chadd's blog

    Oh Southern California how I love your climate. Waking up to palm trees and blue skies is something I greatly appreciate. We've had rain once since being here, otherwise it's been a sunny 70ish degrees and very enjoyable. I hate to admit this next part but I feel I have too. I'm from Michigan and cold weather is normal. Today it got what I thought was cold out, so I put on a thick sweater and jacket. Soon after, I proceeded to put a winter cap on. I then looked at the thermometer and it was a bone chilling 60 degrees outside. I would have guessed it was in the high 40's or at least that's what it felt like. Seems I've turned into one of the youngest snow birds and am a wuss when it comes to "chilly weather". 

     My previous blog about where we were staying being dirty still holds strong, but the people we met were unforgettable. Upon our return, we stayed at B and G Hay Lot and did some volunteering from there. Johnny Ray, Linda, and Hockey became like family for that quick week and treated us very well. I learned about hay, prices, weight, what's good hay, bad hay, and what the local talk was about farmers in town. I woke up earlier than usual, sometimes even 6:45, to go inside and drink excessive amounts of coffee and shoot the breeze with the regulars. Mamma, Whitey, and Peenee were our doggy lot mates along with about 15 cows and 8 horses. Sadly, a couple days before we left, Peenee was found in the road and didn't make it.

    The first blog of 2012. Never when we started the Lost Bus did I think I'd be heading back for the next round of adventure. I have an odd feeling of excitement and curiousness. Its crazy to me to be giving up the comforts of a home, fly across the country, and call a school bus my home again. Its a little confusing. Since I was 18 I've lived on my own. Moving back in with the parents was such an odd thing for me but my time home was really good and needed. When I left the bus in December, I was tired and ready for a break. Life on the road is great in so many ways but it also has it's draw backs. It's exhausting. Everyday, I explain our story, who we are, where we came from and give tours of our home.

    The final week is here. We are in drive mode and heading south one day at a time. We are finding the beautiful weather to be very distracting. Yesterday was the first day we made it over ten miles! Currently, we are in Santa Barbara, California about 100 miles from our final destination for year one. I'm still in shock that it's been a year already. As much as home sounds so good (and boy does it) we finally hit the beautiful southern Cali weather. Mid 70's everyday with blue skies and happy bus dwellers. I even got the flip flops and shorts out of the closet. I can't recall the last time I had shorts on and my pasty white legs show it. Back in Michigan I hear they have 40's and rain.

    San Francisco has claimed a Lost Bus member... Been with us since the very beginning. It's incredibly hard to say goodbye to her, but she's gone too far this time. Our shed on wheels, our beautiful trailer, has decided it was done traveling and gave up the ghost on Friday. The frame has snapped in two and is beyond repair without sinking far too much money into it. Donations have slowed down and we can't afford to fix her up, so we are forced to say goodbye and fit all of our goods into the bus. It should be really interesting and will require a day in the Home Depot parking lot rearranging life and redoing certain aspects of our home. I'm very thankful that we did not lose the trailer while driving with all of our goods in it. It could have ended very badly.