Got an email this morning from Paul (Dreamscape), I picked up some windows for his bus at Bontragers last year, some really nice tinted sliding thermopanes, brand new and made by Hehr, the good stuff, well that left the problem of getting them to texas lol. John Rigby is coming to elkhart in a couple of days and I'll meet up with him there, he'll be moving the windows to the next part of their journey, they'll be heading to texas and much closer to Paul, it gets the windows to Paul and gives me a good excuse to head to Bontragers and RV Surplus to see whats new and interesting and at the same time meet another busnut, it just doesn't get any better than this lol. I'll be taking my truck to Elkhart cause the bus has a booboo right now that needs fixing but life is still good and I'm looking forward to the run.
Cody,
Loks like we will just miss each other. We left Elkhart on Tursday and are presently at the CCO rally near Elsie, MI. We will leave here on Sunday to go to Sanford area. I think we will leave there on Monday or Tuesday to head towards Old Mill Creek campground (near Mackinaw bridge). What day are you heading to Elkhart and what day will you be returning? Maybe we can meet-up, aqt least long enought to shake howdy and have a bit to eat & drink. Jack
Jack, I just talked to john and we still need to finalize our plans but initially things look like we'll be handing off pauls windows tuesday morning, we'll be heading back to the mackinaw bridge at that point, we'll be getting into elkhart on sunday night or monday morning so we'll do our looting on monday. But, right after the window handoff we'll be heading back north towards the bridge.
Cody or Jack,
Where's a good place to stay in Elkhart? We're leaving SA Tex in the morning (12th) and should get there by tues. Would like to meet you cody if possible. Momma only gives me through weds. to look at all the goodies. Maybe you can send me in the best direction.
Richard
Sure be glad to get away from these 100+ deg temps!!!
On highway 19, going north, just after you cross over I-80, there is a complex on the left with several motels and a shopping center that has a K-mart in it and a cracker barrel, kinda a full service type spot, it has budget motels and some better ones, and is convienent to most everywhere. This area is only a few blocks from RV Surplus and a few other surplus type stores, when we're in elkhart without the bus like we'll be this time, we generaly stay in one of the budget motels in that complex, it's a decent spot and we've not had any problems there at all. To head to Bontragers we just continue north on highway 19, it feeds directly into US-12 east and goes straight to Bontragers a few miles down the road. Who ever designed that road knew what we wanted lol.
Ifr you want a campground, we stayed at Elkhart Campground. Very centrally located to most of the RV Surplus places. Goshen Fairgrounds is cheaper, but I think the fair is going on now and no camping during the fair. Jack
Jack where is sanford? We'll be crossing the mackinaw bridge tomorrow and heading into the lower penninsula, could meet up. Ok, found sanford, we could be in that area sunday afternoon, we have to find a spot to lay over anyway, that would be a good spot to get together.
A great big Thank You to you and John for the transportation of the windows! Words cannot express how this makes me feel! I'm eternally grateful! :)
I hope that you all have fun and most important Safe Travels!
Many Thanks!
Paul
Road trips are always fun, would be more fun if i had the bus put together enough to take but it'll still be fun.
We're getting ready to head for sanford michigan now, to meet up with jack and paula, it's about a 420 mile run so we'll arrive well into the afternoon, then enjoy a nice supper and visit with them and their friends then it's off to elkhart to loot and pillage a little before we meet up with john to hand over the windows for paul and a short visit with him and hopefully we'll get to meet up with RDBishop on tuesday too, that'll be two more busnuts we've met, the pile of busnuts we've met is pretty big and not a ringer in the bunch yet, well, a couple are pretty close but how bad can they be if they own a bus lol. After that we'll head back to the mackinaw bridge area and then eventually back home again. We'll be bringing the laptop so if we can find some wifi spots we'll check in now and then.
Cody,
We'll be staying at the Elkhart campground, Cell #210-216-6708 PM me your # and I'll call you when we get there and get a space. Got to go fire that baby up and get on the road.
Later, Richard
Cody,
See you Tuesday am
John
We had supper and a nice visit with Cody & Libby this evening. It sure was great to see them again. Jack
After having dinner and great visit with jack and paula and some of their friends, we headed out last evening in search of a motel, I wasn't overly tired so I drove a while and we stayed over in Mount Pleasent so we're a shade closer to elkhart, we'll roll into elkhart today and wander around aimlessly looking at all the goodies and try to get ahold of john and richard today and make arangements for tomorrow.
I should have asked this earlier but better late than never lol, is there anything anyone wants priced out at trina's or bontrager?
We just arrived in elkhart, let the games begin lol, went to bontragers and looked at what they had, then hit one down the road from them, nothing so far, got into elkhart after the stores here closed but resting now and waiting to hear from john and richard, got a good room at a decent price, we're just off I-80 on highway 19 at the Fairway Inn watching tv right now, are we having fun yet? lol
Had a nice visit with John and Tammy they are the next leg of the great window adventure, so far, pauls window started life in elkhart and came north to northern michigan last year with me, they enjoyed the pleasures of a northern michigan winter leaning up against the wall in my daughters garage, last weekend they got loaded into my truck again and were brought back to elkhart where john loaded them onto his trailer and the next stop is somewhere in texas where they await the next leg of the trip to pauls bus, I'm thinking they should take a ride to seattle and maybe down the coast highway first, seems only right lol.
Cody,
That's quite a trailer John has to carry Paul's windows back on! When John had our little car on there, it didn't squat a bit when he took it off.
I can see it now on the big screen, "The Great American RV Window Adventure"! Kinda brings a tear to your eye doesn't it! ::)
Thanks My Friend!
Paul
No thanks are needed, my friend, it just what busnuts do for each other, thats just the way it's supposed to be done. I had an old cranky busnut from the east coast explain it to me a long time ago, it was back before the smell of diesel fumes had erroded my brain and killed off the "I donwanna" part of my cerebillum, it's a southern term, a dead cerribellem is an 'anti-bellem lol. (sorry, that was bad, even for me lol) He told me that the remaining old buses out there are numbered and disappearing on a daily basis and taking their drivers with them, that it's important for us to stand tall and stand firmly together and do what we can for each other, he was a great guy and then he corrected my grammer and my spelling on my reply lol, thanks richard for being who you were lol. I'm just glad that I could help a little.
It's kinda sad when a road trip draws to a close, we're on our way home, right now we're staying over in Gaylord, about 60 miles south of the bridge and around 300 miles left till we get home. The looting session was light but productive lol, I got the power cord that I had forgotten at trinas when I got my backup camera last trip, and now I can relate fully to the old Johnny Cash tune about the 58,59,60,61 cadillac lol, I got a set of graphics for the bus, it tag says endeavor so I guess now I'll have a H&R Iggle lol, I don't care as long as I can figure out which side or direction the squiggle goes lol, they got a lot of squiggles to try to keep straight, the entire set for both sides and the back only ran me 60 bucks, I thought that was kinda cool, I found a really cool pooper, it was one of those taller than normal versions of a sealand toilet but it was black, hadn't seen a black one before was really cool but trina wanted 385 for it so it'll have to wait for a while, I'll rebuild my old sealand one more time, maybe by the time it needs rebuilding again they'll have them in paisley. lol
Paul,
Bad news, we missed are turn on 80 which put us draging the windows kicking and screeming though the centre of Chicargo. Not to mention the extra $30,00 in tolls cause I missed the exit(how do people afford to live here?).
Cody we visited Trina boy she was in a bad mood, so we went across the road and picked up a new sofa $300,00 installed.
We are now camped in Syncruse,
John
John,
At least they're not dead if their kicking and screaming! ;D
Be safe! Do you wish you were driving on the right side? ;)
Paul
Quote from: johns4104s on July 14, 2009, 09:00:00 PM
Cody we visited Trina boy she was in a bad mood.....Snip.....
John
Walla, we all know why that was....Cody had left ;D ;D ;D LOL
God bless,
John
I kinda miss trina too, there is always so much time left at the end of the money lol, libby is kinda a throwback to the reagon era, she just says NO lol.
We just arrived back home at jamies, was a great run, we enjoyed it and enjoyed meeting new friends. We got a little bit of loot and it'll take the bus to the next level, now if only I could drive it, that would be perfect.
I'm always releived to hear that someone made it home safe after their trip, and you my friend I'm very grateful!
Take Care,
Paul
The windows will be in the shop for a few days..
John
Quote from: johns4104s on July 14, 2009, 09:00:00 PM
Cody we visited Trina boy she was in a bad mood, so we went across the road and picked up a new sofa $300,00 installed.
I'm curious where you got the sofa across the road from RV Surplus? Was Factory RV Surplus actually open for business? (They have been closed all but one time I have tried to shop there. I'm not the only one it seems.)
Brian, they were open when we were there, the last time we went thru elkhart a month or so ago, we couldn't catch them open but this time they were.
If you ask, RV surplus has warhouses behind the main building full of furniture..
John
Yep john, we went thru most of them, not too many places in elkhart and the surrounding area that we haven't checked out.
Paul are you sure you will want to put those windows in your Eagle? They will have more miles than your bus by the time they get to ARMADILLO!!
I know, but at least they will be broke in! ::)
I hope not broken! :'(