The Happy Bus

Hey there thought I would jot down some stuff before work. Not there is much traffic to worry about usually by the time I go in, I still get up much earlier then I need to. Raining out today so that will slow down things even more. Ordered parts for Muffin last nite. A muffler part from Ebay and gaskets and other stuff from www.gowesty.com. Go Westy is a good parts place usually its more expensive but I find the service there is the best. They pack things up good and enclose everything you ordered. That may seem like common sense but take it from me its not.

So should get the parts soon. D fixed up most of the muffler for Muffin so we only had to order ummmmm..let me think the front header pipe :) Im getting good at this huh. :) Muffin should be gettting on the road soon....I can't wait! I was hoping to get it on the road by my birthday but does not look like it but shortly after I will be driving it to work :) 1st time I can drive a van its exciting for me. Techincally I can drive a standard but I'm not good at it at all and am not confident enough about it. Driving an automatic is just so much easier for me. I know how to do it. I drove the happy bus a couple times bucking and stalling at 1st driving around some less busy roads. I am convinced that I smelled the clutch burning. I dont think the happy bus liked me driving...I respect that. I drove the Syncro around the yard a couple times but thats the extent. Everyone says I can do it and I probably could but I think I'll just wait for  Muffin :) Basically I won't be driving my car LOL..Hmmm wonder how much M might be borrowing it...Any time M :)

Well I'm off...Cheers

While driving, what's your biggest pet peeve?
Submitted by Alexandra

People who go out of their way to get in front of the van when we drive anywhere...Its seems that some people are such in a rush that they seem to say:"I'm not going to get behind that Thing! We won't get anywhere " :)So they swerve/cut us off/honk at us/slam on the gas to get around us. Happens more frequently then I would like. Most people are good about the van but others, geez, slow down,we all end up at the same place eventually!

Yup, its this time of year again. Oct leaves changing...well changed by now and the apple cider is flowing. I made applesauce in the little crock pot I bought at a neighbors yard sale. I just love the way it smells and goes through the whole house. A nice cup of hot cider is so good to shake off the slight chill. I think its time to get a cup going...BRB... Not quite time for the egg nog but soon. Lets not rush things.

[sip hot cider]

Ahh thats better...

Well its Sunday again. Went to Salem Mass over the weekend to visit our friends R and C. Its Haunted Happenings Quite the craziness there. But was fun to see all the people dressed up and the tarot card booths, the candlelight ghost tours, and all the busses. People travel far to Salem due to the history of the Salem witch trials. The truth of this quite embarassing moment in Salems history can be found out in the play and the movie The Crucible. Its of the witch hystaria that occured during 1692 when 20 people were accused of witchcraft and put to their deaths. Salem does a good job of combining this piece of history with events, museums,midway rides and games, and many other aspects of Halloween to develop into Haunted Happenings in Salem. It was very busy there and it can make for a fun way to spend the evening. The events im sure go long into the night hrs and next Friday is Halloween. I can only imagine how crazy it will be then. Dinner at the Beverly Depot. That brought back memories for me. IT was nice.

So today its officially the end of Summer for us. I signify it by the garaging/storage of the Happy Bus and the start of use of our Syncro.(see above) In case you are wondering the Syncro is a 4x4 Vanagon that was offered by VW from 1986 to 1991. It was a limited model and there some but they are harder to find then the conventional Vanagon. Especally on the east coast. We have a 86 Syncro passenger van. It is hard to believe that a Vanagon would be good in the snow but this thing kicks butt!! We can go through over a ft of snow due to its high clearance. The Westfalia Syncros can go for a pretty penny since there were not many of them made. We use it to go skiing because of the room we can change easilly out of boots and gear and sit in the Syncro comfortably instead of the crowded lodge. Well anyway we found ours in northern NH and had to do some stuff to it. Of course!!We had an interesting drive to Maine not long after we got it.,.makes for an interesting story. Its working fine now.  Its now at our apartment after its storage on our house lot during the spring/summer. Its a great winter cruising vehicle. And it would tackle anything M's Jeep can do!! hehe

So its at the apartment and the happy bus is away for the winter. We ended on a high note because we won a "Best in Class" award at the Transporterfest in Brookline MA  2 weekends ago . IT was very exciting because I never win anything!! And we worked so hard at getting the Happy Bus cleaned up and ready for the show. Since we had just  come back from a 3 week journey it was not such an easy task. D and I were pleased..it was nice! Also we won 2 things at the raffle! Go figure!

So thats it..Oh BTW...Muffin is progressing nicely. Shes in the top picture. When she is back on the road, Ill write more about Muffin.. Just some muffler work and the gas tank has to be put back on. The seats are all in, the engine is back together. D has done a fantastic job on this..THere is much to tell about Muffin the Van from PA. And this one I can drive!

Until later, Cheers

Hello all...OK Im not the best blogger! hehe...what can I say. I lost the internet connection on the way home and then I started my new job so I did not have time to update. Sorry about that. We made it home. I dont know where I left off but we drove up Skyline drive in the Shenandoah National Park and went to Luray Caverns in Luray, VA. It was fantastic. Looking at stalagtites and stalagmites and the tour was excellent. They have a stalagmite organ which was demonstrated. Walked around underground and saw all sorts of interesting formations. Was a good time.

Drove from Luray to PA from there. Stayed one nite in a hotel and came back home last Thursday. Thats about it. Made it back! And then started my new job this past Monday. So was quite a long week. No wonder I slept until 9:30 this morning.

We got the van all cleaned up and ready to go on its next(and last)adventure. We are going to Transporterfest in Brookline MA on Sunday. Should be a good time. A show that has been going on for a while at the Larz Anderson Automobile Museum. It will be our 1st one we have gone to. Set up for VW busses but open to all VWs. They do it every year. And with the weather it should be good.

Well have to get going...will update more shortly.

Cheers

HI Folks,

11:21 finally got to post these...shhh...had to sneak this..pictures to follow

Here I am driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. D needs some time to himself so I am writing this in the back. Its understandable. And I do to actually. So its raining. Been raining since yesterday. The scenery is beautiful. Lots of farmland, cattle and horses right on the road and these great old fences all over the place. Ill post a pic , if I have one but they are old 4 tiered type. I cant explain it further. I need a pic. Its too early. Was up at 5:20 due to the rain. We did not pop the top of the van last 2 nites due to rain. Guess it was a storm that made its way from the coast to here. Had great weather until now. It sucks that it rains during the best views. But we have to make the best of it. Yesterday, we left the campground. Linville Falls and moved north on the parkway to Grandfather Mountain. It was soo windy and rainy. They have the highest swinging bridge. We were at 5000 feet crossing the bridge. Its a suspension bridge over a gorge. The wind was so strong it moved the bridge. You could feel it swinging. The wind must have been 30-40 MPH. And the rain was horizontal. I never experienced anything like that before. Was so crazy. We crossed the bridge and I went up to a ledge. The wind was so strong I had to be careful not to be blown off. That would be a long fall. Was an experience for sure. We were soaked, needless to say, everywhere! But I know it sounds crazy but it was fun. We were under the bridge found a trail and hear the wind on the bridge. IT sounded to me musical almost.

We are at Pukett Cabin will be right back...Saw the cabin. Mrs Puckett lived there until she was 102 and delivered more than 1000 babies..and she had 24 children but none of them lived beyond infancy. Theres some Blue Ridge History for you.

But back to yesterday. Was crazy, that wind and rain. Today is raining but not as windy. Can't control the weather. We drove from Grandfather mtn stopping and various points to check out as much as we could in the rain. The Linn Cove Viaduct was nice. We hiked a trail to go under it. Its the roadway that skirts the side of Grandfather Mountain. Built around many natural features that did not want to be disturbed by the road. Lots of nice trails and such on the parkway. The parkway is nice with no lights and very little commercial. Just trees mountains, stone bridges with arches, and farmland with nice barns/fences/ect.. You see such a difference of landscape here. Mountains to the south farmland more as we drive north but still over 2000 ft here. Deer is abundant and other wildlife.

So we drove slowly 35 mph average I guess. To mile 200 in VA. Stopped at Utts campground. ahhhh...Utt's was a fantastic place! :) Yes! The shower was well Ill tell you about it when I get home. Nice guy there who was running it though. I did interrupt his Get Back game in the clubhouse with his friends. He was losing anyway. Said "Those women where kicking my butt"

Saw more deer!! D is trying to get pictures but I think the van scares them away.

So we could not sleep past 5:30 or so so took a shower at the Campground of Utt and we drove this am north toward Roanoke VA. The scenary is so nice here even in the rain. Probably we are seeing sights we would not see if it was sunny. Kinda peaceful and tranquil with the rain on the road and hardly any cars but ours. Seems like we are alone right now driving in the early morning light. In the light rain...relaxing. :)

Hello again!! I am using Georgia font in honor of R and B and E in Alpharetta GA. Thanks again for your hospitality and was good to see you. We will see you at Christmas. And if anyone wants a good sandwitch while in the Alpharetta NW Georgia area visit Fancy Pantry it is fantastic. Great selection of wraps/salads/sandwitches. Lunch only though and it gets crowded so go early. YUMM>>.so many good places to eat in that area. Seems you could not go to somewhere twice. And most are good from what I have heard from R.

So where was I ..Tuesday Am we went on a bike ride at the Roswell Bike trail system. A large system of trails run through an area from beginner to expert. Rocks, exposed roots, slim trails..we went mostly in the intermediate area. And did well. Good considering I have not really biked much. D and I used to go all the time but since D's knee issues we have not gone much. He did good..only fell once :) I did not fall at all. Although we did go the wrong way on a one way trail but hey we are new to it...Some helpful guy told us we were going the wrong way. Was a good workout good way to burn off some calories. The trails were very well marked and fairly easy to navigate. We did not get to the expert section ...but maybe sometime. :)

We left there on Tuesday nite and drove up to Saluda NC. Arrived at T's place at 10:30 pm. And from there the next morning drove up to Asheville and over on I26 to the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center. There we learned that a part of the roadway. A good 20 miles of it is closed. Bascially from Craggy Gardens to Crabtree Meadows. Too bad because I wanted to go the length of the Blue Ridge but since we did not go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we did miss a section of it south of Asheville so I guess it does not matter. Its a beautiful roadway. Today we biked on some of it. But im getting a head of myself.

Atlanta metro area had a gas shortage when we left and we heard from T that NC especially western NC had a gas shortage too. We know 1st hand he was right. We were at 1/2 a tank when we drove down from a visit to Crabtree Meadows area we drove right up to the barrier and could not go further and basically coasted all the way down..did not use use much gas that way. And then we tried to find some gas. The visitors center told us about all the gas issues" we call it a panic" the man at the vistors center told us. And he was right. The couple gas stations that had gas near where we exited the parkway nearest to Asheville had lines 20+ cars long. Reminded me of the 70's. So many stations out of gas. Guess the Hurricane caused some issues with supply. But we got lucky. We drove on I40 East to Marion. We had to go that way due to the road closure on the parkway anyway. We got gas at a little gas station. We were 5th in line. They got their gas in the AM and were almost out when we got there. But we have a full tank for our trip north on the parkway tomorrow Am.

We spend the night at Lindville Falls Trailer Lodge and campground in the Lindville Falls Community. Just 1 mile off the parkway. (www.linvillefalls.com)

Very quiet and the hosts are so nice!!..so many people are nice here..just a different way of feeling and life. This campground is the quietest one we have been on so far. Has some different cabins and shaded sites for tents and RVs. I would like to try a campground with out the hookups to see how we do but the 2 fridges do take care of that for now. Maybe later.

D is getting the fire ready. So I want to enjoy it so i have to wrap this out up shortly. We did take our bikes to Lindville falls/gorge area. Very beautiful. Hiked up to a few over looks. The best view was the one down the most difficult trail.OF COURSE!!..went down in the gorge and was so good...the footing was tricky and trails were kinda difficult. Worth it though. I felt the spray of the falls. But the best part was no one was on it..WE did meet a nice couple from the outer banks of NC. We hiked back and biked back to the campground. We must have done 10 miles of biking and hiking maybe more? Im feeling it a bit now...but not much.

We will see how tomorrow is.

OHH yes..it got to below 60 here was 58 in the van last nite. a new camping low LOL...So we saw a range of temp from 103 to 58 on this trip hehe...

So much to see in this area.. glad we took the time to do some hiking!

We figured out our total route to this point on the map. CAnt wait to share this with you in person :) But dont want to get home too soon...projecting a next Weds arrival back in Pelham NH but dont want to think about that now..the fires almost ready

Cheers for now

Hi again...just had a great fish dinner (R is such a good cook ). Sooo where was I...oh yes.. Myrtle Beach...Great beach, great piers and soo many restaurants...And golf courses..If you love to golf (mini or regular) love the beach and love to eat ...there are so many options.   Would have been good to use the bikes there but did not have time. hehe story of this trip! LOL BFF...BFFL...LMAO...BRB..BBS...BBL..GTG/G2G...WTF..OMG...ROFL...BF..GF...ect...dont you just love the abbreviations in life now..life is so full of short cuts...E told me all of these...there are many many many more!!

but back to the story. and back to homework. After we left M. Beach we drove down rt 17. BTW we stayed in Myrtle Beach State Park. OUr 1st public campground and was good. Hot showers and had a fishing dock that gave some good views of Myrtle beach but it took us forever to find. D said it was one way but I was actually right and said it was a different way! We just did not drive down long enough to get there. So we ended up doubling back and trying a different way. So we had a sort of "Big Ben Parilment moment again..but without the rotary. But the directions were not that clear and 2 books gave me 2 different sets of directions. But we did find it. IM just glad I had the right way to begin with ...

From there to Garden City Beach which I mentioned and on to Charleston..We went through a National Wildlife refuge to get to Charleston. Lots of nice low country sceanary trees/swamps and other fauna and wildlife. We also saw some stands along the road way that sold seagrass baskets. These tightly woven baskets use the seagrass which is plentiful along the coast in SC and woven by ladies in a variety of shapes/sizes. Very good quality. We wanted pulled over and looked at stand and a lady came out and we talked to her about the baskets but the prices were just a bit high for us. The quality was good though!! We did end up buying one at the Charleston Visitors Center. Just the right size for the counter to put bananas in. CAll it our big purchase of the trip.

Yea I know who cares that I bought a basket but it is nice...so I wanted to share :) Now I am caught up and if your reading this far into this blog you sure are being nice to me! hehe...

And No I wont tell what I bought at the grocery store today..but the Kroger Card helps..thanks R!!!

Probably going biking tomorrow with B ..man do i really want an ice cream...

Cheers..

OK we made it last nite to R's house in Alpharetta. Took about 6 hrs to get here from Charleston SC. I was kinda disappointed that we had to leave Charleston SC (This website will help if you dont know about the town www.charlestoncvb.com )after just 4 hrs there or so but we did get a flavor of this old Southern town. It was very preserved with fountains, parks, Antebellum mansions along the water and throughout the historical section of town. There were cobblestoned streets and gas type street lights. There is a ton of history involving Charleston SC. From Ft. Sumter on there is so much to absorb and learn. I quite enjoyed soaking up the history and biking through town. But D is not much of a history fan so to speak so was not as enjoyable for him. He did like to see the USS Yorktown which was anchored across the Ashley River at Patriots Point. It is a actual docked aircraft carrier. Too bad we did not have any time to do much more than take pictures and bike but it was nice while we did it.

We drove down there from Myrtle Beach. Stopped in Garden City Beach (dubbed the "quiet family friendly beach") to get some souviners. In comparison to Myrtle Beach it sure is much quieter MUCH QUIETER!!! But still to spend another day or so in Mytle Beach would have been fun. Ride the Wooden Rollar coaster at the park which reminded me of Canobie Lake Park. Go to the Haunted Adventure and play a round of mini golf at one of the 100 mini golf courses that line the Rt 17. We drove the entire Grand Strand which runs from the NC/SC border to about Garden City beach in SC. So much to see and do in Myrtle beach and the the beach was so big. You could ride golf carts on the beach and on the road way in Hermit Island ( I mean Myrtle Beach...my mind is failing..E is making fun of my failing mind) I do like Hermit Island in Sept.! M sounds like you had a good time....and the steamers YUMMM im so jealous. But I did get a Crab Stew at Williamsburg!! but I digress..

Going to dinner more later...

cheers for now

WAtched E play tennis...I guess it was not her best game but still good to watch

Hello there...

Well Im here in the van driving east on I 40 heading to Wilmington NC. D has been doing a good job driving. We went from Williamsburg to P's place in Chapel Hill NC. Was quite a drive over a

 6 hr period but we broke it up by going to Virginia Beach. Was very

windy and kinda cold got some good pics of the 12 tankers leaving the Chesapeake Bay. Down by Norfolk VA is alot of Military bases and such and saw an aircraft carrier go out to see. Thats a place I would like to see if we had more time. Take a tour of a military base ect. We did go to Cape Henry Lighthouse on an active military base in Virginia before we got to Virginia Beach. It was an active base we had to show ids and had to have the van searched and such. But it was worth it we went up the old lighthouse at Cape Henry. GREAT VIEWS everywhere. Saw up and down the coast for miles. It was worth the the 150 steps to get there. Got great pics of the Chesapeake Bay bridge, and out to the ocean the the bay. The tankers that were anchored or moving about and other ships. That sure was different... Drove down the coast at Virginia Beach and drove down by the Great Dismal Swamp on US 17 to NC. It was very swampy ! LOL...but good rivers and canals. Hiking trais and such at the Great Dismal Swamp state park. That is not too dismal...from there down I 40 to Ralaigh/Durham then to Chapel Hill. Got into our one of our couple traffic issues in Durham area due to an accident. LOst a little time there but still ended up at P's for 6pm For most of the trip we were lucky in that regard.

OK...sorry IM rambling a bit but Im a bit tired today. Went out with P to visit Someone in Chapel Hill. And was up until 3 and only slept to 9 am. ZZZZZZ...LOL. After dinner we found out Someone called and then went to the University and he showed me around the campus pointing out the sites. Was very good with the trees and old buildings. It dates back hundreds of years and in use during the Civil War and was built up more over time. IT was huge. WE just saw a portion of the halls. We went to the Morehead Planetarium which he said astronauts were trained there. And saw the bronze Confederate Soldier statue in one of the squares surrounded by trees. It was placed there by the daughters of the Confederacy.

Franklin Street across from the University was crazy. Lots of drunk crazy college kids everywhere..I mean everywhere. Was fun!! Well many were drunk at the time we went (12:30am) but still hopping crazy from one bar and lounge and dance club to the next. We met Someone at the Pita Pit..even that place was busy. I guess you get the munchies when you are completely wasted and need a pita sandwitch. Was so fun!! Crazy..to top it all off we saw some guy perform a simulated sexual act on what iIthought was a trash barrel being pulled on a cart...and the guy pulling the cart did not know a thing! HMMM...even for a drunk I thought it was a bit stupid..funny but stupid..LOL ..P said "During the week it is completely different here.." LOL...I can imagine. (P thank you for that and everything else...so good to see you!! Wish you all the best!)

Well thats it now we are driving to Wilmington NC down the coast...And probably on the to Myrtle Beach and then to Charleston SC

.

Cheers for now