Adults with a Bus



Prayed & waited for over 2 years, but it was
worth the wait.  Its a great looking bus!

GETTING THE BUS:

I am pleased to report that we are bus owners.  I'm not as pleased to report that the bus is in the shop.  However, we got a great 2003 bus with seating for 14 plus 1-2 wheelchairs and a power wheelchair lift for $3150!  Yes, you read that right $3150.  However, the bus was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Friday night when Mr. Workman got home from being at the National Debate Tournament in Indiana, we left for Minneapolis to pick up our bus on Saturday morning.  We drove all night long, but 628 miles later, we got there.  The owner had misplaced the bus when we arrived, but in the end it was found with extra detailing working being done and a full tank of gas!  So our trip home with the bus started by driving it in downtown Minneapolis traffic, but Mr. Workman did an awesome job driving the bus in all that traffic and construction.  We had planned to stop in Des Moines for the night, but by the time we crossed the Minnesota-Iowa boarder, the giant coffees were no longer keeping us awake enough to be safe drivers.  We stopped in Clear Lake to eat dinner, and I was trying to fall asleep at the table!  We got a room at the Super 8 and dropped in bed.  The next morning at the complementary breakfast a few people were complaining about hearing the I-35 traffic all night.  We have no idea what they were talking about!  Apparently, they just needed to be more tired!

Okay, so the bus is a little less attractive when
being towed ;)

The trip through Iowa and nothern Missouri seemed to take forever, but we finally reached Kansas City.  Then just south of Kansas City, the bus jerked and the odometer/speedometer quit and the overdrive light started flashing.  We took a break and checked fluids and couldn't find an obvious problem.  Then just north of Nevada (city in Missouri, we weren't on a detour through the West) the vehicle started overheating.  We looked into a tow and discovered that our road and tow doesn't cover anything over a ton.  Then we discovered the tow price.  The tow guy came to check on us and directed us to a small rural diesel mechanic within a miles of where we were stopped.  It was his opinion that we could try to get home.  Well, we made it 8 miles and lost all the transmission fluid.  So $420 cash for a tow, but Phillips Towing did a great job and gave us tips on what road and tow policy to get for the best coverage in the fture.  He towed the bus to our favorite mechanic who works on buses like ours for OATS (Rural Transportation for Senior Citizens) too!

Our mechanic is still looking over the bus but it needed a new emergency break and apparently the transmission may be okay.  After the break is installed then he can tell us more on Monday. 

Mr. Workman and I have decided that we may be getting a bit old for creating "crazy kids" stories, but when we are in our sixties, I guarantee you that the Minneapolis bus trip story will start with, "We were such crazy kids..." Obviously, that bus could have broken down in Minnesota rather than within 80 miles of home, and we NEVER considered that our road and tow wouldn't cover it.  Needless to say this could have been even a more expensive life lesson!

KIDS VISIT THE BUS:

These guys are happy just to sit in it on the
mechanic's parking lot!
Photo by La Marie Photography

On Monday we all went to visit the bus at the mechanic's shop.  The bus was parked out away from the shop so we didn't disturb the mechanics other than possibly for them to snicker about us visiting our bus.  The boys think Mr. Workman is cooler than ever because Daddy owns and drives a bus!  It is so fun to see the kids excited and appreciative of what we were able to get. 

ADULT DECISIONS:

On Monday, we will know how extensive other repairs might be such as we think the air conditioner has a leak.  Needless to say, we are praying that the fixes are affordable.  However, on Wednesday we are supposed to leave for San Antonio.  Mr. Workman and I hate this part of being adults, but we have to decide if we want the bus' second outing to be so far and what if it breaks down again.  We have to consider how much money we have in reserve and decide if going to San Antonio could have the potential to be a "crazy kids" story.  Please pray for the bus and us the "adult" owners as we make tough decisions over the next 5 days.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God,

and He will give it to you.

He will not rebuke you for asking.~~James 1:15 NIV

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live

  —not as unwise but as wise,

¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity,  

because the days are evil. ~~Ephesians 5:1-16 NIV