Full-Time Couple in a Short Bus

[Deleted member 9101]

We have a bunch of images to post to catch up on actual progress, but we went with square curtains over the windows that are grometted and are attached by small hooks. Inside the curtain is a sheet of reflectX. So far it has kept the heat and the light in. Time will tell if it helps at all in the summer.
Apologies for the mess, but you get the idea.

Everything that identifies the bus as a school bus has been removed with the exception of the yellow. It is getting taken care of soon!


I had heard that a fair bit before getting my hands on it and it has really surprised me. I have used Cummins, Ford 7.3 & 6.0, and Duramax diesels and although it doesn't have just a ton of power, it does fine for what we need.


The first shakedown trip was cold. You could get it warm inside and feel the heat escaping through the windows from the outside. Since adding the curtains and caulking most of the windows, it is much more tolerable.


You are not kidding. We are trying to cover all of the metal for just that reason. The roof/ceiling is the only area that we just can't afford (money and time) to cover. The floor and most of the walls/windows are insulated and are performing well so far.

Use commercial carpet tiles for a headliner. They are cheap, glue on, help with noise, add some insulation value.

 

[zelseman]

Use commercial carpet tiles for a headliner. They are cheap, glue on, help with noise, add some insulation value.

If we have a chance to hold up somewhere this winter, we might pull the ceiling and add spray in insulation and a wood ceiling.

 

[justbecause]

following.

 

[zelseman]

Next we moved on down the road South to Mexican Hat and Monument Valley. This was our first real "test" of taking our bus on some slightly off-camber and rutted roads near Mexican Hat and it performed well enough. We discovered very quickly that we should have upgraded the shocks and added a rear sway bar before leaving...the bus is extremely tippy and hard to negotiate around fast turns. Regardless, camping in Southern Utah was beautiful.

Monument Valley is worth a trip if you are in the area, be prepared for the enormous amount of people that flock to this place to get a selfie. We posted up in the turn out by the Navajo jewelry salesman and people-watched for HOURS. One of the benefits of living in your rig.

We enjoyed what was likely going to be one of our last campfires on this trip as fire restrictions are starting to come in every day for Arizona, California, and the PNW.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

You have done a great job so far!

Thanks for sharing

 

[SpeedHighway46]

Very nice build; enjoyed the pics. Keep up the great work you are doing! Skoolies are the bomb!

Speed Gray, K8SG
Grand Rapids, MI

 

[Deshet]

Nice build...you are making me want to keep mine.

 

[zelseman]

Apologies for neglecting this thread. We got busy...traveling. A few updates are needed and will happen over the next few days.

We left Mexican Hat and turned North to drive the infamous Moki Dugway and to take in the beauty of Cedar Mesa and Bears Ears. The dugway is essentially a gravel road that winds up the side of Cedar Mesa and is known for rough conditions from washouts and rock slides. We made it up the dugway just fine and really enjoyed the view. I highly recommend this road to anyone in the area, it's a really fun experience...unless it rains.

We picked up some backpackers hitch hiking through Cedar Mesa and returned them to their car. This paid off as they were extremely knowledgable of the area and pointed us toward a set of slot canyons right off of the highway where we could camp and explore.

The spot was chill and there was zero noise other than the wind. We explored the canyons a bit and turned back as soon as it seemed we needed climbing gear.

Once we left out of Leprechaun Canyon, we stopped in at Mesa Market. This place was mentioned in our guidebook as well as numerous sources online. The visit didn't disappoint and the owner was exactly what you would expect from an organic goat cheese farmer in the middle of Utah.

The next stop on tour de Utah was Capitol Reef National Park. I know that this park has a ton of history and geological significance, but we weren't all that impressed. The crowds were definitely lower than the other Utah parks. We only spent a day here and took off before a snow storm blew in.

Once we made it over the pass to Boulder, UT we traveled down the Burr Trail to find a quiet camping spot for the night. I would really like to come back and drive the rest of the Burr Trail someday, it is absolutely beautiful!

 

[Explorerinil]

Do you know the history of the names carved into the rock?

 

[zelseman]

Do you know the history of the names carved into the rock?

It's called the Pioneer Register and it was where settlers would sign their names as they traveled the road as early as the 1880's. It was the main thoroughfare before the highway was built in the 1960's. It's amazing to see the differences in height from the older writings that are now inaccessible due to erosion. The photo above was a closeup of an area that was at least 20-25 feet off of the ground.

 

[zelseman]

We headed West to visit Bryce Canyon National Park and take in the varied beauty of the area. Bryce is at a much higher elevation than the area around it and we went from sandals and outdoor showers in Moab to puffy jackets and wool socks. We experienced our coldest night in our bus thus far in Bryce with temperatures in the single digits.

We are not touristy people, but Rachael had a bum foot from a backpacking trip a few weeks prior and we opted to see Bryce on a tour, it was soooooo good! Check it out HERE!

A couple of days in Bryce was plenty as everything is more expensive and the weather was predicted to get much worse. We drove down through Hurricane and found some really good BLM camping at Gooseberry Mesa. We spent over a week here off and on while exploring St. George and Zion National Park.

Zion was crazy as it was free National Park Saturday and we were caught a bit unaware. The park is still beautiful, just very crowded.

 

[PunchitChewie]

Making me rethink putting an AT habitat on my truck. A mini skoolie might hold up better to my plans of full timing than flipping open the habitat all the time.

 

[zelseman]

Making me rethink putting an AT habitat on my truck. A mini skoolie might hold up better to my plans of full timing than flipping open the habitat all the time.

I can attest to this to a degree. My wife and I full-time lived in our bus from April through December and racked up 20k+ miles in 20+ states and varying temperatures from 5-105 degrees and we have spent January-present in our 4Runner + RTT and i can tell you, we will not have the RTT long and will be back in the bus by summer time. The bus is super comfortable and we are starting to save for plans to 4x4 swap it someday and at least get it a couple of inches taller lift out of it.

If it were me, I would look for a 5 window (20-25 foot) Kodiak/Topkick style (some are International) with a Caterpillar engine and Allison transmission and single rear wheels. Lift it a bit, make it your own and go enjoy it!

 

[PunchitChewie]

I guess the nice thing is with my truck already around the 20ft mark, I'm used to 3 point turns, and little wider turns around corners. Might build out the truck for my Alaska adventure, and possible central America trip. Have heard some towns have low power lines, and narrow roads. But your post renewed my interest in a skoolie.

 

[Jwood70]

Awesome looking trip so far. I have been talking the skoolie up to my fancee, and she is starting to get on board with the idea. One more thread I can show her to get her hooked!