Yes folks, we report that there is in fact a huge gaping hole in the ground proximal to Northwest Arizona.

Awe inspiring.

Humbling.

Hot

and THAT!was a hike!

If the Bus Could Cuss.

So as it turns out; every day is a maintenance aboard Ole Don. We pretty much need to rework the entire fuel system as any original fuel line is a rupture waiting to happen. I suppose 160 degree fuel at a “higher than normal” pressure in ambient temps of 110+ doesn’t work well with 18 year old rubber hose. Who knew? We’ve recorded over a dozen breakdowns ranging from 20 minutes to 20 hours and we frequent Interstate shoulders as we overheat while scaling steep desert grades. It’s become our life and I’m starting to wonder what I’d do without the daily breakdown. I’d say Mr. Johnson has put up with quite enough over the past week. We’re just hoping this CAN will stay together for another two. I’m thinking about selling it somewhere in Washington State and just flying home. There is a constant swing in that I hate the bus and then 5 minutes later I love the bus. You’ve probably felt this way about your spouse, your kids, or perhaps even the cactus in your bathroom. Of one thing I am certain; if Don could speak to us he would have some horrible things to get off his chest or…..umm, his intake manifold? That’s an interesting question. If a bus could talk, which part would do the talking. I think the magic school bus had a mouth at the grill and let’s not forget Thomas the Engine……or is it Thomas the Train. Matthew Ramsey could tell us. God painted a lovely sunset this evening as we moved North through Arizona. The frequent overheats allowed ample time to climb the highway corridors and take in all the beauty.

Tomorrow…….the grand canyon awaits us so we’ll have to leave the blog world for a few days. Look forward to our return sometime around Thursday evening.

Much love,
alan

Video killed the Blog Star

Posted by Gerald:

Hey great news everybody I finally got videos edited and put onto www.youtube.com. I will continue to put more up as the trip goes on, but I can only do it when we have wireless. I hope all is well with all of you. I am have a great time!!! Well enjoy the movies and you probably want to watch them in order.

Here are the links.

Day 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoXp76u-oQo
Day 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpXNACZfTs4
Day 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnq1NaBmgFM
Day 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I_y4XppchA
Day 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3LbF8SoRys

Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Carlsbad Caverns National Park was pretty freakin sweet and that Carl guy isn’t as bad as they say either. I’ve got some great cave pictures that I’ll post in and around this very special blog from Days 5 and 6. I’d have to say that my favorite moment was waking up at 6am in the middle of nowhere with nothing around but desert, 3 sleeping guys, and a big ball of fire that was just cresting the horizon. Oh, and let’s not forget Leaky Blue. He too was present and enjoying the endless bed of absorbent that we call the Sonora……just as good as kitty litter as far as Ole Don be concerned. A ranger was kind enough to guide us to this public land and he informed us that it was legit to park overnight. It was pretty exciting to pull off the road and have to unlatch a big gate so that we could drive into a place that is very rarely traveled. Gerald and I scoured the area with head lamps to find a safe place to park (sharp rocks, big rocks, etc.) all the while looking for snakes and scorpions. I did turn over some rocks in the morning and found a baby scorpion who was trying to…………wait, I’m sorry. I really don’t know what he was doing under there. I’ve got a picture of him though. What do you think Josh, can I bring him home for you?

In the Desert

So we’re headed out to Carlsbad Caverns, NM at the moment (which is mid-day on Thursday, June 21st). I woke up this morning at 7:30 AM in a Dairy Queen parking lot somewhere off of I-10 in West Texas and had to replace our heated fuel filter b/c we were losing pressure again. Dad, If you’re reading, we’re going to need another one of those when you meet us in LA next week. I’m 100% sure that it was that black grease we sucked out the Huddle House in Ruston, Louisiana. I should have aborted that effort as soon as I had to question whether or not we were sucking grease or Guinness Draught Ale. I completely drained the fuel filter housing during the filter change which gave us more problems later when we switched to Veggie. We spent 30 minutes or so on the side of the road purging air out of our fuel lines. This is getting to be pretty typical and we’re all becoming rather familiar with the ins and outs of Ole Don.

As I look out the windows I see flatness as we approach NM. Little bushes and cactus popping up here and there and its so very much different than the East side of this country. It’s supposedly 100 degrees out here but it doesn’t feel too bad. Carlsbad is only 100 miles or so away and we’re all stoked to see the caverns. More to come on the morrow.

al

Day 3

Day 3 was a bit of a maintenance day again mixed with a little bit of God telling us that He was once again, “in on it”. As we rolled into Austin, TX which was our first planned stop (some 1400 miles out of Raleigh) we noticed a drop in fuel pressure that would typically indicate something awry in the ________ You guessed it, the fuel system. We pulled of at our exit after traveling a few miles with our apparent problem and entered the small parking of a charming little café in an upscale suburb of Austin……. I jumped out of the bus to see grease spilling everywhere underneath the hood. “Shut err down Sexton!”, I yelled I my best Larry the Cable Guy voice. Long story becoming short is that we had blown a line in a place that was less than a simple fix and had to track down a master mechanic to get it fixed. We seriously had to come back the next day b/c the “great one” leaves early and none of the other guys wanted to attempt fixing our precious banjo fitting…….for the one person who knows what that is. We got it fixed and we’re back up and running now. We also fixed our front A/C unit and replaced a power inverter that we blew up somewhere in Mississippi I think.

So, a whole heap of thanks to God for holding it together until we reached a place where someone “the blessed Mark Renn” could carry us around to pick up parts. If this had happened anywhere else other than Austin, TX or a Lowe’s parking lot…..we’d have been in trouble.

Posted by Alan Wilser

What's in a name?

Disclaimer: If you do not appreciate dirty boy bathroom humor; you should skip this post.

So we finally decided on a name for the ole Beasty. You may have noticed in the previous post that we mentioned the hippie dudes staring back at Ole Don. That would be short for the Leaky Blue Balls of Long Don Johnson. I must admit that it was hard to decide on this name. It really just came down to the ease of lingual release. It just sort of rolls off the tongue you know. In example:

Shaggy: Where are you headed Al?
Alan: Oh, I’m just going back to the leaky blue balls of long don Johnson.
Shaggy: Very well then, shall I join you back to the leaky blue balls of long don Johnson.

You get the point!

Signifigance:
Leaky: It leaks..…multiple fluids in multiple locations
Blue: The bus is blue
Balls: It is often sweaty in here and it rarely smells good
Long: We measure out at 37’-4”
Don Johnson: Simply irresistible!

Much love,
alan