Adventures in a VW Bus
Both Miracle and I have hit our heads whilst living in our bus. It’s a part of life, I suppose. We’ve heard the rumors that the number one injury in the navy is bonking your head on the low doorways and we figured we still have it more comfortable than those making their lives underwater. Still. The sound of Miracle’s crown crunching against the doorframe of the bus, the way the entire vehicle shook or the way her eyes seemed to vibrate afterward—was sickening.
Continue reading “The concussion”Utah–one of my favorites. I used to come out here to visit my sister when she lived in Salt Lake and I simply fell in love with the only state to have six straight sides and more BLM than any other state. And yet there are so few great songs about this great state. But here’s a few that will do.
Continue reading “Playlist: Utah”
Granted, I have been to Colorado before, but in recent years my forays into the state have been to run Pikes Peak and return home sore and sunburnt. I have neglected the lower part of the state, which is beautiful. Even though we only spent about a week there (it’s insanely expensive on the whole), we loved it. Here are some highlights:
Continue reading “Colorado in review”
Colorado Rocky Mountain High, baby! Thanks to Paul Austin of Austin Automotive in Canon City for giving the bus the once over and preparing us for the climb through the mountains. We tackled Wolf Creek Pass—immortalized by the CW McCall song—with aplomb. Yes, we chugged the last several miles in second gear, but that only gave us more time to take in the majesty of these snow capped peaks and the skiers cutting zigzag down the slopes. More importantly, as we descended, I had full braking power!
Continue reading “Wolf Creek Pass”
After staying several days at McIntyre’s Home for Wayward Buses and Wandering Souls in Miami, Florida, we finally convinced Ian McIntyre—VW bus enthusiast, artist, friend to all, dog whisperer extraordinaire, and all around renaissance man—to sit down with us for an interview. Tune in to hear why Ian created this home-away-from-home in paradise for fellow travelers.
The past week has been surreal. Each morning we wake up in a different place, which is not at all unusual anymore. But the environment and weather varies wildly in the deserts and the mountains. It’s disorienting and exhilarating.
Continue reading “Mornings in the mountains”
One of my favorite and most-visited states–Colorado gives us plenty to sing about. The Mile High State is beautiful and rugged and filled with tons to see. No doubt we will be back again and again. But for now, as we explore the south and west of this gorgeous big box, let’s turn up the sound with these fine Colorado hymns:
Continue reading “Playlist: Colorado”
Things were going well. Too well. New Mexico was like a dream and we were heading into the last band of that red dirt land I love so much. We left the idyllic and secluded Lake Morphy with its switchback roads and pitch darkness, the crystalline lake with jumping fish and green bristling trees. Following google directions, we jumped on the two lane road north. But it was shut down. We broke out the paper map and plotted a new course. I took the delay to check my email and find another rejection in my inbox. It was one of those mornings. We should have just stayed by the lake. …Or—and this is a very real possibility—I just needed to eat. So at the first town we came to with an eatery—a little tiny hamlet of a place called Mora—we stopped and got a breakfast burrito. When I returned to the bus, I had a problem that food couldn’t fix: a flat tire.
Continue reading “Re-tired”
Colin Kellogg, the Itinerant Air-Cooled Mechanic, is a hard person to catch up with, having zig-zagged over 500,000 miles across the US in his bus teaching other VW bus owners how to repair and maintain their own VWs. As luck would have it, we were able to meet up with Colin in sunny Florida and he was kind enough to share his story with us. Buckle up. It’s a wild ride, with a lot of twists and turns, but we promise you’ll learn something.
On the Road with Adie