Well, we’ll be back on the road again tomorrow if all goes well! We picked up the bus yesterday afternoon from Doug’s Bugs, where a new head gasket and head block were installed, our injectors were cleaned, and various other parts were replaced to get the engine working as good as new. The bill hurt, but hopefully it will keep ‘er rolling for a long time. The heads weren’t cracked, but there were a few small cracks in the head block that held them, and also where the glow plugs were. So we decided to replace it now instead of having to replace it (and pay for the labor to get it out again) later.

I Get WetWe’ve been playing a lot of disc golf (which often involves fetching discs from the water) and hanging out with friends in Boise while the bus was in the shop. We stocked up at the Co-op, and today we’re cleaning out the bus, doing laundry, and re-packing and re-organizing the bus in preparation to leave tomorrow.

We’re heading to southern Washington to climb Mt. Adams. It is in the same range as Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Ranier, so there should be a great view of all three from the top. It’s quite a climb, much of it on ice, but Seneca made the same trip last year about this time, and we now have new trekking poles to help us hike up.

After Mt. Adams we’ll head down the coast, visiting communities, friends, and family along the way. We’re most interested in Oregon and northern California, but we may come back up to Montana and Washington for a few barter faires this fall. It’s getting late in the year already, so we’re hoping to decide on a new place to settle on this leg of the trip. Stay tuned, we’re not quite sure what we’re in for!

We’re very excited to finally be back in the road after weeks of waiting in Boise for our beloved bus to be back in action. Anchor’s Away!