Made it to Chesterton, Indiana, then...

Hi All,
Thanks for your interest in our journey.

A Rainbow is not always a good thing.

The rainbow was first seen in Henrietta, and then at Cedar Point in Ohio, and then a at Indiana Dunes National Seashore.

The rainbow was on the ground in front of the bus.  It was a small leak of transmission fluid.

Upon arriving a our campsite, the leak became a steady drip.  After a good nights rest and a trip to the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan, we headed to K-Mart to buy transmission fluid.

In the parking lot of K-Mart, the red liquid was pouring out faster than a drip per second.  Time to seek professional help.

A-C walked to Auto Zone and Mindi directed her to Jiffy Lube a stone's throw away.  Josh, the assistant manager and ASE certified technician diagnosed the problem right away - rust had taken its toll on the cooling lines and cooler in the very front of the bus.  With the bus running, the leaks were obvious.

Josh ordered parts, but that gives us about 23 hours to spend in Chesterton - a very nice community about an hour from Chicago.  Everyone here has been really helpful and friendly.

We got a root beer float fir the kids, then walked to a park on the historic downtown.  Lee got a haircut from Byron's Barber Shop.  Bryon and his partner John were extremely welcoming and sympathetic to our situation. They were very helpful with our next situation...

Elliott goes missing!  (to be continued)

Haven't left yet

Last night we slept in the bus to see how comfortable it would be. Everyone was cold, except Elliott, who had two blankets.   Dad slept badly and hurt his neck. He is miserable today.

We are packing so much stuff. We plan to leave tomorrow.

Welcome to our blog!

Thank you for visiting this site.

We intend to chronicle our adventures (and misadventures) for the next few weeks while Lee, Anne-Claire, Elliott and Sasha travel the northern US.

Some questions you may have are:

Q: Why drive across the US in an old small school bus?

A: The kids are growing up fast, and time is flying by, so why not?

Q:  OK, but why not drive a car, or at least rent an RV like normal people?

A: You question has a flawed premise.  When have we been normal?

Q: Right.  So, where did you get the bus?

A: After researching the cost of nice travel campers, A-C found it on Craigslist for $2K.  It is a 2000 Chevy Express 3500 van converted to a small school bus.  It is big enough to stand in but small enough to park (22 feet long).  It isn't a trailer - Lee is really bad at backing up trailers.

Q: Where are you going?

A:  West.  Yellowstone is a goal.  Maybe we'll go further, maybe not that far.

Q: Any other places besides Yellowstone?

A: We 'd like to go to Cedar Point - the amusement park in Ohio, places in Wisconsin, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the Badlands on our way.  Time permitting, we may head toward Portland, Oregon.  Or, we may turn around in Buffalo - if I have to follow through on my threat of "Stop hitting each other  or I'll turn this bus around."

Q: Will you sleep in the bus?

A:  Yes, it has two double-decker cots.  They are Disc-O-Beds (alas, no mirrored balls) and are surprisingly comfortable.

Q:  Does it have a toilet, sink, air-conditioning, or electricity?

A.  No, no, no, no.  We may be staying in motels sometimes - especially ones with swimming pools.  The kids love pools.  It will likely be an adventure we won't soon forget.

Thanks again for reading.   Please check back in a few days. - Lee