Saoirse- The Freedom Unicorn

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

As a start, yes. I would also like to do the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), the CDT (Continental Divide Trail). Triple Crown. If I'm still in a hiking mood, there's the NCT (North Country Trail) as well. ONly about a dozen people have been recorded as completing a thru hike of it. It's 4200 or is it 4600 miles? I can't remember. Anywho, I'll start with the A.T. If that turns out to be a failed attempt I wouldn't likely do the others.


There's NO skipping in thru hiking!!! You have to "embrace the suck". It's called Rocksylvania for a reason. I've done bits and pieces of the PA stretch. Port Clinton and north is where the real rocks start.


It's not that they are giant boulders and requires scrambling or anything technical. That can be found in other locations of the A.T. (ME, NH and VT). It's that you're legs take a beating because you are never standing level. Twisting and turning even if you don't sprain an ankle. Your feet get beaten from the edges and points.




Ticks are a HUGE problem in ME. Something like 75% of the moose have Lyme disease I think. Permethrin and DEET. The black flies of ME are supposedly nasty too. It's all part of the suck. Anyone can do a 2 mile day hike when it's sunny and 65°.


I've not heard of fleas being a problem.

From PA on up the east coast is the epicenter of Lyme Disease. THE epicenter is this island where the gov't used to do bio-weapons "research".
Plum Island article-
https://sites.newpaltz.edu/ticktalk/...randa-dumitru/

Plum Island is located off the coast of Long Island, New York. It was used as a military base during the Spanish-American war and in 1954 was turned into a government animal disease center.The center was established to study foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, a highly contagious disease that is rare in humans but can ravage farms and the livestock industry.

While the center was run by the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2002 during talks of selling the island it was transferred to the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The reason some believe Lyme disease escaped Plum Island is because the island is located just a few miles off the coast of Lyme, Connecticut, which is where the first outbreak of Lyme was observed in 1975. While scientists say that all animals on the island are killed to prevent the possible spread of diseases, conspiracy theorists argue that birds regularly fly between the island and the mainland and thus are able to spread any diseases they may pick up.

“I don’t know if Lyme came from Plum Island,” said April Ferguson*, who is a chief strategy officer for a Hudson Valley policy-oriented think tank, “but it’s weird that no one wants to talk about it, doctors are scared to treat and diagnose it, [and] the government doesn’t talk about it.”

Here's Lyme Disease map by the CDC-

We don't have as many ticks here, which I find really odd.

I've heard the locals are the worst part of the PA leg of the trail. Not the rocks. I've heard the locals like smoking rocks.

[dopamine16]

Ive done the first 350 miles of the pct twice, fires have destroyed alot of it, walking threw the dessert is no joke. The american discovery trail is 6800 miles... someday.....

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by dopamine16

Ive done the first 350 miles of the pct twice, fires have destroyed alot of it, walking threw the dessert is no joke. The american discovery trail is 6800 miles... someday.....

I like dayhikes but more than a weekend and I'm done.
The bus is a sort of way to get out there for us. All we need is a place to sleep and a toilet.
We've talked about flipping vs keeping this bus and I'm torn. Its gotta be worth some money. Its a REALLY nice bus. But I would love to have a bus to use, and this one is pretty much good to go.
Will I ever find such a bus with mileage and hours this low?
And if so would it be so cheap?

If I keep it the van definitely has to go. Ugh. Choices!

[cadillackid]

heres the thing. the FS is a ready-to-roll bus... ready for you to throw some sleeping bags in and take off.. thr amtran is probably a "better" bus for travelling the rockies and has A/C and all that.. but it all depends on what you want.. do you want to go camping and concerts and enjoying the upcoming florida winter now with a ready-to-roll bus or do you want to wait it out and take the time / effort to fix the amtran..



if the van is going to requiire a lot of work soon then its time to put that sucker on fleabay and let it roll , if it has a lot of life left in it the nid want to hang onto it, as its a great easy way to tow your trailer, fit into all the neughborhoods you mow in, etc.


like you ward, you werent ready with time to finish it so you let it go at the height of its prime.. when the roof was just raised, hadnt been rained in alot, drivetrain solid as can be... the thing NOT to do is let a bus sit and rot in a field... they just lose value doing that... both monetary and practical...



BTW the guy oiut here in oregon has an Amtran almost identical to the ward.. 466 / 643. someone converted it years ago and did a really nice job.. needs a bit of cleanup now and the engine got hot by its previous owner so they are fixing it...



-Christopher

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Mow some lawns on the weekend for extra cash. You'll be in shape real quick.

I'm already mowing two lawns; mine and the gf's.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

I'm already mowing two lawns; mine and the gf's.

About ten more and you'll really notice the results.
I can't gain weight no matter what I eat!

[1olfart]

ODD.... I can't loose weight, no matter what, or how much, I eat. Go Figure (-:

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by 1olfart

ODD.... I can't loose weight, no matter what, or how much, I eat. Go Figure (-:

I've found it's a lot more fun gaining weight than losing weight.

[EastCoastCB]

Nothing to report about the bus.
But I did find this article on reddit that says we now have a new form of ticks. And of course NY/NJ is the source of them!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/h...rned-tick.html

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Nothing to report about the bus.
But I did find this article on reddit that says we now have a new form of ticks. And of course NY/NJ is the source of them!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/h...rned-tick.html

Peachy as I almost always end up with a tick crawling on me when I work on the bus. Didn't find one yesterday tho. Anywho, I've not seen that one yet.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Peachy as I almost always end up with a tick crawling on me when I work on the bus. Didn't find one yesterday tho. Anywho, I've not seen that one yet.

I almost have a phobia about ticks. When I was a kid and camping with my scout troop once I came home and my granny noticed something on my neck. It had been cold that weekend and I'd stayed bundled up really well all weekend. She pulled off a small tick and then another. She pulled up my shirt and I was COVERED.
This all happened in the car. She'd just picked me up from the campout and had pulled to the side of the road when she saw ticks on me. A cop saw her frantically removing them and rushed over thinking she was beating me or something. When he saw how covered I was he started pulling and scraping them off, too.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I almost have a phobia about ticks. When I was a kid and camping with my scout troop once I came home and my granny noticed something on my neck. It had been cold that weekend and I'd stayed bundled up really well all weekend. She pulled off a small tick and then another. She pulled up my shirt and I was COVERED.
This all happened in the car. She'd just picked me up from the campout and had pulled to the side of the road when she saw ticks on me. A cop saw her frantically removing them and rushed over thinking she was beating me or something. When he saw how covered I was he started pulling and scraping them off, too.

You got into a nest of them. I've only seen that on plants (never ran into one). The ticks and part of that plant were torched very shortly after that!!


I don't have a phobia about them but I certainly don't like them. Not sure anyone other than the critters that eat them actually like ticks. Keep those critters in mind the next time you're out driving at night. I'm not a fan of opossums either but supposedly they eat ticks. I'll now jab the brakes a little harder trying to avoid running them over.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

You got into a nest of them. I've only seen that on plants (never ran into one). The ticks and part of that plant were torched very shortly after that!!


I don't have a phobia about them but I certainly don't like them. Not sure anyone other than the critters that eat them actually like ticks. Keep those critters in mind the next time you're out driving at night. I'm not a fan of opossums either but supposedly they eat ticks. I'll now jab the brakes a little harder trying to avoid running them over.

Possums are pretty cool. I used to have a "pet" one I fed every night.
They eat everything!

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Possums are pretty cool. I used to have a "pet" one I fed every night.
They eat everything!

I dunno if I mentioned it here or not. Marshy Point Nature Center had "Blossom the Opossum" as one of the display animals. Was orphaned and imprinted on a human. Probably THE softest fur I've ever felt. Took me totally by surprise. I expected wiry and bristly. Prior to Blossom, opossums were half stink, half teeth, all attitude.

My dad had a few opossums that were babies but they ended up dying.

[EastCoastCB]

I went out to the bus today. Started it up and drove it around a bit.
These Freightliners sure do shake. At idle the grille and bumber buzz and rattle.
The stop arm, stop sign, and all the school stuff are still in place.
Oddly, it doesn't have a strobe. Does GA not require them?
I'm glad, though. One less hole in the roof to patch!

[Brewerbob]

All the shaking and rattling is in the rear; RE for the win.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

All the shaking and rattling is in the rear; RE for the win.

I like the diesel sound.
The shaking isn't something you notice till you're outside of it.

Maybe I just need to turn up the idle 20 rpm or so.

If they built 20 foot RE's I'd maybe try one. These shorties are just way cool, and being able to park almost anywhere is huge when you're driving a bus for fun and not because you're moving your whole home around.

Now that I own two buses I can definitely do a LOUD paint job on one.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I like the diesel sound.
The shaking isn't something you notice till you're outside of it.

Maybe I just need to turn up the idle 20 rpm or so.

My RE isn't going to win any awards for whisper quiet diesel any time soon.


I've not noticed anything shaking. The vibrations definitely increase the further back you go. The emergency windows "buzz" since I took the back plates off them. Not the bus buzzer; I cut those wires.

If they built 20 foot RE's I'd maybe try one. These shorties are just way cool, and being able to park almost anywhere is huge when you're driving a bus for fun and not because you're moving your whole home around.

Hmm, I wonder what the shortest RE is.


A 20ft RE would be "weird". I guess it would "work" layout wise. A 20ft flatnose whether FE or RE would be cool in my book. ALL of the interior would be usable instead of the 5 foot dognose sticking out. That you could park anywhere.

Now that I own two buses I can definitely do a LOUD paint job on one.

Oh boy another one of those crazy FL people and their weirdo buses. Must be all the heat making them crazy.

[EastCoastCB]

I'm out "sick" today. The heat finally has gotten to me!

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I'm out "sick" today. The heat finally has gotten to me!

Can you do that when you're self employed? It just ain't the same.


Was thinking about taking last Monday off for bus work. Didn't think I could do a full day in the heat. If only doing half a day, the morning would be cooler but coning into the office without a shower afterwards isn't going to happen. I ought to go to the gym on base and shower there. It's free after-all.



But instead, I went to the bus after work and put in a couple of hours. Yesterday was a good day. Cut the three ribs that I have the thread-all welded to. Couldn't get the cutoff wheel with the thread in the way. Used the Sawz All. Then figured out I had more rivets to remove to get the sheet metal "windows" off the last row. Drilled for about an hour. then went and got the air chisel to punch the rivet bodies out. Some of them still didn't want to come out. Grabbed the 4x rivet gun and they came out. Hey, why not try using the chisel on the full rivets (that I hadn't drilled yet). With the 4x gun, they came off like they were made of duck butter.


Had I known the 4x worked that quick and that well, I would have bought that after the first angle grinder (more than a yr ago). OMG, the time I would have saved. I could have done all the rivets in a single Saturday. The Harbor Freight regular old air chisel might still be useful for anything with low impact (needle gun). I don't know if the regulator on the 4x would go low enough. The 4x was $195 instead of the H.F. $20 but anyone with a Blue Bird doing a roof raise... tool number 2 on the shopping list!!!!