Bluebird Bus Conversion Project & Cross Country Trip

[M-technik-3]

I think I saw you guys last week on I90 in NY not sure.

[CorvallisBMW]

So freaking awesome! You guys are living the dream, good for you!

[LuckyHenriksen]

I think I saw you guys last week on I90 in NY not sure.

Hmmm could have been some other weirdos in a bus :p

So freaking awesome! You guys are living the dream, good for you!

Thanks man!

I will try to get this thread updated some more today. Right now we are stuck in the mud in Park City, UT

[seatown88]

epic!!

[Ether-D]

Go up to Alaska! 5 days of the most beautiful scenery/wildlife you've ever seen on the way up. Then Alaska which is the most wonderful place on earth. The sun is still out til 10:30 or so this time of year. If you go, don't miss Liard River Hot Springs on your way up. It's a couple hundred miles on the other side of Whitehorse, Yukon. At about the half-way point of the Al-Can highway. Badass road trip.

[dereliiict]

Where are you guys at? We are in the hell that is Kansas.

[Mlarsen]

Yep, Fort Collins is the shit. We stayed at that same reservoir, its amazing up there. We were there a couple years ago and were there a day before that massive wildfire. Definitely would love to go back.

[LuckyHenriksen]

Go up to Alaska! 5 days of the most beautiful scenery/wildlife you've ever seen on the way up. Then Alaska which is the most wonderful place on earth. The sun is still out til 10:30 or so this time of year. If you go, don't miss Liard River Hot Springs on your way up. It's a couple hundred miles on the other side of Whitehorse, Yukon. At about the half-way point of the Al-Can highway. Badass road trip.

We would love to go to Alaska! We have been talking about it, if we have enough money left over we just might

Where are you guys at? We are in the hell that is Kansas.

We just got into Riverside, CA late last night. Going to be in CA for several days, then heading up into Portland

Yep, Fort Collins is the shit. We stayed at that same reservoir, its amazing up there. We were there a couple years ago and were there a day before that massive wildfire. Definitely would love to go back.

Yea we are in love with Colorado, we can't wait to go back either. Seeing the wildfire damage was pretty scary

[LuckyHenriksen]

CAMPOBELLO ISLAND - NEW BRUNSWICK

Waving goodbye to Clem and the winery, Lindsey and I continued North on the narrow secondary highways through Maine. Our next destination was Lubec, the easternmost town in the US. From there we would take the bridge over to Campobello Island, part of New Brunswick. This was going to be our fist border crossing in the bus, and we were nervous.





Our route sent us down into Bucksport, where we crossed the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. The Narrows Bridge was so fun to drive across in the bus! We have such a great view out the giant windshield, and through all the side windows. Just over the other side of the bridge we found Carrier’s Mainely Lobster, a little roadside restaurant we had read about. We stopped to grab some lunch and a milkshake. Eating our burgers and fries from a little roadside take out stand felt so American, it was the perfect summertime lunch. The food was delicious, and cheap too! I didn’t get lobster there; I was waiting until we got out onto the island.





As we drove farther and farther up the coast, the air got cooler and the towns got smaller. We finally drove past the sign for Lubec, and soon after we were at the base of the bridge that lead to Canada. Driving up the bridge we were shocked to find the whole island shrouded in thick fog, from the top of the bridge you couldn’t even see the shoreline. It was such an eerie experience; it felt like we were driving over the bridge to another world. As we came down the far side the rocky coast came into view, and we stopped at the Canadian customs checkpoint. This is the part we were nervous about. What would they think of our weird old bus full of household items? We stopped at the booth and got out to talk to the officer in the window. He looked at our passports, asked a few questions about our visit, smirked at our bus, and let us on our way. No search, no interrogation. This was too easy! We rejoiced as we drove onto the island. Little did we know what we had in store for us the next time we tried to cross a Canadian border.









Campobello Island is a tiny little place, roughly nine miles long and three miles across at its widest point. Driving up the main road crossing the island we were so excited to be there, and were anxious to meet our host. As we rounded a bend we were greeted by lines of people on either side of the road, and a long line of traffic. We soon realized that the long line of traffic was actually a parade, and we were right at the tail end. People were cheering and waving at us, and we could hear them talking about the bus, everyone seemed to love it! Or they thought we were crazy. As we slowly idled along I opened the entrance door and started talking with an older guy who was waving at us. He hopped up on the front steps and poked his head in, marveling at our interesting interior. We quizzed him and found out that it was Canada Day! And we were just in time for the parade. It was a very exciting entrance to the island, how lucky of us to come in at just the right time. Before too long the procession turned right and we turned left, heading over to Welschpool, where we found our home for the next couple of nights.











Bea was a fellow boondocker and traveler, we met her through the boondockers welcome website. Her and her husband Peter have a beautiful old home on the island, where they spend the summers while escaping to the warmth of California during the winter. Unfortunately Peter was away on a business trip so we didn’t get to meet him, but we had a great time with Bea. She welcomed us into her home, where we enjoyed spending an evening chatting and sharing stories in the sitting room, while listening to the French radio station and enjoying a bottle of wine. The next morning she took us out on a tour of the island, it was very lucky for us as they used to run a little tour business there, so Bea knew a lot about the local wildlife, the island history, and the interesting landmarks. It was so much fun to drive around with her and listen to the stories about the place. Check out her own website here.

Our first stop in the morning was the Harbor Head Light Station, an old decommissioned lighthouse that has been lovingly restored and maintained by a group of retired folks who come up every summer and do maintenance and repair damage done by the winter storms. It is in a beautiful location, at the eastern tip of the island. You can only access it by foot for 3-4 hours a day, when the tide is at its lowest point. It is a fairly treacherous hike down through the rocks and along the sandbar to get there, but well worth the trip. While we were over walking around the buildings we met Lou, one of the volunteers who keeps the property functioning. Lou was hard at work up on a ladder scrapping mold and old paint, getting ready for a fresh coat. With a historic landmark like this being out in the ocean weather all year round it needs constant attention. Visiting the lighthouse was one of the highlights of the trip, it is so nice to see it brought back to its former glory.

























Next on the tour we visited the Roosevelt cottage, it was US President Franklin Roosevelt’s summer getaway home on the island. Campobello was a favorite spot of the Roosevelt’s, there is a lot of history there involving Franklin and Eleanor. We got to go for a free walk through the cottage; it was very simplistic even for the era. Talking with the park rangers we learned that the Roosevelt’s preferred to lead a simpler life while they were vacationing on the island, away from the busy cities. I completely understand! Being out on Campobello felt so wild and remote, even though the coast of Maine was in sight on a clear afternoon.









Bea brought us back to her place, where we unloaded our motorcycle and set off in search of lunch and to explore the rest of the island. Since July 1st is my birthday, I promised myself I would find a lobster roll as a birthday treat. I had never had lobster before, and what better time than now to try it. We stopped at a popular roadside stand that serves fresh caught lobster and I finally had my roll. It was quite good, but I don’t think I need to have any more in the near future. After our lunch stop we rode down to Herring Cove, a dark crescent shaped beach, which has been shaped by cross tides pushing the sand at and angle down the shore. The think afternoon fog was rolling in once again so we hurried down the beach and into Roosevelt International Park. The park is full of twisting gravel roads, which are a blast to ride on our little dual sport. We found the other end of Herring Cove, where the beach is made up of millions of small round rocks, polished away by years of wind and sea. Then we rode deeper into the woods until we came out at Liberty Point, the opposite end of the island from the Harbor Head Light House. Looking out into the Bay of Fundy was awe inspiring, even as the grey fog rolled in. Motoring back out to the main road the cold heavy air fogged up my helmet’s face shield and made me miss being back home in the North West.



















The last stop for the evening was out at Friar’s Head, where there is a large rock formation shaped like a hooded monk. Unfortunately we were there during high tide, so we couldn’t see the Friar, but we had a nice time hiking down to the rocky coastline and looking out across the bay to Deer Island.







Visiting Campobello Island was one of the highlights of the trip, I am so glad we took the time to go visit, and getting to know Bea and her cute dog Molly just made it all the better.

[Eta Epsilon]

Any updates?
Did you drive through Quebec?

[Vedubin01]

We would love to go to Alaska! We have been talking about it, if we have enough money left over we just might

My brother lives in Wasilla, I just got back from visiting them last week. They have room for your bus if you are looking to make that trip. Let me know I can talk to them.

Alaska is amazing!


As to your first stop. The club is now open and doing well. We had P. Diddy there to open the club and Birdman was there this past weekend. We are also do EDM Saturdays. So we are getting a mix of entertainment. Still working on professional images we will use for the site, but here is a taste of what you guys saw in the making!

[oliver.r]

coolest thread on all the internet

[Keith M]

Welcome home Steven! I second the Alaska trip, it was 8700 miles of awesome. I spent about 60 days total but it can be done in a shorter period of time depending on what you want to do.

[KDAWG97M3]

This was awesome. Congrats and I think it is great you were able to take this journey...we need a map showing miles/cities traveled.

[LuckyHenriksen]

coolest thread on all the internet

:)

Welcome home Steven! I second the Alaska trip, it was 8700 miles of awesome. I spent about 60 days total but it can be done in a shorter period of time depending on what you want to do.

Thanks Keith! It feels great to be back home in Oregon, but sad to be done traveling for now. I really want to do Alaska, but I think a different camping setup will be required. I want to be able to explore off road as much as possible, some sort of 4x4 truck will be best

This was awesome. Congrats and I think it is great you were able to take this journey...we need a map showing miles/cities traveled.

Thanks! I do need to make up a detailed map showing the route. I need to update this thread, I might just ad in some of the more interesting parts for those that haven't seen the blog