Ready to leave

After months of preparing, we were ready to hit the road. Late in the fall we bought a 12-passenger shuttle bus and we began to adapt it for this trip. The first thing on the list of things to do was to remove the seats. I built a bed frame in the back which fit nicely across the back of the bus. I snooped around the internet and finally purchased a battery pack and solar panel. The intention is to keep the battery charged while we are driving and using the solar panel for back up power. I installed a small work cabinet and fastened a propane camp stove on it. We already had a small fridge that can be run off the battery pack. And of course, we had our small porta potty that we can use as needed. Our preference is to do our business in someone else's business but nature does what nature wants. After installing all the hookups, new tires, and an oil change we were loaded for the road. We fired up the bus and want to the Brew for our final farewell to Jeremy, Shivy and the kids. I had noticed on the way to the Brew that the power steering was a bit tight and checked the fluid when we arrived, but it seemed to be fine. We got back in the bus and were leaving the parking lot when the bus died. I tried to start it again, but the battery was dead. i jumped it with my portable jumper pack and started up again. After half a block it died for the second time. By now I suspected that something was quite amiss. I am a slow learner at times but it finally dawned on me that the engine belt had likely broken. I limped the bus back to our place and popped to hood and indeed the belt was hanging loosely. I called the mechanic that had worked on it before and he said I should bring it right in and they would get to it right away. I called a tow truck to get it to the mechanic and then waited. At 11:30 we got the call that the repairs had been made and we were ready to hit the road.

This time we really did leave. Our plan was to visit Dana's dad, as it was basically on the way to Florida. We hoped to eat lunch with him and then eat at a Haitian restaurant right there in Springfield, Ohio, with Dans's sister and her husband. We had to readjust our plans, which is part of the way life comes at us. We arrived at her father's place a little after 4:00 and chatted a bit before my in-laws arrived to pick up her dad, and we all headed out for a wonderful meal at one of the main Haitian restaurants in Springfield.

After our meal, we spent the rest of the evening chatting with Lavern and Ronda before calling it a day.

Our bit of wisdom for the day:
We often say that "it's not about the destination, but about the journey." However, we concluded that without the journey, there would be no destination, and without the destination, we would not embark on the journey. It is about the destination AND the journey.Baca selengkapnya