So, I did not get any work done on the bus this weekend. Saturday, I helped a friend. Sunday, I ended up spending most of the day getting a replacement for my Note 7. While it was copying data to the new phone, I went over to Harbor Freight and picked up a few tools that I was needing. Weather is supposed to hold into the 60’s and 70’s through to next week. So, hopefully I will get some work done. Will go ahead and pick up a Mr Heater later this week as it looks like I am going to have to work on it in the cold this year. 

Today, I went over and helped a friend with their skoolie. Removed all the windows. Scraped the seals. I like a lot of things they are doing with their bus. It’s a 40 foot Thomas with a rear engine and they are building it as a full-time residence, so a bit different than my layout and plans. 

They had an interesting way to handle the holes for the seat bolts. Basically, just used J B weld and some pennies. Fit perfectly over the holes. They then used rustolium  paints to paint over everything. Looked like it would work pretty well.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll rip out the metal strips and walkway from the bus. The bolts are a two person job and I think I’ll need to wait to get some help on that.

For the past few years I have been driving by the school bus yard in Cheyenne WY on my way to work. Every year, there was a line of school buses getting prepped for the surplus auction along the western fence. It reminded of when I was about 5, or so. My aunt had a bus outside her house that her husband and his brother was fixing up. Always liked that idea.

My brother bought an RV back when he was in the army and I went on a couple trips with him. Never really liked the RV that much. There was just a whole list of items that I did not like the way it was designed or built. I did like the idea of just bringing everything along and going places.  

I am not really someone who is considering living in a bus, but I do like the idea of just heading out with my camera gear after work on a Friday and coming back on Sunday. I live in an area with a lot of boondocking sites and national parks and forests within an easy 3-4 hour drive. When I looked at it, I counted hundreds of sites within a 4 hour radius and a 6 hour radius really kicked that up an even larger amount. 8 hours would put me near Grand Teton or Mesa Verde or Salt Lake or even Santa Fe.

Most of the places I am interested in are either in mountains or back country. So, I wanted something that could handle mountains. Something with some size.  That meant looking at diesel Class A motorhomes. And, they are not cheap. Me, I am cheap. So, I looked at school buses. I saw a few as I drove by the bus yard that looked interesting and I started watching craigslist. 

Someone posted an ad for a 1992 Ward Senator handicapped bus. It was 30′ long. Diesel. Front engine. Already had its seats removed. When I took a closer look, I found it had a number of other items I really liked. The bus already had a trailer hitch installed. It had drive-shaft brakes. It had a wheelchair lift mounted midway down one side as well as a door in the back. It had an engine preheater. The previous owner had already installed 6 6-volt batteries (he also fried the alternator, such is life). He had also already bought a stove, fridge, sink, and water tank. They were hooked to some badly nailed together shelves, but would come with the bus. I thought it a reasonable deal for $3200.

So, I went ahead about bought it, even though it was well ahead of my schedule. Had planned to research it a bit further this year, then pick up a bus at the next auction. But, sometimes, you have to move when the opportunity presents itself. I do have a place to keep it while I figure out the specifics of how to remodel this bus.