In effort to avoid the heat of the day, we made an early morning repositioning last Saturday from Yuma, Arizona to Lake Havasu City – where our awesome friends and hosts live.
After we arrived, the temperatures start to exceed the forecast, and our thermometers peak out at around 125 degrees. We make note of this on Facebook and Twitter, and get called crazy for being here this time of year. By around 9pm, I have had enough of the heat and starting to feel the onset of some sort of heat condition. Fluids and electrolytes just aren’t keeping up.
I send Chris out to get me some strong ginger ale/beer – my secret weapon in such situations.
He comes back to the bus a few seconds later..
‘Ummm… a Prevost pulling a Mini just pulled up.’
Wha?!? That’s what our dear technomadic friends Ben and Karen travel in.
But they can’t be here, their last blog entry had them like up near Mono Lake or Lake Tahoe, or something – and heading to Alaska next. Besides, Ben told us we’re crazy for being here in this heat… oh, wait.. he meant they’re crazy too!!
We walk out in disbelief. Ben and Karen hop out and give us big congratulatory hugs, and our Havasu hosts grin from ear to ear. Turns out they had all been scheming for days to surprise us with a nomadic bus nut rendezvous.. and surprise us they did! My heat ailments left my body as I shifted from shock, laughter and tears of joy with the realization of just how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many awesome friends.
It wasn’t until the next morning when I awoke to seeing their bus parked right in front of us that I believed this wasn’t some sort of heat induced hullicination.
What a wonderful bus-warming holiday weekend to share our new bus with our very inspiration for vintage buses (they’re working on converting an awesome Flxible Starliner as their next home). We got to spend a few days geeking out on bus systems, catching up, keeping cool and playing like kids in the pool on a hot day.
And just when we didn’t think things could be any better.. they lightpainted our bus!
Afterall, a Technomadia home would not be complete without an amazing Ben Willmore & Karen Nace original art piece!
Thank you Lisa, Wayne & Andrew for welcoming all us crazy nomads into your home (and for having bus parking & hook-ups)!
Thats some real nice light painting but the big thing of all is have friends that will do crazy things with you. I bet that ginger ale/beer hit the spot. The buses look great side by side.
That light painting is just the COOLEST thing. I simply love the artistry! And yes…you guys are absolutely nuts for camping in that heat 🙂
Nina
so glad you got your bus, she is beautiful. I saw this oliver http://rvinsurance.org/news/14-amazing-rv-modifications-you-have-to-see/ was it yours?…I can’t wait to see how you trick this ole bus out
Nope.. that wasn’t our Oliver. But ironically, we’re parked next to that very one right now 🙂
Incredible! Your blog is always an inspiration! So glad to hear you’ll be back on the playa, too. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the geek mods on this baby. Congratulations!!
Thanks… however, if a decision has been made to head to the playa, it would be news to us.
Cherie forgot to mention that Ben also gave us some bus driving lessons, passing on his five years of driving experience to us bus novices. Ben first took us for a ride in his bus around Havasu, and then we all piled in ours for a spin. Our first passengers!
Man, I’m so stoked reading about your new fortunes with your new bus! The joy just radiates from your pages. May you have many, many good years in your new home!
LOL I know what you mean about the heat. We have spent many camping trips in AZ just sleeping in the open. As with you, it was only when we kept ourselves occupied that we could forget the heat.