Our final shakedown trip took us to what some call America’s third coast—the Great Lakes. Specifically, we drove the coast of Lake Michigan, trolling the beaches, talking with locals, camping, and, of course, sampling the wines. Here are some of the highlights:
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Podcast: Season 2
Buckle up, folks! This season we have expanded our horizons—interviewing folks from Michigan to the Finger Lakes in New York. We are serving up ten new episodes that include entrepreneurs, artists, champions of the community, and bold adventurers.
Send-off Party Announcement
Hey, friends. We leave town in just over a week. Before we go, we wanted a chance to say goodbye to friends and family. Whether you’re an old friend or someone we’ve only met through the various Facebook VW groups, we hope you’ll come out to Caesar Creek Vineyards on August 20. The Phatty WagonContinue reading “Send-off Party Announcement”
Leather Straps
Here’s an easy peasy one to make your life a little easier. When I installed my new seat belts, I had an issue with them falling on the floor. I didn’t want to install stiff belt holders for a few reasons (number one being that the passenger seat is on a rotator). But the bucklesContinue reading “Leather Straps”
Flatpack Camper console
Best Jerry Seinfeld impression: What is the deal with the UK? They have all the best VW interior products. Do they own the corner market on the bus? It’s like they have bus greed. ‘Yes, I’ll take a bus; make it a double decker.’ For real. When I started looking to install cabinets into myContinue reading “Flatpack Camper console”
Spice rack
Since the onset of fixing up the bus, I have been militant in my belief that every cubic inch should be utilized. After installing the Hakwood ceiling, I had this odd strip of space above where the sink/stove would go. Instantly I knew I wanted to make it into a spice rack. Using a carpenterContinue reading “Spice rack”
Steering
I knew I wanted to marry Miracle when she talked me out of selling the bus. “Talked me out of” isn’t the right turn of phrase. She never said, “Ryan, here’s my argument for why you should keep the bus.” In fact, she never actively tried to dissuade me. I had been talking about unloadingContinue reading “Steering”
Original Westfalia cooktop + cabinets
Prior to my owning her, Adie had some homemade cabinets. I suppose they were functional and probably sufficed for the occasional weekend camping trip. (I did, in fact, take a long weekend in it’s previous configuration and it worked fine—but merely fine.) A longer trip would be problematic for a couple reasons: There was aContinue reading “Original Westfalia cooktop + cabinets”
We were on the radio!
A couple weeks ago I posted in a VW Facebook group about our podcast, “So You Owned a VW Bus.” I asked folks if they had stories and if they would be open to sharing them. We instantly got lots of responses. But more than stories, we received messages of support, offers to stay inContinue reading “We were on the radio!”
Scat shifter
My mechanic, Norm, was pretty upset about this one. I bought Adie with the original shifter in it. (Though, hilariously enough, not the knob. The knob itself had the wrong shift pattern on it, which I called a theft deterrent.) Putting it lightly, the shifting was sloppy. Sometimes, in my less careful moments I wouldContinue reading “Scat shifter”
On the Road with Adie 