On the Road with Adie

Podcast: Stephanie

A couple months ago I had our bus, Adie, at the local gas station and this woman comes up to us and starts telling her story about being in high school and driving her bus under the influence. We appreciated her candidness and finally got a chance to sit down with Stephanie at her home just outside of Waynesville, Ohio, and hear what led up to this incident.

Playlist: Vermont

Okay, folks, Vermont is picturesque and friendly and tasty (just try the pie!). Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate into songsters waxing poetic about the Green Mountain State. Sure, I could have cribbed songs from all the online playlists; however, this part of my project relies on me curating a list of what fits for us. That’s why you didn’t find Sinatra’s “New York, New York” on my New York list. It’s too easy.

Western Massachusetts: I love them apples

Massachusetts proves to be simply hospitable—almost beyond belief. We boogied about of the Boston area on Route 2, bound for the Amherst area. I have a morbid fascination with the bigoted scoundrel who created the Dewey Decimal System, Melvil Dewey. He invented/stole his idea for library classification whilst at Amherst College back in the day and I was curious if there was any sort of legacy there.

Eastern Massachusetts in review

We had a splendid time in Massachusetts. Originally we were going to stick to the western side of the state because I have huge anxieties about driving Adie anywhere near Boston. But Miracle really wanted to see Salem and all of its witchiness. After creating a circuitous route that would avoid the most stressful parts of Boston driving, we headed to Salem. Through VanAlert we found a couple—David and Diane—quintessential New Englanders who were some of the most welcoming and charming people we’ve had the pleasure to meet. Not only did we park in their driveway, but David ended up supplying us with an interview over home cooked pancakes.

Lots of good news

We have big news and big news!

Playlist: Massachusetts

We made it to Massachusetts! To celebrate we have four songs, including one of my favorite long tracks by Dylan. And, yes, three of the songs are about Boston—not by Boston. If you have any non-Boston songs, drop the suggestions in the comments below. As always, you can check out the every-growing playlist here.

Podcast: Lew

As many of you know, the good ol’ slug bug, the beetle, whether it is super or standard, is the gateway into bus ownership. We met a man, Lew Hann, who perfectly demonstrates how one goes from beetle to bus. And his story begins wayyyy up north.

Piperbus Auto

I wrote about Piperbus briefly in a post earlier this week. Let me just say that I was throughly pleased with Tracy’s attention to my bus. After we did our interview, she said she would give Adie the once-over. She quickly caught a few problems, including a major oil leak. Within a few minutes, she had readjusted my timing, ordered the needed parts and had me scheduled for the next day she was open. Tracy is able to explain things to a dolt like me in such a way that I can grasp what she is saying. She also gave me honest insight into what I had going on. (“You can drive on it for a while. But you’re going to be pissing oil. These things don’t get better on their own.”) She was never pushy about the repair (I mean, she has enough going on already without this wayward bus gumming up the works.)

Review: Window Dressings

Granted, the Bay Window VW Bus is far from the fishbowl that is the 23-Window Bus; however, privacy whilst camping is nearly impossible without window dressings of some type. At this point, I have met many veedubbers who have fashioned some creative ways to keep their private time private. Being the prude/fashionista/pragmatist that I am, I wanted dressings that were functional, stylish, storable, and durable. I think I have found the perfect combination.

Connecticut: We’re cat people

Chuck showed us some of his favorite trails—just minutes from his house.

We were really looking forward our romp across Connecticut and Rhode Island. Mostly, I was excited about the people we had met online and were then able to meet in real life. Miracle’s friend, Chuck, welcomed us into their home for dinner, which included clam pizza. If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it. That pie was delicious. Chuck then showed us some of the nature preserve trails around his neighborhood. We got another interview with a woman named Tracy Carlucci, owner of Telabus. …Then we had some challenges.