in closing

So the trip is over......long over and a few people didn't get the closure they needed so here it is.

We bought a bus and ripped out the seats..


Installed:
4 beds
cabinets.
a sink
couch
table
an airhorn
underbody storage compartment
110V shore power system
frig
roof vents
oven and range
stereo system
entertainment center
bathroom
converted it to run on grease
had it retitled as an RV


We then left Raleigh on Sunday, June 17th, 2007 at around 2:00 PM.

Our Path:

Floated a river in Austin, TX

Descended deep into the earth at Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Hiked to Phantom Ranch in The Grand Canyon

Played the Horsey Game in Las Vegas

Picked up Dad in LA, exited LA as quickly as possible

Drove the Coastal No. 1 for a few miles

Worshipped with Imago Dei in Portland, OR

Hung w/ the Andersons in Cannon Beach, OR

Stayed w/ Pat for the 4th in Seattle, WA

Tasted a few beers in Fort Collins, CO

Harvested the last 120 gallons in one sitting from a Wendy's somewhere in Kansas(never filled up again)

Then we kicked it home at the breakneck speed of 54 mph. In all, we drove 8000 miles, burned 900 gallons of grease and about 100 gallons of Diesel. We were turned down twice and granted free reign on at least 20 grease dumpsters. Several times I've been asked why we did this. The answer: To see if we could....and to have fun. We did both. The bus has now been sold and we wish the best of luck to it's new owner. I pray the great mechanic is forever by the side of the Leaky Blue Balls of Long Don Johnson.

Thanks to all who joined with us on this journey. I'm very flattered that you have read along.

So long,
alan

The Alan Wilser Stamp of Approval

What a beautiful state is Colorado…..or perhaps it was just such a welcomed relief from Southern Wyoming. We sort of traveled on a plateau throughout most of Wyoming and escaped the "Non Don Friendly" roads before traveling down the East side of the mountains admiring Colorado’s piece of the Rocky Mountain pie.

Shaggy’s Aunt and Uncle took great care of us with food, showers, and 37’-4” of curb space. We certainly appreciate all that. The divine side of things found us in Denver as we had begun to leak gear oil from our right axle really badly. This would have been a mess to fix and would have required some special tools that we didn’t have and really didn’t want to purchase. As it turns out; Shaggy’s cousin lived only a few blocks down the street from his parents where we were staying and he happens to work on heavy trucks with CATERPILLAR. Not to mention he has a fully stocked garage and it was Saturday heading into Sunday morning. This would make the discovery of an open and 'not busy' truck shop extremely hard to find. We drove about ½ mile down the street and home boy had us fixed up in an hour. It was a pretty sweet deal and too timely for coincidence if you ask me.

God forsaken

I am thoroughly unimpressed with Southern Wyoming. No one should ever go to this part of the state. Let’s move on quickly as any further talk of this place is sure to depress me.

Regretfully,
alan

Seattle, WA

This was my 4th time in Seattle and it has yet to disappoint. My boy Pat and his wife Paige were excellent hosts and made all the Grease Pirates feel welcome despite the 12 square feet of bathroom space split amongst 9 people. I finally made it to the top of the Columbia building which is the tallest skyscraper on the west coast. Enjoy this view to the right side of the page; if you look closely you can see Pat and Paige streaking across the East Shelter of Qwest Field. Amazing!

We took in the 4th of July fireworks at a park called Gasworks which is on Lake Union in Seattle. Lake Union is home to a seaplane base as well as Tom Hank’s House Boat from Sleepless in Seattle……if you’re a fan and I certainly am. It’s right up there with “You’ve Got Mail” which I just can’t see too many times. Chris Sexton backs me up here although he has a hard time picking up the Hanks/Ryan series with “The Notebook” sitting right there on the shelf. And back to the fireworks which was a show to remember. Each set was an average finale in itself and the real thing was a one minute long set of pure daylight as the entire sky was seemingly encompassed in colorful explosion. A helo preluded the show with a giant American flag hanging beneath it while a spotlight illuminated the red, white, and blue. Aside from the main event the crowd was enthralled for a good 40 minutes by a giant beach ball that was bouncing off of heads and thousand dollar cameras with reckless abandon. I’ve never seen so many grown people lose their composure like toddlers only for the excitement of punching a piece of colorful rubber while thousands look on. I’d like to see someone that excited over bopping a beach ball in the privacy of their own bedroom. “Jim! Come on to bed, I’ve got the beach ball out!” Seriously, you wouldn’t believe the chaos that occurred there on the shores of Lake Union this July 4th.

We’re finally headed back east now. The road ahead is long and hot. Please lift up our safety as well as the longevity of The LBBs of LDJ.

More You Tube Please!

The people have spoken and video is king! Check out these clips from New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. The Grand Canyon is a bit long and Vegas is just random shots from us walking down the strip so we won't be offended if you don't watch all of it.

Enjoy!

Pre-Canyon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHYKYYeiW24

The Grand Canyon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ctwM6eheoE

Vegas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcrUf-EaJOc

Oregon was a happy time!

I find myself among mountains, ocean, and huge trees soaring towards the sky as if they were eager to be higher. The temperature is mild as we hover in the low 70s even in the dead of summer. Night time temps near the 40s and when you stay outside that makes for some comfortable sleepy time. I’m talking about a little place called Oregon…..where the beer flows like wine.

We just spent a day on the Oregon coast here with Nate Anderson’s parents and I was very much flabbergasted at the beautiful sea life that teems at the water’s edge. The contrast is vast as compared to the coast of NC. We walked into the heart of a huge rock the size of a 4 story mansion and dodged the waves as they punched through a hollow tunnel underneath this massive geological wonder. Each tidal pool in the rocks was filled with sea anemones and huge starfish. The anemones boasted neon green tentacles and the starfish were red, green, or orange and some spanned as much as 14” in diameter. I felt as if I had stumbled into an aquarium exhibit and the marine biologists were about to come around the corner and kick me out for climbing past those little felt ropes. It was totally legit though and we absorbed it like fresh air as it truly was one of those rare places that the government has not yet whored out as a tourist trap. There is something pure and beautiful about experiencing God’s wonders by yourself or with a small group. It’s almost the same feeling that I have about wanting to be alone with Casey. It’s almost as if God is trying to impress me…….if that’s not too weird.

Check out some Oregon.

Crawling North

Yesterday we made the beautiful drive up the California Coastline between Paso Robles and Monterey then on up to Santa Cruz for dinner at a seafood restaurant called the Crow’s Nest. The drive included the most breath taking views yet and yes I’m including the Grand Canyon. The photo’s once again will not do justice to the reality but I’ll post a few anyway. Check out the clouds that hang over the water but dissipate prior to hitting land. It was pretty wild. We had to park our bus on the beach at dinner and we caught some flack from a local 5.0 but how do you tow a 37' bus out of a cramped parking area that required 3 point turns just to maneuver through.

We’re just shy of the Oregon border now and I’m sitting in a Baja Burrito (no, not at Western and Avent Ferry) waiting for the Wal-Mart here to finish changing the oil in Leaky Blue. I probably need to go and remind the guy not to tighten the filters too much as any portion of the bus that does not leak will throw off the feng shui of things. We had to buy the filters elsewhere and have Wal-Mart do the change b/c it would make too much sense to actually be able to get it all done in one place within the same day. It looks like we’re on point to make Imago Dei for tomorrow morning’s service. A big thanks to Nate Anderson for arranging our accommodations in the Northwestern corner of Oregon.

As a side note, we’re all getting testy with each other lately which could be exciting so I’ll try to video tape some arguments and post them on YouTube if I can. Cross your fingers!