WHAZAMMO & THE GILLIG ... use the "Archives" link at the top left to get to #1
Back in Post #11 we spoke a little about "making RV Park long term reservations ahead of time for July... "we sent to four parks in the same Central Oregon town to test the waters". Keeping in mind the heavy tourist season only ends after Labor Day in September.
We have come to building a Motor Coach (again) after much consideration and review, we have not forgotten the many negatives of firstly, just being ashore, and, we have full knowledge that not many of the problems in parking, and in the negative public perception have changed much (even with all of these 38-40 foot factory built RV's) since 1960. This return to land and a bus is the result of the recent-times events, politics, and social/cultural changes... arising over the past few years.
In moving from a 40 foot boat to a 40 foot bus you are simply swapping negatives, the new RV Park rules on age, RVIA certification, and "bus" were previous unknowns, add-in the dynamic of lotsa' homeless people, the border jumpers, including the new "live in your car" bunch, and a very large van and shuttle bus crowd ... and ... the huge glut of used pre-2000 motorhomes being sold at $500.00 to $3,000.00, making for some crazy activity by crazy people who are making the police, city fathers, and the citizens ... crazy. The alternative-homeless-immigrant number total of homeless is staggering.
This filters down to us bus/boat/tiny home builder in a very negative way... that impact has a lot of first-time builders, and newbies selling off their projects in disgust, and a host of inexperienced builders, drivers, and boondockers not following the "Leave no Trace" credo, making matters even worse.
It has been 10 years since the H8H Buffalo, our live-in-a-bus "scene" was getting nuts back then, but today ? We finally have decided to stay in Oregon (not head East), so, we sent out our packets as a test of the RV Park waters, regulations, and attitudes.
All four parks vetted us, and wanted everything from drivers license, insurance, FMC, GoodSam, AARP, toad and bus plate numbers, photos, web sites, email/text/phone number, biographies, references, and pictures... all four accepted our reservations, interfaced with us, approved us.... and sent us their paperwork.
As it worked out, we changed our choice of location, and have now submitted to four RV parks in another Southern Oregon town.
As humans we spend a lot of time playing this swap of negatives and positives in our lifes decisions, as the playing field and rules of the game keep changing we either ignore them and stay "as-is", or we can accept/adapt to the changes and go with the "new" game rules, or ... we can be "alternative-rogue-independant"... sadly that latter stereotype has huge baggage, because of the many different styles, and different ways in which to "implement".
I am a believer in culture identity by "region", these culture "towns" and neighborhoods exist as a driving force in creating America, followed closely behind by wealth identity, in no specific order the list trickles down through religion, ethnicity, educational level, native intelligence, political tilt, and do not forget the "visual"...influences as well... all of which combine to create an "identity" (a stereotype) that we are all guilty of using.
Once built, no matter where we wander...that visual and cultural "identity" follows us around into every corner of the map we invade... such, is the "mix" of being an American, in America. The "when in Rome do as the Romans do" thing works only so far... and so enter the negatives-positives swap game if we want to co-exist in different regions.
I can cite example after example, but you get the idea, and if you ever left your home town, you have experienced the "other" people, and how they treat you, how they think about you, and how they judge you.
As RV, Tiny House, Skoolie, Bus, Sailboat, Motor Yacht, Van, Tenter, Biker, or backpacker... "YOU" are an "alternative-person", you jumped cultural restraints, invade different culture areas with your presence, thinking, and actions, and, historically there are "always" problems from having this mobility and exposure... hence the gypsy, wanderer, nomad, vagrant, hippy, terms.
These imagery issues began with the 60's Hippy bussers and an arrogant, "see me", "hear my music ?", "I'm different", "F*** YOU", "I am putting on a show of visual extravagance, and freedom here, are you watching me ?", "to prove I was here, and have you remember me, I am leaving you my garbage, and these over full buckets of excrement, sorry about the tree but we needed firewood", "I'll pay you back the $20 bucks for gas", "sorry I ran over your flowers" RV'er. Woodstock, Altamont, Quartzite, Dead concerts, the Slab, Rainbow gatherings, and now Burning Man pushed the limits on the bus life image, and who we are, and how the public views us.
Travelling America, you can no longer just pull over and park, wander off the dirt roads to a powerline right-of-way, or an empty field, park overnight on remote fire roads, hit the WalMart-KMart parking lot, or just park in-city, firstly we are too heavy, and secondly we learned our lessons of why we take lots of pictures for insurance, camera up, have a dog, are armed, and why we keep those rooftop emergency exits intact. We realized the state police smile a lot, that hay bales pushed under skoolies burn, and breaking 20+ windows is fun (while you are shopping), how hunters confuse busses as deer, elk, etc. and empty their magazines, why we never use a door hasp (that can lock us "in"), or have fuel tanks that are exposed, you cannot do much about tires and radiators, cameras are an "after the fact" item, and dogs can be shot.
You learn that not everyone likes busses in their town (or state), you may as well be on a Harley, or have a huge military sized backpack and a shopping cart, only a campground, RV park, or your own property is truly safe. After sinking two Skoolies, and two 40 foot coaches in mud up to the pumpkins (and over the axles), Whazammo says busses were built to be on asphalt...a trip up the ALCAN on gravel, my sinkings, and unfriendly natives made me/us believers.
What this posting is saying... is that we are building differently today than we did 20 years ago, the machinery and technology has changed, our usage is different (as are our needs), but the public has not forgotten... presentation is the key (which includes "you"), until I am proven wrong, I believe these non-destination under $75.00 a night parking places don't care how old (both the bus and you) are, or if you have a RVIA sticker, it is all about presentation... imagery, and behavior.
You can view it as being sad, or as progressive, but there definitely has been a split in class levels of us bus people.
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