Owning a bus is not only for trips. Owning a bus IS a trip!😎
We have learned during fifteen years of bus ownership that we must schedule downtime in order to keep things running like they are supposed to run. This thing loves to eat miles going down the road, but it requires proper care and feeding.
It has become our habit to schedule bus time in Vonore toward the end of the year and also set aside time while we are in revival in Wartburg in the spring. That seems to work pretty well.
There have been years we stayed in the bus in Vonore and drove back and forth to Beechfork for church each night. That is a little bit of a stretch for us, but it can be done. On other years, we drop the bus with Jeff Rowe and stay in a hotel in Oak Ridge. That puts us about 25 minutes from the church and an hour from the bus.
I often drive to the bus during the day and take pictures while work is being done and generally hang out and watch. Part of the reason I do this is because of Bus Psychosis and also I genuinely enjoy being at Jeff's shop and watching the work. I have learned a whole lot of valuable information that way.
Lately, I have needed every moment of the day to rest and be prepared for revival each night. I was up early in the mornings last week thinking about going to the bus but ultimately chose to err on the side of caution and refrain from the two hour round trip drive.
The BoggsMobile was in good hands, of course. We thank God for Jeff Rowe and the guys at East Tennessee Luxury Coach. They are a blessing to us.
What Was Done?
In no particular order, these are the highlights.
-Oil, filter and lube
-Charge the over the road air conditioning
-Find and fix coolant leaks in the over the road heating system
-Work on a recurring generator problem
-Find and repair bus suspension air leaks
-Inspect a few other items and plan future fixes
-And the main item, repair the brake problem that flared up as we were leaving Ellisville in March.
The bus needs about 10 more things, but they only had it three days and as good as they are, they are not miracle workers. They worked on every item on the list for this trip and did a great job. So far, the heat and AC seem to be OK, the breaks are releasing properly and the air suspension is better.
The generator is a little more stubborn. Jeff discovered some problems and fixed them as much as possible, but it is still acting up a bit. He probably needs more time with it to sort it all out. There is something I can check for him next week in Kentucky.
Overall, it was great stop. I am sure we will be back around soon enough.
Thank you for coming back around to Mile Markers today. See you tomorrow.
Davy
