This week we finally launched for a “shakedown cruise”. A simple one-week trip to the Hoh rain forest to see what living out of the bus would be like, to be away from our sticks and bricks home and resources, and spot any major problems we might come across. It’s been a learning event for sure… Just on the outbound leg, we had a few minor catastrophes that could have
A lot of people like to only write about the good stuff, the victories, the happy accidents. Today, I’m going to tell you about some of the less pretty parts of our adventure to date. Yes, that picture up there is of our bus, in the ditch, at our home. This happened the night I had brought her home. It was my 1st time driving a vehicle this big, and
I’ve been asked a couple of times why we went with a bus, vs getting a super fancy (boogie) Class A RV. While I touch on it briefly elsewhere, I’ll go into detail today. It can mostly be boiled down to 3 major reasons. 1: Safety 2: Quality 3: Customization. Safety: RVs have always been fairly cheaply made; they are designed to be as light as possible but still full
It’s no secret to those who know me that I love to cook for my family. Over the years we’ve collected several family favorites that we know how to make at home. Making them on the road, however, will probably present new challenges. Today I’m going to give a run down of some of our family favorites, and how we make them now. Later I’ll circle back and talk about
As we’ve been waiting for our bus to be completed, we’ve had more opportunities to explore Western Washington. Our most recent trip was over to Bremerton. Bremerton’s Free Bug and Reptile Museum This was an absolutely adorable little museum built around little adventures. In addition to the many live bugs and reptiles on exhibit, they also had hundreds of other pinned bugs and beetles on display on boards. The kids
A couple of days ago we had an amazing experience, or I should say The Boy did. Earning his wings with the Young Eagles program! Have you heard about the Experimental Aircraft Association? Neither had I until Mom found out about their Young Eagles program. In a nutshell, the EAA hosts regular, completely free, 1st flights for children from ages 8 -17. The day begins with a brief ground school
While there is no way to make this an all-inclusive list, and to date, my only experience camping is car camping, here is a list of campgrounds and places we’ve seen in Washington State and a little bit about them from our perspective. Yakima Sportsman State Park Built around a bit of an oasis in the Yakima Valley, Yakima Sportsman State Park was an overnight stay when we ventured to
This is the second installment of the parks and other places we’ve been to and explored in Washington State. Sadly I wasn’t as great of a shutterbug with these locations, so it will be a bit more word and a bit less image. Big Pines Recreation Area and Campground Yakima River Valley Tucked into the Yakima River valley this campground was less than ideal. We reserved one of the drive-in
As I’ve written before our family is going from a house to a Skoolie, so I’ve decided to start writing an in-depth series about what a skoolie is, how they work, and chronicle our transition. Timeline view. What is a Skoolie? In short, a Skoolie is a retired bus. Often times a school bus, but sometimes tour or transit buses are used too. The bus gains a new life as
I was recently watching an episode of “Just Shoot Me” and the main characters kept throwing around a quote. “Sometimes on the way to your dreams, you get lost and find a better one.” I thought it was uniquely powerful for people in our position, transitioning from one paradigm to a radically different one. This particular shift is moving from a “sticks and bricks” home to a nomadic lifestyle, leaving