March 17, we hit the road for our first long distance adventure. We wanted to share some of our experiences as well as what we learned being on the road for the first time in our skoolie.
Before setting off, we installed some screw in hooks to attach bungee cords to so we didn't have to move everything. Overall it worked excellent, we had to actually do a few more while on the road once we noticed some things that could use a little more security. We also installed u-bolts on our couch for our son's car seat, which also worked out pretty well. The key to stress-free travel is to make sure as much stuff as possible is put away or secured down. Otherwise, the anxiety can get real when you see things sliding around everywhere!
We first traveled from East Texas to Pajarito Mountain in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Then from there we went up to Red River, NM and then returned home. This trip was our first time to really put a lot of our off grid capabilities to the test. Our solar system did very well, we were able to power everything we needed except a heater. We could have easily built a fire in the wood burning stove in the evenings, but a friend brought a generator so we just used it at night. Between our propane and solar, we were all able to shower (or bathe for the baby) with hot water, keep our refrigerator and freezer working, having running water from our storage tank, cook all kinds of things just like being at home, watch tv if we wanted, play music, charge phones, etc.. Our 55 gallon water storage lasted us four full days and part of the fifth, but luckily we were able to fill it up in Red River since we ended up having to stay at an RV park there. At Pajarito, we were just off grid camping at the bottom of the mountain.
When we made it to Red River it was also time to wash diapers, since we cloth diaper. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, it was our first time using our Panda mini washer. We started out using our five gallon bucket and scooping creek water out to put in the machine and ran the run off into our grey water tank. In the middle of this process we were informed that Red River Ski Area was private property and we were not allowed to stay there. Since we were going to have to find a different place to park for the night, I put the diaper washing on hold for a bit. We found an RV park and headed that way. There I used the water hose and septic drain to finish washing the diapers. Washing cloth diapers requires a lot of soap in order to make sure you lift up all the poop and pee. It would have taken a lot of trips to the creek to get them rinsed the other way, but would have been totally doable.
When we made it to Red River it was also time to wash diapers, since we cloth diaper. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, it was our first time using our Panda mini washer. We started out using our five gallon bucket and scooping creek water out to put in the machine and ran the run off into our grey water tank. In the middle of this process we were informed that Red River Ski Area was private property and we were not allowed to stay there. Since we were going to have to find a different place to park for the night, I put the diaper washing on hold for a bit. We found an RV park and headed that way. There I used the water hose and septic drain to finish washing the diapers. Washing cloth diapers requires a lot of soap in order to make sure you lift up all the poop and pee. It would have taken a lot of trips to the creek to get them rinsed the other way, but would have been totally doable.
Driving wise, the bus did really well. We hadn't driven it for longer than an hour and a half or so since we purchased it. As we set out to drive the 746 miles to Pajarito, we were excited and nervous, this was going to be a true test. The bus ran a steady 70 mph unless going up hill. Keeping our momentum going down hill was important for the uphill climb. Some hills would just drop us 5 mph, others could drop us 40 mph, it just depended on the length and intensity. Luckily we had no over heating issues despite pushing it so hard. The bus teetered on the edge of green and yellow on our temperature gauge while we were going up in elevation for a while, but it did a good job at cooling itself down. We let it rest for a few minutes when we had stopped once before making the more intense climb up to the ski area. We were so impressed with how well it handled the mountain areas. From Pajarito to Red River, we traveled another 107 miles, then another 713 miles, bringing out total mileage to 1,566. So thankful to have made it without any issues, our bus only had 55,000 original miles when we purchased it so we had high hopes.
One thing about driving a bus long distance when it's hot, the engine also puts off insane amounts of heat around the driver. Our driver's fan was broken so we just took out, but that'll definitely be something we will be buying to reinstall. Awesome things about driving a bus long distance: The composting natures head toilet avoided a certain amount of pit stops since we could use the restroom going down the road! We had food and drinks on board so we could also grab something when we needed it. We could cook hot tea or warm something up when we did stop! We could wash our hands or fill up our water bottles too! We could also go lay down in our own bed and go to sleep during traveling, or if we needed a break from driving completely we could pull over and get a few ours of sleep in our OWN BED!!!!
Highlights of our trip: We enjoyed snowboarding at the Pajarito Ski Mountain, even though it was the end of the season and conditions were not perfect it was a neat little mountain and super cheap lift tickets!! The girls and Kalon enjoyed hiking at the Bandelier National Monument. We did back country hiking through the woods, down a canyon to put our feet in the water, and then back. The girls also enjoyed exploring the town of Red River when we were there, still one of my favorite little towns ever! The boys also enjoyed snowboarding in Taos Ski Valley! We loved sledding in Red River and attending the Skiesta event in Pajarito as well! The scenery while driving was also a bonus! Can't beat mountain views, beautiful lakes, and lush forests!!
One thing about driving a bus long distance when it's hot, the engine also puts off insane amounts of heat around the driver. Our driver's fan was broken so we just took out, but that'll definitely be something we will be buying to reinstall. Awesome things about driving a bus long distance: The composting natures head toilet avoided a certain amount of pit stops since we could use the restroom going down the road! We had food and drinks on board so we could also grab something when we needed it. We could cook hot tea or warm something up when we did stop! We could wash our hands or fill up our water bottles too! We could also go lay down in our own bed and go to sleep during traveling, or if we needed a break from driving completely we could pull over and get a few ours of sleep in our OWN BED!!!!
Highlights of our trip: We enjoyed snowboarding at the Pajarito Ski Mountain, even though it was the end of the season and conditions were not perfect it was a neat little mountain and super cheap lift tickets!! The girls and Kalon enjoyed hiking at the Bandelier National Monument. We did back country hiking through the woods, down a canyon to put our feet in the water, and then back. The girls also enjoyed exploring the town of Red River when we were there, still one of my favorite little towns ever! The boys also enjoyed snowboarding in Taos Ski Valley! We loved sledding in Red River and attending the Skiesta event in Pajarito as well! The scenery while driving was also a bonus! Can't beat mountain views, beautiful lakes, and lush forests!!