]

...why didnt we think of this last year !!!!! we could have called the studio and somehow got into the movie "RV" lol.


....wait maybe they would make a new movie..... "Bus Nutz: the Gathering"

[Zen Ken]

LOL, I just had a visual of Port-A-Potties sitting in a huge field surrounded by woods! I think I can provide something more natural and pleasant than steaming, fetid, airless plastic capsules for the guests to use. Sorry, I'm "that way" but I guess I am a veteran of too many outdoor summer music festivals. The combined smells of out-gassing hot plastic, chemicals and crap no longer appeal to me. Lame, I know but that's what it is. What I actually had in mind was something more airy yet private. Some creative yet simple construction, nestled in the woods at the edge of the field, of blue tarps, rope, bungee cords and plywood. Take an umbrella if it's raining though!
Family friendly? I sure hope so. I plan to leave my matched pair of Bengal tigers at home so there will be no need for firearms or any other type of weapon for that matter except for plenty of Deep Woods Off! The coyotes are more scared of you than you should ever be of them. Of course I wouldn't send a toddler out for smokes in the middle of the night either. Should I start looking for a jam band for some entertainment and to drownd out any (c)RAP that some misguided person might actually try to play? Should I get a keg or would everyone prefer to BYO? When I drink alcohol I just get silly. Some get angry which would be a real drag to have to contend with. I'm from the peace and love generation, so when I think of a Gathering I think of mellow folks with a Kind vibe. Not everyone feels that way though. What do we all want this Gathering to be? I've never done this so I'll need some feedback.
the_experience03, don't worry, Brother, my bus is in the same shape. I've had time to remove the seats but that's about it. Just remember that ALL of the knocked out rigs we've seen in the photo gallery started out the same way. Think of the ideas and how-to info you'll walk away with just by seeing what the others have done, close-up. This will be like the best skoolie conversion seminar possible. The guys who are further along than us can give us tips and opinions on how they like what they've already done and what they wished they had done differently. There are some of us who could even give them some ideas on how to go about redoing whatever it is they want to change. I'm bringing new batteries for my digital camera! I want to take a LOT of shots. This should be a win win for everyone who can make it.
Diesel on, Dudes.

[bdavis441]

Originally Posted by Zen Ken

when I think of a Gathering I think of mellow folks with a Kind vibe.

Amen, brother!

[eggman]

I'll second that Amen, and count me in for the "gathering".

[lapeer20m]

can i bring my flame thrower?

actually, i probably will not be making it to the event, but if i do i'll be sure to bring my flame thrower. If the wind isn't blowing , it'll shoot about a 30 foot flame straight up

[busone]

If we get moved into our house and have some $$ left over we would like to come. We will probably be steel tenting it though.

[Zen Ken]

Ah yes, nothing more family friendly than a flame thrower. Anyone have any spare nuclear waste while we're at it? I'm hoping the bonfire will suffice in lieu of mechanical pyrotechnics. Even though we've had some good rains recently, we are still in the grips of a seven year drought. Flame throwers or fire works would probably not be a good idea. Besides the coyote choir, which is eerie and beautiful to hear, would probably be a no show with fire works going off. Fire works sound too much like guns to them and is not usually a pleasant sound anyway.
I'm heading out to the land on Friday and Saturday to see about moving the gate and to ask the farmer around when he'll be cutting the last hay this season. That way we can start to think about when to schedule a Gathering. I'll also see if the store on the hill sells diesel as well as gas.
Steel tents are the best! They tend not to tumble across the field when the rain is going sideways like umbrella tents or easy-ups will. LOL, now THAT was a visual!

[Bidin Time]

Count me (us) in too !!! We'd like to see this happen.

[the_experience03]

Tents blowing away....yep....I've had that experience....

At Country Fest last year in Cadott, Wisconsin we got hit with golfball sized hail....in a dome tent....that collapsed on us in the rain. I think I still have bruises. What's even better is no one has seen the tent since the last day of the concert. We were breaking camp and we looked up after unstaking it and it was gone.....a cruise around the MANY acre campground proved that it has just vanished....

[Zen Ken]

Well the big field has been cut for the first time this season. I'll try to post a photo. I've been in touch with MoDOT (Missouri Dept. of Transportation) and am going through the paperwork snarl to get permission to move and widen the gates. Since they enter on to a state road there are some drainage issues so the State has to be involved. It seems the State of Missouri doesn't want any changes in the way the water comes off their roadway and down the hill. Never mind it is causing erosion in two places on my property. According to MoDOT, that's my problem not theirs. Since I believe that every problem can be solved with a little creativity and after studying the topo maps in an altered state, I realize that I can divert the excess water with a trench filled with creek gravel into a place that would make a great pond. The pond could not only be stocked with fish, I can use it to water terraced vegetable beds below. Of course I'm not digging any trenches until the State comes out and approves the gate project. I wouldn't want them to think their mandates are actually helping me more than them.
So last weekend I checked out the gas station/restaurant at the top of the hill. No diesel, just gas. The closest diesel is 20 miles so be informed. I'm headed out to the property tomorrow and I'll try to hook up with the farmer to see when he thinks he'll do the second hay cut later this summer. Once I know that we can actually start thinking about a date. The heat and humidity breaks sometime in September or October and provides some of the most beautiful weather here in the Southern Missouri Ozarks so that's roughly the time I'm thinking about right now. As always, I am appreciative of any additional input on your part. Now let's see if I can figure out how to post a photo. hmmm

[bdavis441]

How's it going Ken? Any idea of a possible gathering date, just curious. Hope all is well!!
Brad