T'was the night before fulltiming, and all thru the house libby was packing, she even included the cats mouse. While I was panicing over the oil and stuff, she screamed out the door, enough was enough. Help me choose, and help me pack, I looked at the pile and thought, put it all back. The fuel is too low, the pile to high, what have I gotten us into, why oh lord why. Yep, you got it, we're hitting the road tomorrow, wish us luck. The kids have looted and pilaged the house to get the treasures we've decided we didn't need and their still hovering over the piles checking to see what will fit into the bus and what they can still grab lol. One cat is sleeping inside the cat carrier and the other one is sitting on top of it, just incase we are ready to roll at any moment. The great adventure looks like it'll begin with a snow storm but we'll slowly pick our way south and hopefully we'll get below the major snow belt by tuesday night. Our plans are to stop and visit with Dallas and cat and BK for a couple of weeks, then it's on to Florida to get ready for Jacks ralley from there it's still kinda up in the air, libby is letting me bring some of my woodworking tools so I can preserve my sanity, making sawdust has been such a large part of my life for so long, she doesn't want me to go cold turkey yet. I'm not sure yet how often or how well I'll be able to get online for a while but as I can I'll check in to see whats going on with everyone and hopefully at some point we'll be able to sit down and gab. I'm really looking forward to meeting as many of the great people on this board as I can. cody
Hi Cody,
Great story...
We will all be with you on your journey. Just keep us updated as soon as you can.
Enjoy yourselves
Nick-
Cody,
Ya'll have a safe trip and we look forwaord to meetin' you and Libby. Jack
PS: I cant remember what day ya'll said you would arrive at our place, but we are planning a "BusNuts Christmas Dinner" and expect ya'll to join us. Got an email from NC Bob this AM and he & Jackie decided to come down for Christmas dinner also. Bob said he is lookin' forward to meetin' you & Libby
Jack, we're really looking forward to it, you said we should be at your place around the 20th, I'll be the one holding the fork and spoon lol, what can we bring, libby is a great cook, don't tell her I said that tho, she is hard enough to live with now lol. cody
Cody,
You and Libby have all the fun you can stand!
Man, I really hate missing a good pilaging.... ;)
If your time and travels allow it, stop by a say hey on your way through Florida.
We are about two hours north of Jack. And NCbob is less than 2000' away....
Either way, well see ya at Bussin.......
Cliff
Dallas and I are really excited. We get to meet you in just a matter of hours now. Tell Libby to stop worrying about what she takes. She is going to forget some things that are important, take some things that are useless and spend time trying to figure out why she did both. Life is all about living and not about finding that 1 pot you always use for the beans. Just relax because once the trip gets started, the fear of the unknown will start to disappear.
But cat, nothing scares me more than fear lol. I'm sure we'll make some quick, desparate trips to walmart, we'll be taking our time on the way down but we'll get there lol. Cliff, we're looking forward to seeing you guys and if we can we'll stop by on the way to jacks, if not, we'll see you at the rally.
Good Luck Cody & Libby from us both also. May this winter in TN, Fl and where ever your Eagle lands be the best time for you both you will wish you had done many years ago. While in Florida, if you travel down I-75 try to make a stop also Fred Hobe's home / shop. You will be enlightened by man that never quits or lets anything keep him down and his friendship--Priceless!
Travel safe, keep us informed of your trip and how you are doing and a few photos could sure go a long ways when you can.
Gary
Cody,
If you ever get to Texas, Abilene area, give us a holler! Would be great to meet you and Libby, by the way, you won't need your fork and spoon here!
Have a safe and wonderful experience, take lots of pictures along the way, keep a journal of your travels and a video or two.
Good Luck and God Bless,
Paul
Cody, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I promised myself that 'next year' I'll start packing the bus for FL in August. Sheesh! If it won't fit...it don't go! After a year now we've discovered that there are tons of things we can do without...most of them attached to the female side of the equation...but LOL in convincing her!
It'll all work out providing you drive and think safety every minute. Pick a good economy cruise speed and keep a safe interval and we'll see you when you arrive in the Bushnell area.
Bob
"Auxillary fuser intermix optimal. Inpulse power at your discretion. Warp power in five minutes. Orbital egress logged and approved. Captain....we need a course and speed." Carry on. Gosh we are lucky. :) :) :)
well, we're on the road, or at least away from home lol,the weather is not good, we had to wait till late in the afternoon to even get on the road, our power at home went out at about 7am and still wasn't on a 3 pm, tree's down all over, absolute whitout conditions and very slippery roads, we got south but not too far before I decided to overnight at a casino, and yep they have wifi, or I'd just be going clickity click and nobody would care lol.Libby is busy unpacking and seeing how much of my closet she'll need to hang up her clothes, looks like I'll be living out of a shopping bag for a while. The bus is a total disaster, things piled everywhere, we'll have fun finding spots for everything, I'ts cold in here, got a couple of electric heaters going just to get it over 50 but it'll warm up hopefully, the temp outside is a balmy 5F with 25MPH winds, the snow is falling steady but it's horizontal so not a problem it'll land somewhere east of us lol. In the morning we'll head further south, maybe it'll warm up a bit lol, end of day one .cody
Cody, count your blessings, Dallas doesn't even get a shopping bag for his stuff. I put his in a pillow case so he will have a pillow and storage. Amazing how you can make anything into a space saver.
Seriously, you guys stay warm and be careful. Head south just as fast as you can safely go. Cat
well, folks, we haven' moved an inch today, we have a raging storm going on and the roads are very bad. I have a great sence of adventure but trying to push a 42,000 pound sausage accross a hot frying pan with my nose sounds a lot like what I'd be trying to do, so now we wait it out. We spent the day organizing and putting things away, we actually seem to have a lot of room in the bus, more than I thought we would, but all that means is that we've forgotten a lot of stuff. The casino that we are sitting at has very feeble wifi and I'll type something, then I sit and wait, get a cup of coffee, take a nap, shovel snow, and then go in a look at the screen and see if it's appeared yet, I MISS MY DSL. If the storm breaks in the morning we'll continue on the adventure. End of day 2 lol.
Cody,
Just keep "thinking" warm,,,, ;) Your going to make it south, we will be waiting for you, in the SUNSHINE state.
Don't get ansy, wait for better driving weather..... Day 3,4,5,6 are just a sun rise away.
Bill
Cody,
Well keep the light on for you two! ;D
As Bill said "Your going to make it south, we will be waiting for you, in the SUNSHINE state."
Look at it this way, usually when a Busnut spends two or three days in a parking lot, they are waiting on parts... :P
Hang in there!
Cliff
hey guys, great news, I may have stumbled onto a way to bring the cost of fuel down, while I've been sitting here in this parking lot, the price of crude has dropped about 7 bucks and the cost at a pump here has diesel down to 3.54 a gallon, it seems as long as I can't move the price may drop again lol. I think the diesel price gods are teasing me, I'll know for sure when we lite up the DD for the 'run to the sun', if the price jumps as soon as I fire it up, I'll know then lol.
Hurry and get out of that snow! We are looking forward to meeting you two. We will probably be at Jack's before the rally so we will see you there. :)
Cody you don't know from cold. We're sitting behind a motel on the outskirts of Saskatoon & it is supposed to hit -30 tonight. I hope the ProHeat doesn't flame out over night. Had to go buy a new wifi dongle tonight because my last one was DOA dead. It doesn't matter anymore - if you don't move - so what? We have a cat that travels with us - he has the right attitude - when in doubt, have a nap.
Well people, we're still stranded but the weatherman says it'll be over this evening, the great people at this casino have been very helpfull, they have plowed around us, been nothing but nice, I think they want to get rid of us lol. If the weather breaks like they say, we'll make a run for it in the morning, any points south have got to be warmer than what we're sitting in now.
We made it to Regina - my ProHeat is still acting up but there's no way I'm going to mess with it in this weather. Keep the genset running, start the noisemaker every couple or 3 hours and we're getting the H out of Dodge. I'll try pulling the nozzle once we get to warmer climate but there's no way I'm going to get covered in cold diesel fuel with no water to clean up. Us Canucks are tough - we can stand a couple of cold nights.
Good luck getting out of the casino parking lot - make any money yet??
Run Cody Run. 8) 8) 8) The Sunshine awaits.
Cody,
Where are you,,, ??? what city and state, pleaes, want to make sure I don't plan a trip that way....... LMAO
The Sunshine State is waiting..... Run Cody Run.....
Bill
I'm sure Cody will update when he can but as of last night he is still in the same place. The conditions are too bad for him leave the parking lot or if he did to drive safely. I hope these super folks don't get too discouraged having to spend their first few says full timing sitting in a parking lot with others in the same boat. Hang in their Cody and Libby!!!
Based on current weather forcasts he better be getting his butt out of there or he is going to be spending the winter there. LOL
Richard
It's 1:30Am and we've pulled over again, 100 miles south of where we were, once again stranded by the weather but further south, took us all day to cover the 100 miles that we got, mostly slideways lol. Now it looks like the next break in the weather will be monday morning, if I'm not carefull I'll meet myself coming back lol. not too bad 4 days to go 125 miles.
Cody, you guys be safe out there. There are lots of prayers going up for your safety.
You guys are gonna have one heck of a first time out fulltiming story to tell. Cat
Cody,
We're all taking deep breaths for you as well as saying prayers that you will beat mother nature and get out of that situation. You can't possible head back now but be careful and don't take chances. Too much at stake for you guys and anyone you meet on the way, keep us posted, maybe you can make arrangements to follow a snow plow closely and make connections between these guys to get to interstate highways which I hope are in better condition.
When we had to go to NY 20 years ago for my oldest sons funeral from a bad car accident the weather was terrible, it was February 12 and you know how the North is on that month. Well, the roads were bad but I had on my CB Radio and told one trucker where we were going and why and he just passed the word on to all truckers ahead. The roads were good up till we reached Pennsylvania of coarse and these truckers had us follow them up to 80 miles per hour at some places, one ahead of us and one behind at times and they kept contact with hundreds of guys I swear for bears and things.
When we needed fuel other truckers just kept track of us and another picked us up the moment we were on the interstate. This activity kept my head clear as you can imagine and it sure helped us concentrate on getting there not that we really wanted to.
Anyhow, what I am getting at is see if you can make contact with the county guys plowing the roads where you are at, they have radio contact and perhaps gps etc. now days on most big town rigs plowing snow. Tell them your situation and need to get South as if they can't guess of coarse. But this being the season to reach out and help you may be surprized what people will do for your, it happened already just recently. No need to quit letting people know you can use some help a little here and a little there.
What town you stranded in?? Perhaps that can still happen!! Give us a actual location Cody where you and Libby are this very moment. Perhaps someone on this board near that area may have a few connections and can make a phone call and make help happen for Cody & Libby to get to the South, Preferably, Florida (believe me). Are you using the generator for survival? Stupid question I know but I have no idea what circumstances you are in for over night docking etc. Good Grief!! What a story to be documented, keep a log for us and BCM Magazine. You will be centerfold or darn near it with all this happening during your welcome to full timing.
Gary
It's a cause for celebration, no snow over night and the road crews will have the roads opened up in the morning (monday) or so they say, Tomorrow we should be going thru wisconsin, we've promised to stop and say hi to a busnut there, Jim C, he lives on the way and it'll be so nice to actually see a human being that doesn't think we're crazy or at least slightly off center. Since tuesday, we've actually made 125 miles in headway on our run to the sun. if you figure it out on gallons per day, we're actually doing better than a Subaru, lol. I had originally figured we'd be filling the bus every day, not every few weeks, our little honda generator, the 3000 watt one has performed admirably, it does what we ask without a whimper. Our 2 electric heaters did keep the inside of the bus at a balmy 50 degree's or so, it was bearable but I did need to use the hair dryer to defrost the windshield curtain, it had froze into the 1/2 inch of ice that formed on the inside of the windows. I made a mental note to myself that dual pane sliders would really be an item we should look into, another mental note in regards to a furnace or heat source is in order at some point too. To be exact we are at Watersmeet Michigan, a really nice little town about 8 niles north of the wisconsin border. The weather forecast for tonight is freezing rain and sleet, so the roads tomorrow should be great compared to what we've been trying to push thru so far. One thing that I've learned so far is that we have two cats, one is a right foot cat and the other is a belly cat. When I climb into bed, one cat crawls under the covers directly to the foot of the bed and curls up next to my right foot, the other cat curls up to my belly and settles in for the night. I've noticed that the speed that they crawl out in the morning is directly related to the temperature in the bus, so their not much different than me.lol What I'd like to know is WHAT HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING. I find that the polar bears are really not interested in us and we've not had to feed them at all. And this brings day 6 to a close. cody
Cody, now that's a report...that's what we've been thirsting for...blow by blow. Hope you're able to stop and meet another Busnut on the way.
Looks like the biggest problem you're having is humidity. We found that our first year of full timing both in the summer and the winter. We'd bought a 53 pint dehumidifier for the boat when we kept it on the TN River south of Chattanooga and it kept the mildew at bay all summer. When we sold the boat I purloined the D/H for the bus and we pretty much use it year 'round. It takes the load off the A/C in the summer and doesn't let the heaters fog up the winders in the winter.
I wouldn't count too much on the 'Global Warming' thing until spring. However if Hillary buys into it and makes it a part of her platform you can bet the farms that it's a lie, which most folks think that way anyhow.
Please be well, safe and keep us posted on progress. As Cliff said...'the light's in the window' but maybe we'll have to change it to a fluorescent if you don't make better time! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
And the good news is that we finally had some excitement this morning, my wife woke me up to say that the power was out so I got up to fire up the generator, not the problem lol. the power cord had shorted and was arcing against the metal of the bay floor, it was kind of pretty tho, lots of red and white sparks, sorta like a minature celebration. Got that fixed and went in to have that much needed cup of coffee. So far the day was going to be alright after all. We checked the road and it was still glare ice but the snow has stopped and the plow crews are cleaning it up nicely and sanding/salting the blazes out of it. This afternoon a bunch of snowmobilers pulled in and they are being kind of a pain in the neck, I sure hope I see their toys when we pull out in the morning, they seem to think that having their sleds scattered all over the place, which includes in from of our bus is ok. We took a ride down the road to see what it looked like with the jeep, I think we can make southern Wisconsin in the morning, it'll be nice to see Jim C. and to be a little closer, I think the conestoga wagons made more miles than we are doing in a day, but this storm is according to the news stations here one of the nastiest they've seen in a while or at least since last winter, so we'll see what the morning brings but hopefully by afternoon we'll actually be south of the snow belt at last and running to the sun after a slight bypass to pick up a tub and some tanks for slow rider from bonragers . No polar bears to report, but does a moose count? cody
Cody,
Glad to hear you still sound cheerfully. I've been reading your post to my girlfriend, Hyeyong. Now, she asking, how is Cody.... We just want you to be safe and looking forward to meeting you in Arcadia, FLORIDA. I hope you're taking photos.....
Keep inching South.... And keep smiling, your going to laugh about this, one day soon...... ;D
Bill
I thought we had a tough day cuz I had to drive in snow and on snowpack for 2 hours this morning but it sounds like our day was a walk in the park compared to what you are putting up with. Travel safe.
We are all thinking of you cody & LIbby, do this trip safe but ger"R" done soon, it is like worrying about your daughter going to the prom when thinking of you guys. LOL.
Good Luck again, keep the reports coming daily if possible.
Gary
And the bad news is that the bus is warming up, I'm thawing a few frozen lines but we'll be rolling in a bit, looks like the run to the sun is once again underway. the parking lot plow guy opened the path for us this morning and all we have to do is fight our way about 8 miles to the highway and it'll be clear sailing down to southern Wisconsin, I'll take a few pics of the snow piles before we go but my laptop lunched on me so I'm at the mercy of other peoples pc's. Dontcha just love vista? lol It seems that it forgot it's a laptop, not sure what it remembers yet but being new it shouldn't have developed amnesia just yet, probably a minor fix that can be taken care of with a baseball bat or crowbar. Hopefully, with a little luck, we'll be trading tall tales with Jim C this evening. One week of fulltiming done and more to come lol. cody
Well Cody glad to hear yer making progress! And do take yer time and stop to smell the roses er snowbanks....(just don't eat the yellow snow! LOL!) Ain't no sense in gett'n in a hurry after all ya gotta bus to catch er somethin'? LOL! Becareful and enjoy yer travels no matter how far fast or far ya go!
;D BK ;D
I just received a phone call from Cody. They are north of Madison and, surprise, are in another snow storm. They said the air got thick and the road started getting greasy so they decided to pull over for the night. This storm is just supposed to be 2-4 inches so he thinks they will be on the road tomorrow. His computer is not letting him get online but he does have cell phone coverage where they are. They are doing fine, watching TV and relaxing and didn't want anyone to worry about them. If we hear from them again we will keep you updated.
Great news,
I just got a call from Cody & Company.
They are now outside of Bloomington, Il. and hooked up to a real honest to goodness shore power connection! They even have cable TV. Woo-Hoo!
They have decided not to head west to Indiana and the pillaging of the RV Surplus Stores and so should be here sometime tomorrow.
Dallas
Pictures please .... when Cody arrives
We just talked with Cody and Libby. They are about 90 miles away from us and will be here tomorrow. They got into some freezing rain and we were having sleet so they decided to be safe and stop for the night. I don't know about them but we are so excited about finally getting them here that we won't sleep much tonight.
That's great news, Cat. We'll look forward to their first post from TN and hope Cody fills in the blanks in their Odyssey. Inquiring minds want to know! Nah, we're just nosy.
Bob
Well, it finally happened. We got to meet Cody and Libby. They arrived an hour or so ago and we have had a super time starting to get acquainted with them as well as their two beautiful kitties. I'm sure they will be posting soon but for now we wanted to let you know that they made it to Union City.
I feel better now that the prom is over! Relax a little now Cody and Libby, let us know when the next leg of your trip is starting, if they even mention snow, get out of Dodge!!
Safe Traveling my friend.
Gary
Life is good, we're sitting beside BK's garage and hooked up to real power, it's warm inside the bus, raining a little outside but it doesn't get any better lol. Finally got to meet dallas, cat, and bk, real good people. It's so nice to see green grass, no snow, did I mention no snow? lol Took us a while to get here but now I can relax for a bit, libby is taking a nap and my laptop that had developed amnesia is working again, I'm thinking it might have something to do with the battery being dead, after I plugged it in it seemed to work much better, I'll have to try and remember that. I'm going to relax bor a bit I'm finding myself still turning corners so got to get out of the driving mode, coffee sounds good right about now lol. more to come.
Cody,
Glad you made it safe . Rest up and get your butt back in the chat room. :)
Frank
So happy to hear you're out of that mess up north. Time to kick back and relax a bit and relieve the tension.
We'll be looking forward to seeing you in the Chat Room or more postings.
Jackie & Bob
Ain't gotta worry about snow here we only get it once or twice a yr and if it last more than a day or 2 it was a BLIZZARD! LOL! Great to finally meet Cody and Libby! By the way Gary I got to see the scooter/chair or whatever the dang thing is called! I gotta couple on day charters com'n up but we'll be busy doing a few things they need done very soon! Cody has previously made a suggestion of trading skills and we know mechanical & he knows wood! LOL! (also whilest enjoying the cup of coffee and meeting with them today Cody was sure to make it know his knack, & love for trading ! LOL!)
;D BK ;D
Yep, we're here and I'm finally rested up a little, got a good nights sleep last night, I've finally stopped reaching for the steering wheel in my sleep. Some really good people here. Still amazed at how much room is in the bays of BK's setra, I could set up an entire apartment for libby in there and still have room for my workshop lol. Looking forward to making some sawdust, I'm going to miss my workshop a lot, haveing to do the work the old fashioned way will be a change but we'll get it done, I got kind of used to haveing all the goodies like my molder, shaper, planers etc, but I think we can still get something done and it might even look ok with a little luck.