Well...its official...I've gone insane...

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:34 am

According to the misses anyway.

Making plans to attend my first burn in 07 after many years of "I shoulda, woulda, coulda" lams ass excuses.

So today, I put a bid in on a school bus on EBay. Not quite an official short bus, but not a long bus either. A 7 window, 30some passenger model.

After pricing what it would cost to rent a Ryder or similiar rental truck, several thousand dollars once the 4000 mile round trip milage fees are tacked on, being that the gas milage in utilizing a full size extended cab V-8 pick-up with a 16 foot trailer (what I have available at the present time) would not be much different than a school bus and the fact that a school bus offers a self contained, enclosed, lockable environment of very versatile space, including the ability to add a roof deck complete with umbrellas, patio furniture and a gas grill, it almost seems like a no brainer.

I guess the insanity part comes into play for preparing to make such a purchase in October of 06...many, many months before BM 07 begins.

And next month, I am planning to start perfecting my yurt building skills. Strictly for the Playa mind you. No other reason to own one or two 16 to 20 foot yurts at all and I already have solar panel vs golf cart battery experiments going for running small appliances.

I just wonder what it will be like in July...will I already have the bus packed exept for the ice chests? A combination wind and solar powered electrical grid for running lights, air conditioning and other amenities?

Good lord...this is not what she meant when she said I need a hobby.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:42 am

Congratulations! One of the best ways to assure you won't chicken out and stay at home is to invest so much time early in the year that not going is simply not an option.

You will not be finished with everything by July because there is no such thing as "everything" - there will always be more you can do. Stick to getting the critical stuff done then work your way down to optional tasks.

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:50 am

Dork wrote:Stick to getting the critical stuff done then work your way down to optional tasks.

ditto... do your mechanicals early and thoroughly.

congrats, lucky fucker.

hunter S · Post by **hunter S** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:54 am

[/b]Congratulations! and welcome to the bright side of insanity.
Your wife will note understand until your infection spreads to her & others around you. As the addiction worsens, drink plenty of liquids, try not to sleep as this just aggravates the dream affects.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:58 am

Being nosy, if I may ask how much did that bus cost? I'm asking because that's been on my dream list for years. Having a realistic number may move the idea from dream towards reality for me.

And one more thing is definitely in order. Congratulations! Would you consider letting those of us who are interested see your work in BRC next year? And maybe post some pix in here so we can get inspired by what you're pulling off.

Damn, some people are so lucky.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:11 am

Kinetic IV wrote:Being nosy, if I may ask how much did that bus cost? I'm asking because that's been on my dream list for years. Having a realistic number may move the idea from dream towards reality for me.

And one more thing is definitely in order. Congratulations! Would you consider letting those of us who are interested see your work in BRC next year? And maybe post some pix in here so we can get inspired by what you're pulling off.

Damn, some people are so lucky.

If no one else bids by the end of the day, I should have it for an even thousand. Realistically, busses typically sell in the 1000 (very, very low end) to 2500 range for basic busses. Handicap busses with working lifts (excellent to help load and unload) are in the 3500 to 5000 range.

So in terms of a versitile, large vehicle, they are quite affordable and fairly easy to mantain.

I plan on documenting my readiness plans and I have half heartidly started a journal on it. When I start getting deeper into it, I'll repost all of it as a blog somewhere with pictures etc.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:14 am

Dork wrote:Congratulations! One of the best ways to assure you won't chicken out and stay at home is to invest so much time early in the year that not going is simply not an option.

That was my thought process as well.

You will not be finished with everything by July because there is no such thing as "everything" - there will always be more you can do. Stick to getting the critical stuff done then work your way down to optional tasks.

My brother down in Houston (I'm in the Dallas area) also working since we are going to make the trip together. He's a mechanical engineer so I'm going to leave some of the more technical type stuff for him to play with.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:16 am

hunter S wrote:[/b]Congratulations! and welcome to the bright side of insanity.
Your wife will note understand until your infection spreads to her & others around you. As the addiction worsens, drink plenty of liquids, try not to sleep as this just aggravates the dream affects.

Too late, I'm already having Playa dreams and I've never been there. My mind is fabricating things from the pictures and videos I've looked at for years.

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:19 am

I don't think buying a bus on ebay is nuts at all. I once bought an Amish buggy on ebay and had to travel from Utah to Ohio to pick it up. Never made it to the playa, it is up in Idaho on a ranch now.

NTS: go get the half a cow you swapped the buggy for.

ChiChe · Post by **ChiChe** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:51 pm

I don't think your nuts at all! I used the same logic when I made the decision to buy a 1968 vintage travel trailer for my first burn for 06. After buying a quiet geni, and refurbishing some of the interior - I ended up spending about $700 more than I would if i had rented an RV for one week- but now I have tangible assets.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:05 pm

So today, I put a bid in on a school bus on EBay. Not quite an official short bus, but not a long bus either. A 7 window, 30some passenger model.

Hey, you are my kind of lunatic! Congratulations!

I've been trying to figure out how to afford a school bus and, more importantly, how I would work on one (I live in a second floor apartment, and the building has a small lot with assigned parking). I have been leaning towards buying one through a bus dealership in Illinois, on the theory I will have a better idea of how well it has been mainained. This might cost me around $5,500 for the one I have been eyeing lately. (A nice, 72 passenger, rear engine, transit. I want a large one because I want to convert it to run on waste veggie oil and put in some nice large tanks. Fuel prices will eventually go back up!)

Putting a platform on top also appeals to me. Part of my time at BM was spent asking people about the platforms on top of their buses. Evidentally, all you need to do it bolt 'em on. Late 20th Century and better school buses are built with VERY sturdy roofs!

I want to mount some solar panels on the roof as well, plus put on some sort of wind powered generator. (And, for some reason, I keep returning to the idea of installing an incinerating toilet in the bus-- if I give in to this idea I will DEFINITELY want some sort of power generation!)

I also would like to build some yurts-- they just seem to cool not to build at least one.

Please, keep us posted on the bus conversion!

B.

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:07 pm

Okay, someone needs to sound a warning; I guess it's me.

Easy, big fella. Now this is just my opinion, but I'd suggest that you take it real easy on the $$$. The spending of the $$$ has just started, trust me on this. I'd also suggest that for your first year you just, you know, try and survive it. Don't try to build some big, lavish camp or art project, just see if you can survive first. Take your time and look around real slow like and get the feel o' the place. The second year - and there will be a second year unless you burn out (See $$$ warning above) - you can go all-freakin'-out.

Don't be afraid to spectate some, we all do it. Hell, who'd go to the trouble of transporting/building/tearing-down all that shit if nobody was going to stare at it. You'll get some good ideas for what works and what doesn't at the very least.

Oh, and watch out for those darn expectations. Try like heck to drop them off before you leave home. Really.

Say it with me people: IT'S JUST A FUCKING CAMPING TRIP!
(Repeat as many times as necessary)

Some years, it's absolute magic for me. Some years, it SO isn't. If you go out there expecting an epiphany or something like that, you're headed for trouble. Expect to get dirty and dehydrated, these are practically guaranteed. And for dog's sake, leave room for improvisation because it's going to be forced on you. Some carefully laid plans are going to be blown to ashes, this too is practically guaranteed.

If, that's IF, your schoolbus catch fire at the gate as you arrive and your tent gets flattened by the wind and you get tossed off your bike when you didn't see that guy wire and all your campmates flake on you, etc., etc., etc., AND you can say "fuckit" and still go out and have a good time, then you're almost (but not quite) guaranteed of having a real interesting time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Easy does it, that's all I'm saying.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:31 pm

I haven't gone quite as nuts as buying a school bus but I've got my eye on a diesel van conversion. It has a bed, a nice little table, a Type II hitch, two captains' chairs and a built-in cooler, and it's nice and plush inside. Black, burgundy and silver paint job, $2000. Convert to biodiesel and take out one of the chairs, replace with a cabinet for a sink and mount retractable awnings on the door side and back. Not as sexy as the other campervan on the lot, but there's no way I could swing $6000...

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:43 pm

Sensei wrote:Okay, someone needs to sound a warning; I guess it's me.

Easy, big fella. Now this is just my opinion, but I'd suggest that you take it real easy on the $$$. The spending of the $$$ has just started, trust me on this. I'd also suggest that for your first year you just, you know, try and survive it. Don't try to build some big, lavish camp or art project, just see if you can survive first. Take your time and look around real slow like and get the feel o' the place. The second year - and there will be a second year unless you burn out (See $$$ warning above) - you can go all-freakin'-out.

Don't be afraid to spectate some, we all do it. Hell, who'd go to the trouble of transporting/building/tearing-down all that shit if nobody was going to stare at it. You'll get some good ideas for what works and what doesn't at the very least.

Oh, and watch out for those darn expectations. Try like heck to drop them off before you leave home. Really.

Say it with me people: IT'S JUST A FUCKING CAMPING TRIP!
(Repeat as many times as necessary)

Some years, it's absolute magic for me. Some years, it SO isn't. If you go out there expecting an epiphany or something like that, you're headed for trouble. Expect to get dirty and dehydrated, these are practically guaranteed. And for dog's sake, leave room for improvisation because it's going to be forced on you. Some carefully laid plans are going to be blown to ashes, this too is practically guaranteed.

If, that's IF, your schoolbus catch fire at the gate as you arrive and your tent gets flattened by the wind and you get tossed off your bike when you didn't see that guy wire and all your campmates flake on you, etc., etc., etc., AND you can say "fuckit" and still go out and have a good time, then you're almost (but not quite) guaranteed of having a real interesting time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Easy does it, that's all I'm saying.

Heard and duely noted Sensei.

A little of my background in terms of camping.

I was a heavy fighter in the Society for Creative Anacronism for about 12 years and my primary problem was never having enough space for tents, gear (armor, weapons, pavillions, period clothing, etc etc etc etc). Large scale, "You brought what?!?!?!" camping is in my nature.

On the other hand, me, a backpack and out into the wilderness for a week carrying only what fits in the pack is every bit as fun.

So yeah, I know its just a camping trip, but if I gotta drive it in, I tend to camp in style bordering on excess.

We have no plans on building a lavish camp or huge installation. At the most, we might build a tree for the dias.

In terms of expectations, much less any sort of epiphany, I have none.

All I am expecting is to have everything I bring with me covered in playa dust. keep finding said dust for weeks or months after the event, need a week or so to fully recover once I get home, meet some interesting people and see at least one thing that makes me stop and say "Dude...."

I may sound like a crazed dreamer, but I am a pretty grounded person.

And its back to the drawing board for the bus. We got sniped in the last 8 seconds of the auction. I'm a tad suspicious...no one bids on this thing for 6 days, 11 hours until I bid this morning and then in the last few seconds, I get outbid.

EspressoDude · Post by **EspressoDude** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:06 pm

CapSmashy wrote:And its back to the drawing board for the bus. We got sniped in the last 8 seconds of the auction. I'm a tad suspicious...no one bids on this thing for 6 days, 11 hours until I bid this morning and then in the last few seconds, I get outbid.

welcome to Ebay

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:16 pm

Seconded. I've been on both sides and lost many an item to that wisdom. What bidders do is wait wait wait until the last minute the item is up then there's a bidding frenzy. Which is why I put a middle-ish time on any items I sell, to give people time to see it but to sell it quickly.

And yes, if you're a SCAdian, you got the "oh my God, whatta CAMP!" zeitgeist down. If I don't get my campervan this year I've got a backup plan to make a frame for a Viking-style tent with wolfheads.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 7:05 am

As I understand it, there's an automated program which will do your sniping for you on ebay. Not certain how it works as I'd never use it myself.

Hehe, playa dust weeks or months later, that's funny. Try years! Heh.

pinemom · Post by **pinemom** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 7:19 am

hahaha...Ok Sensei, I really think that the "NEW" BURNER IS transforming itself!

I too, was a new burner 06' I started having playa dreams somewhere in March, had never been yet! Still having them...their NICE and comforting!
(funny now that Ive been, the pre-burn dreams were true to life!)

I too, Jumped in with both feet..started a costuming collabrative 3 months prior to going home....which was a HUMUNGOUS success!
And has brought forth a even BIGGER idea, merging with the NV museum of art and ROACHES...reno outlaw artist collabrative heretic education...keep forgetting what the S stands for...hey Killbuck...help me!

I too, Joined a major Theme camp!

Im Getting married on the playa 07!

I have absolutely no regrets!
Dream BIG dream HARD Dream ALWAYS!

Well...its official...I've gone insane...

Well...its official...I've gone insane...

Congrats!