Observations II

[chazwood]

Having just returned from our second "Steel tent" weekend in as many weeks here are some new and improved observations.

First, the important stuff....



Sometimes the simplest things turn your whole life around and set you on the right path........like returning from our weekend to find a mc-9 manual on our doorstep. (compliments of a fellow busnut Marc S.) Words cannot express my gratitude for this act of kindness.  You da Man! . No doubt you saved our lives.


Now on to a few observations.


Nature abhors a vacuum. I could not imagine what we were going to do with all that space. Three giant cargo bays and 40 ft of moving cave. Never need room again...... Right? 
Yeah, right.                      (my wife calls it a "can of people")


When traveling with 6 kids, (who all need their personal lamps, fans and electric blankets, in order to sleep),  you will not need carpet, because, you will be walking on a thick layer of multicolored extension cords. Think of it as plastic shag, and pick up your feet. Now, to some of you, a fan and an electric blanket might seem like a strange combination, unless you're from the deep south. (I'm not.) You see, where I come from, you use a fan to cool down and an electric blanket to warm up. In the deep south, they use a fan all year and just add a blanket when it gets too cold. Go figure.   However, trust me....don't try to make sense of it, and don't try to reason with them.

All camp grounds have a stall to shower and a stall to dress. The stall to shower is full of water and so is the stall to dress. Luckily, there is always a plastic bench in the dressing stall that stays dry. I have now mastered the technique of getting fully dressed while standing on top of a plastic bench. Try that with sticky, humid tight jeans. Houdini ain't got nothing on me.


While all campground people are friendly and polite ......there is a very real pecking order. People who stay in cracker jack boxes, (on the fringes, with ground skirts, wooden decks and dog pens,) gaze at your giant bus, in awe..... while people in $2 mill. prevost's, towing a car worth more than your whole bus, glance at you in pity with a half smiles. (as they watch you try to pump up that slow leak in your tag tire with a battery operated bicycle pump.)
I've figured out their problem.....they have nothing to do, and we have a bus to rebuild.


Gentlemen, if your campground has an outdoor kitchen, do not! I repeat, do not, miss the opportunity to follow your wife out there and help her with the dishes. (you ain't doing anything that can't wait) Everything you've ever heard about that little event.......is true.


Staying in a campground is great exercise. Climbing from one end of your bus to the other as it sits on it's "Level " spot, is a lot like stair-stepping.  Getting up off the floor and climbing into bed, after you fall out all night, is a lot like push ups and sit ups.


And finally...... no amount of heaters will keep you warm, on a cold night, if you leave a window open.....And furthermore, in the morning if the birds sound like they are singing inside the bus .......Yes,......your window is open.


Thanks.


Chazwood.

[jackhartjr]

Chazwood, I and we are enjoying reading your posts!  Please keep them coming.
ALWAYS wear a pair of the cheap rubber slipper while in the showers.  When I used to truck I did that, NEVER had foot problems when I made sure to wear them.  But every once in a while I did not.  DUHH!
Jack

[cody]

One of fondest memories of steel tent camping was after we got the bus home and I actually had a floor in it, we were ready to hit the road for a weekend so we loaded up the cooler, strung a couple of trouble lights from the ceiling, and loaded up the lawn chairs and a card table.  I sat in the lawn chair and looked around, yep, time to treat libby to a counter so in came a couple of saw horses and a piece of plywood, now that was living lol. Our first meal was prepared on a coleman stove and was better than anything out of a 5 star resort.  The only moment that was a little touch and go on the nerves was when I learned that you cannot get into bed on a fold down rv couch unless you anchor it to the floor, the bed was set up and I was settled into the sleeping bag when libby plunked down on the edge, from a deep sleep, I found my self being launched almost thru the air heading for a lawn chair as the bed pitched forward and onto it's side, libbly thought that was the funnyest thing she had seen in a while, might have been my eyes as I went by, not sure but it sure got my attention. So at 1AM I was fumbling around in a tool box for some conduit anchors lol.

[Dreamscape]

These kinds of threads deserve printing in the magazine. I laughed so hard I cried......well almost anyway.....

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Well worth the time reading.

Takes my mind off the election and the price of fuel!

Paul

[Kwajdiver]

Hyeyong and I are sitting here cracking up.... who needs TV when we have you guys to entertain us...

Keep them rolling,

Bill and Hyeyong
Sun City Center, Florida

[Barn Owl]

Are all six children yours? What are their ages? Dud, I am feeling some serious bonding going on here. I have six, three of each. They are the reason behind the bus. Busnuts with children <18 at home is not the majority. But; nevertheless, very cool!

Laryn

[chazwood]

Did you call me a dud? Have you been talking to my mother-in-law?

All six are mine......I cannot blame anyone else. 

Ages 17 down to four.  Pick a number ....chances are we have one.

All my kids play tennis (even the four year old, just not full time yet.) Four of them play tournaments all over the south east.  We started adding up the money we spend on hotels every year and bought a bus. This bus will pay for itself quick like, I don't care how expensive diesel gets.

[cody]

I'd like to make an observation of an entirely personal nature about the people here on this board. I've been here as a member for a short while, not the many years that many members have been.  Last fall we decided to fulltime, even tho we've been rving for a long time, I really didn't know what to expect. When we ventured out onto the road I had no idea where we were going, no idea how we'd get there, only that I was pointing the bus south and "heading off to see America".  We left in a raging blizzard and ended up stranded and snowbound, we were met with kindness and a friendly smile by everyone we ran into, when we got into tennessee we, for the first time actually met in person a couple of the busnuts we had been talking too here on the board, we were greeted warmly and treated like family.  We visited and with reluctance continued south, heading for a rally and more busnut friends that we had not met yet.  Again, we had the same experience, we were welcomed by everyone we ran across and even offered a spot for a while to relax and enjoy the florida sunshine, a real treat for me and something I treasure, I can think of no other lifestyle that is so openly friendly and welcomeing.  As many of you know, I have some medical difficulties that make winter a major problem for me, for the first time in seven years I woke up each morning eager to get out of bed and enjoy being alive.  As we continue our fulltiming experience, we are building memories and friendships that I've never had the privilege of knowing before, the people we've met are absolutely wonderful.  This community of busnuts is more than just a gathering of people discussing bussing problems and issues on a board, they are a group of caring people who genuinely love what they are doing and are more like a large family.  I am so proud to be a part of this group and hope that at some point I can contribute something that is worthy of the kindness and friendship that has been shown us. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and everyone for being who you are.  I'll get off my soapbox now, I just wanted to openly say thank you and as our adventure continues I hope to meet many more of the great people here on this board.

[jackhartjr]

I am so proud to be a part of this group and hope that at some point I can contribute something that is worthy of the kindness and friendship that has been shown us.

Cody, you and Alice already have!  Trust me on that.  Your contributions have been awesome...to be honest I assumed you had been doing this for many years!

Me and Dianne still talk about the tour of your bus, and have taken ideas away from it!

And I laugh every time I think about the comment you made when we were leaving in the truck and had the bikes on the front!   (Floks, he was riding on the scooter, looked at the bikes on the front, took off like a mad man saying, "If the bikes weren't fast enough to get out of the way...I know I can't!")

Like I said Cody, you have made contributions, and many you didn't even know you did!

Jack-N-Dianne

[Barn Owl]

Chazwood,

Did you call me a dud? Have you been talking to my mother-in-law? 

The other choice was "gal", so you pick.

Ages 17 down to four.  Pick a number ....chances are we have one. 

Ages 17 down to five.

We started adding up the money we spend on hotels every year and bought a bus.

Hotels, eating out all of the time, pop-up got to small; bathroom stops too long......bought a bus.


If you are up in my parts look us up and we will do lunch or something.



Cody,

I couldn't agree more.

[Barn Owl]

I just realized I misspelled dude.

Sorry, I hope you knew what I meant. When I get in a hurry my brain will show me what I want to see sometimes, not what is really there. And on top of that, spell check doesn't check for meaning, just spelling. How embarrassing! I am going into hiding now. 

Laryn

[Barn Owl]

After some brief meditation I realized that possibly your mother-in-law has exercised a little understood mind control spell on those who try to correspond with you. I had to hit myself three times in the head with a hammer to protect myself from further influence. Whew! Feeling the pain. 

[chazwood]

 

[HB of CJ]

chazwood.....you survived camping with six (6) kids.  Congradulations!!  You are a brave person!  Years ago we went camping and my lady friend (at the time) freaked out because.....can you believe this?....she could not find an electric socket to plug in her hair dryer!  We were overnight backpacking.  Really true!  Anyway, you had another great post....and I love this board.