Everybus 2000 Everybus 2000
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Misato (the only splitty in a pack of bays) was the only one to break down of course. After driving through some pretty good rain in South Carolina, my generator light flashed on. I turned on my hazards and got off the freeway at a very convenient exit. Buck followed me off and radioed the others that I was having trouble. Like on the previous trip, the generator was not producing over around 2 volts at any engine speed. It was decided to just keep on going as I would have plenty of battery power to make the trip as long as it didn't start raining again. It flashed out after a while (of course) but later came back on. I recently fixed this problem, it was a funky voltage regulator. We made the rest of the trip without incident, except for an accidental detour on my part -- I'm just a troublemaker I guess. I wasn't able to get into the exit lane in time and had to keep on going. I waved at the Daves as I zoomed on by. The next exit was the northbound highway. I wanted to go south, and it turns out that you can't turn around, the northbound route was limited access! I wound up finding I-85S and getting off on the right exit. I made it and joined up with the guys who waited up for me. They were surprised to see me so quickly, according to DaveR's really up-to-date map (it had an ad for a VW Vanagon) the next exit had been ten miles up, when in fact it was maybe a half mile.
We made it to the campground while it was still daylight, around 6:30. Right there paying my fees I met some people I had wanted to meet, Chris (organizer of this wonderful event) and Kelly (aka Metalwizard). Both were super nice. I brought up the fact that I had the hubcap for the Great Bus Tour and wanted to be rid of it :-) I was told to give it to Ted Finesman, and I did so at the earliest available opportunity (the next 10 minutes). Thus, I met Ted and passed on the baton. Raistrick snapped a picture of the event and the deed was done. Now I felt like I could relax ;-)
One of the most notable features of Everybus 2000 was the incessant drizzle and rain. Things were pretty much thoroughly soaked by Sunday, including items that had never left the bus! But it certainly didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits! There was plenty of conversation to go around (even for a lurker like myself) and later on in the evening there was some music under the pavilion. Guitars, banjos, even drums! Buses kept rolling in throughout the evening. Perhaps the most admirable was the RHD Vanagon that came in on a wrecker. A bunch of people volunteered to help push him into his camping spot. I found myself retiring early on Friday night, with my cold catching up to me as well as a blatant disregard for sleep during the week. I felt like I had the camping thing figured out. The Jacksonville Beach show last weekend was my first experience camping in a bus. I brought only a sleeping bag and pillow -- and deeply regretted this when the temps dropped into the 40s with a good stiff sea breeze! After that very chilly experience, I added a colorful rug to block the chill from the metal floor (there is a rubber mat, but it's still cold) and a fuzzy blanket to my list of things to carry. I also used my "cab divider" to stop wind coming in at the base of the cargo doors. I layed the carpet out, rolled the sleeping bag onto it, stuffed the blanket down the sleeping bag, changed into my sweatpants and tried it out. I slept really well that time. I think I will add more floor padding the next time, though, I woke up feeling a bit stiff.
Saturday was a pretty busy day -- the camping area was filled with buses all over the place. I took a lukewarm shower that woke me up pretty fast. I remember working on the generator in the morning. Someone came up behind me and snapped a picture, saying "part of ownership" :-) I met a lot of people I didn't get the chance to meet the night before. There was also the trip to Kelly's shop to see the work he was doing on a couple of buses. I rode up in Ted's '71 Westy, I don't think I've ever been in a more quiet VW! The work that Kelly does is absolutely amazing. I wish that I could send my Westy to him! But it will suffer at my own hands, muahaha. After we returned to the campsite (guess what -- it was raining) there was a cookout. I appreciated this a lot, much thanks to the Roanoke Valley volks! I was getting a little tired of Pop-Tarts! Then there was an informal get together under the pavilion. Door prizes were awarded, and I actually won a pair of headlight eyebrows. They gave away so much stuff, it seemed like nobody walked away empty handed! There were even prizes for the kids, which pleased them to no end. Afterwards came the "people's choice" awards, my favorite was the "Can't believe you made it in that," which went to John and his bondo-splitty. He told how he broke his shift coupling and wound up getting a roadside construction crew to weld it up for him! Afterwards, the instruments came out again and I relaxed beneath the pavillion, taking a break to hang out with the Canadians and to watch the engine case fire. I hit the sack early again (around 1am), my cold sure was a bummer!
Sunday morning around 6:30am DaveE rapped on my window -- time to head to the Farmington show. I have NEVER seen a swap so large! Dave told me that it was generally twice as large...I want to go back! I found several parts I had been looking for, including four really nice 14 inch rims for my Westy, three with tires that held air (which I needed) and all had their hubcap clips intact. Also found a nice oil-bath aircleaner and some wiper arms, all for the Westy. Considering I walked in there with less than $100 (and they charged me $12 for admission!) I think I did pretty good! This show had an interesting minority of Hondas and lowriders, etc. I found myself wondering where these kids get all that money. Some genuinely nice cars, all prejudice aside...but odd to see at a VW show. There were drag races later on, which I hadn't seen in years. The sight of a beetle going up on its rear tires makes me grin ear to ear. One of the funnier runs was some guy in a bone-stock VW Jetta. What was he thinking?? DaveE and I left the event around 1PM, and had an uneventful drive back. I arrived home around 7:30 or so, I think.
I met so many cool people at Everybus -- Ted, John Yust, Richard, the Kanada Krew, Chris, Louize, etc, etc -- I can't even remember them all! I feel like a loser because of that :-) Bus people really are the best. People came from all over...Florida, Georgia, California(!), Ohio, Canada, etc. Whole families showed up, dogs and kids and all. There were sounds of laughter and happiness coming from every direction. It was truly a wonderful experience, and there is so much more to it that I simply don't have the will to type out ;-) I plan on being there for the next one, maybe even in the Westy! Hope to see you there...
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