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Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:17 pm

Roadcow wrote: Awesome slide show Mike!

Yep, Damn Nice! Who Took Em???

Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:11 pm

Mike so sorry to have missed you while traveling through Olympia. Had to run out of town wed for some business and didn't get home till real late last night. Didn't get online till this evening since Tues. evening so I missed your pm :( Would have been nice to relax over some barbque, cold beers and stories. I'm sure that Clara and Greg treated you to some great hospitality. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Enjoy the remainder of your trip, I'll be continuly reading your thread to the end of your travels. It's been a great adventure thus far =D> Keith

Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:15 pm

made it to Portland where I'll only get to spend one day before heading to northern California tomorrow. Seen several nice splits and a goofy fat chick beetle camper that advertises tub repairs. sorry SBS, I don't think it means your kind of tubs. currently borrowing someone's unsecured internet south of Hasley on 39th ave. Portland is a great town and I would love to move up here some day.

Looks like I'll be at the Bus Fest on the 17th. Come and check out the layers of dirt and bugs I have collected so far.

If anyone in Portland is reading this, shoot me a PM. I may need a driveway or a street or a suggestion on where to camp tonight where I won't get hassled.

Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:21 pm

Lots of Wet Westies in Portland try their listserv Mike. Good people.

Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:50 pm

truckersmike wrote: Looks like I'll be at the Bus Fest on the 17th. Come and check out the layers of dirt and bugs I have collected so far.

Awesome!! I'll see you there!

Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:59 am

9248 miles so far
aprox $2200 that i have spent on gas. this does not include fuel paid by hitchhikers and my brother when he flew out. i estimate another $250 at least in petrol that has been used.

Boo and I are now in the good care of fellow Shasta newts Emily and Aaron of Santa Rosa CA. Lots has happened since my last short report which didn't really cover much of anything.

After leaving Bellingham, we drove west on 20 then headed south crossing the ferry at Port Townsend. There were flashing signs along the road that said "reservations required" so I made a call but just as someone answered, my cell phone dropped. I pulled over and made another call but was told the ferry is full until 9pm. Mind you, this was 11am. I decided to continue driving to the ferry to see if we could get on the standby list. When we arrived, there were hardly any cars and the ticket lady said the ferry will be here in 30 minutes, get in line. After a 30 minute boat ride, we were heading south on beautiful highway 101, slicing through the eastern edge of the Olympic mountains. Our destination that day was Clara and Greg's house in Olympia. Many construction zones and wrong turns later, we finally arrived.

The next day, Boo and I rode with C&G to finish some bidness before going on a tour of southern WA. Along the way, I got to hear many funny and adventurous stories of where buses where found and how it took them days to get Greg's bus off the mountain in the pouring rain. You guys were great company. Thanks for letting us tag along.

Next, we drove through Portland heading straight to the Columbia river gorge area for hiking and sightseeing before heading back into town to meet up with some old Tempe friends that moved up there. At one time, I really wanted to move to Portland but after spending the entire day there, I think I've decided it's no longer for me. It's still an amazing city but lately it's become even more of a hip hotspot for people to move to, driving up the housing and rental prices etc. Plus, there is not enough room for someone like me with multiple VW's to park and work unless I chose to live far outside of town.

Next stop on the list was visiting Shasta newts Gene and Michelle who just moved to a tiny town in N CA. Remote wilderness comes to mind when describing there home where Gene is singlehandedly building a Yurt to be their future home. It's amazing what this one guy can accomplish when left to his own devises. Can't wait to see he finished product next year!

Later this week, I'm going bus camping for several day then finally the Bus Fest show, which will all but end my adventures. After that, we will start the short trip home. It's sad in a way but at the same time, home will be nice. A yard will be nice. My kitchen will be nice. Hanging out with my local friends telling exaggerated stories will be nice.

Port Townsend ferry

Greg and Clara deciding where to dump my body so they can steal my late model.

SBS, need your "tubs" repaired?

Forest fires off highway 96

Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:08 am

truckersmike wrote:

Port Townsend ferry

Always LOVED taking that ferry, espec. in the winter time when the sound was choppy...LMAO..Glad to hear your reports Mike, I would love to be back in my old stomping-grounds.. :(

Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:06 am

Only thing missing is the old style stickers from ALL the places you've visited on this trip. Cheesy I know but I've always loved seeing where a bus has been in it's life.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:36 am

I guess we though Mike hadn't had enough driving, so we went up to Capitol Forest for some Washngton scenery.

Nice having you visit!
Don't forget to grease the suspension!

Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:23 am

10,657 miles total
estimated $2500.00 in gas, $2244.44 of which I forked out.
best MPG 22.26. worst 13.39. average 18.28
50 days on the road
5 national parks
8 U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces
9 border crossings with 5 vehicle searches
114 hottest temperature, 48 lowest
5 hitchhikers picked up
1 break down (fuel pump)
issues included blown oil filter running 20/50 on very cold morning in BC. #3 & 4 exhaust valves needing constant adjustment after valve job. linkage coming off. redux box bolts stripping and coming loose. stereo dying after getting wet too many times from constant rain.

It all seems like a dream now, like something that happened so long ago. My house, my town, my state faintly looks familiar and sleeping in my bed felt strange but Boo and I are finally home.

The trip ended very well, though we suffered some redux box problems the last 1500 miles. Starting in southern WA, I noticed every time I down shifted, the bus would get squirrley. Finally, I pulled over and checked the redux box bolts. One on the passenger side was slightly loose but the rest were fine. The driver's side was a whole different story. All three were extremely loose. This side of the bus has had a missing bolt for years because it snapped off. I tried drilling it out once and re-tapped it to no avail. Thinking this was odd because I Loctited them, I retorqued the bolts hoping that was the end of it. Unfortunately, by the time I got to Santa Rosa, they were loose again. Not as bad as before but still. As I continued south, I kept checking on them frequently noting that the lower one was coming loose before the rest. I felt if I kept on that one, the rest would be ok. That worked fine until it striped. Later the top bolt stripped, leaving only the center bolt to hold tight. In earnest (and realizing how important the standalone bolt is), I pounded in a 1/2" bolt into the empty hole to prevent the redux box from rocking which was surely the cause of my troubles. This temporary fix has kept us on the road until I find a more permanent solutions. Any suggestions?

Trip report time. Kombisutra, the kind gentleman that he is, let Boo and I stay at his cabin in the redwoods where I read "A bus will take you there" and got hit on by an older British women. Much relaxing was done along with long walks around the park with the dog and finally, some much needed bus cleaning and minor repairs. The next day, we drove back into Santa Rosa for a 4am take off with Shasta newts Em & Aaron, to Kerckhoff lake in Madera county where swimming, kayaking, good vibes and general laziness took place. Thanks to Aaron's dad, "Me and you and a dog named Boo" has now become our official theme song of the trip. That was so awesome!

After three days of parking, we finally got moving and headed further south to Kings Canyon/ Sequoia NP. The descent into the canyon is breathtaking with the Sierra peaks overlapping each other, separated by the Kings river. There, we spent the night at the bottom where a bear decided to come into the campground. It was hilarious determining the bears trajectory by the pot banging, yelling and horn honking of the camps around us. We were never in danger but that didn't prevent me from moving from outside to inside the bus to finish my reading. The next day's drive provided us with the world's largest tree and many more like it. I have a thing for trees and it has nothing to do with my last name. After seeing the redwoods many times, I couldn't wait to see the sequoias and man do they make a person feel like Jack in a land of giants.

Checking the map, I searched for a way south that would keep us off four lane roads for as long as possible. West of Lemoncove, we took a road to Springville, where I took a wrong turn, a very scenic wrong turn, back up the Sierras passing through Balch Park where one can see giant trees without a fee and all the traffic. This road looped back to Springville and got us to the road that we needed, 190, which turned into the Western Divide highway, taking us through Camp Nelson, Kernville and Lake Isabella. If anyone is looking for a super fun and scenic day trip, I would highly recommend this route (including the wrong turn to Balch Park). You will not be disappointed.

Our last night spent in CA was on the Kern river at a makeshift roadside campground. There were already people there camping so I asked if it was cool to park for the night. With the smell of presrciption ganja in the air, we were more then welcomed. Everyone turned out to be related and very friendly. They come up from LA multiple times a year to gather around the camp fire and sing songs. There was no shortage of entertainment as two guitars were passed around and folks took turns singing classic and modern rock songs along with traditional spanish tunes. What a spectacular way to send me home.

The last part of the trip took us from Kernville to hwy 178, 14, and 395 south before connecting with 58 east to Flagstaff. We got lucky driving through the desert with temps hovering around 103 and getting cooler as we got closer to Flag. Seeing the AZ border put a smile on my face and cruising into Flag and seeing monsoon storm clouds made me feel I was home once again. The next morning (August 19th), Boo and I drove our final short miles home, taking my new favorite route from Flag to Tempe along Lake Mary road to hwy 87 south. Due to all the rain, the forest seemed much greener and vibrant then usual. A perfect ending to an amazing two months.

Me and the Pirate bus

a kayaker's view

This trip would not have been possible without the the generous help & support from the following:

Mom
Marc
old and new friends
Chris & the Bus Pilots
Riff Raff
Alaskan Adventurer
Piano Dave
Clara & Greg
Liz & Noah
Gene
Angela & Max
And finally, my 67 Westy that proved a bus can take you there.

Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:53 am

That's awesome, Mike! Let me be the first to welcome you home! Would have hoped you'd make to BusFest, but kayaking looks like it was loads of fun!

I'm just jealous and happy, man. What an amazing trip!

Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:07 am

NorCalRiviera wrote: That's awesome, Mike! Let me be the first to welcome you home! Would have hoped you'd make to BusFest, but kayaking looks like it was loads of fun!

I'm just jealous and happy, man. What an amazing trip!

I had good intentions on going to Bus Fest until realizing how far away I was from the show. The national Parks were just south of me so it seemed daft to drive 200 miles to the show in the opposite direction, only to drive 200 miles back. Ya dig?

Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:27 am

The real rub is that we had bought a bunch of vege food to grill up for you when you came by but you never did so we ended up throwing it in our compost pile. Just kidding.

Glad you got home safe.

Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:17 pm

Mike,
You ar an inspiration. Thank you for sharing.
Britt

Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:16 pm

Congratulations on doing something most people only TALK about. You'll be talking about this trip for decades to come.

Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:51 pm

The last of my trip photos can be found at this link.

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i135/truckersmike/Alaska/the%20drive%20home/?albumview=slideshow

Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:26 pm

Mike I'm stoked you went to the Sequoias! I just checked out your photos and they are breathtaking. Gotta love those trees! Again it was fabulous to spend time with you and Boo. So good to see you when it's not raining and/or snowing and we are actually rested.
Lots of love my friend!

Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:28 am

You did what you said you were going to do. An epic odyssey. What's your next trick trip? Glad you made it safe.

Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:42 am

Hey Mike,
Thanks for spending part of your trip with us. We had a great time hanging out with you and Boo. It was really nice being lazy for a few days.
Aaron

Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:44 pm

Great job Mike! Will look forward to celebrating your return to AZ and meeting your special team mate Boo at Jarome. Rockstar!