early days of bus life… moving in, a stolen bucket, and exploring The Bay
If you haven’t seen my latest posts, check out “from a joke to reality… saying “yes” to bus life” for the backstory! Thanks for reading 💜
moving in
in the car, ready to leave to pick up the bus!!!
Where do I even begin?! In July 2021, I found myself asking this question from my home in Michigan as I spent the few weeks between meeting the bus and moving into it scurrying around trying to prepare myself for this next adventure. Here was the plan:
First, I wanted to buy everything as responsibly as possible. I’m really passionate about sustainability, and since I would be moving into a tiny space, I decided to make it a priority that, as much as possible, everything I chose to be a part of the bus would be carefully selected. From my flax-linen sheets, my upcycled-bottle comforter, to Anya’s cotton rope leashes, I meticulously sourced each item. Then, since I’d be heading back to my brother’s house to pick up the bus, I shipped anything I was buying to his place. This worked out super nicely, and to be honest I’m not sure how I would’ve navigated that bit without him (thanks, D). Then, pack-pack-pack whatever I deemed necessary into one suitcase, one cardboard moving box, and a backpack. Finally, get Anya cozy in her airplane carry-on crate, and off we went, back to beautiful California.
waiting in line at DTW! Anya was a little nervous (fairly)
not even a long layover in an airport with the dirtiest doggy-bathroom we’ve seen yet could bring our spirits down!
I arrived late Thursday night to Oakland. Friday, both my brothers (Daniel and Jason), my future sister-in-law (Mia) and I hung out and chatted late into the night. As exciting as my bus pick-up the next day was, Jason and Mia were having their own excitement as well; the next weekend, they’d be having their engagement party, so we were all busy prepping for these next big steps.
Finally, Saturday morning. We’d be leaving to pick up the bus around 10am, so I started the day with a run around the Oakland Hills. The trails looked out across Oakland, the Bay and the mountains. The eucalyptus trees smelled like heaven and the summer blooms were abundant. As I ran, with the fresh hilly air on my face and the sweet smells filling my lungs, I became increasingly excited as I realized this was only the beginning; that from here, this bus, Anya and I would be finding ourselves in all sorts of places, driving and running and exploring landscapes which I’d never seen before (spoiler alert: I was SO right!).
Shower. Get dressed. Daniel is ready to go. Hit. The. Road!
Once again, I found myself turning down that little side-street after a long drive. Shay graciously walked me through everything again. Where does the electric run behind the walls? Where could I drill through the walls? How does the plumbing work? Which switches do I need to know about to work on the solar panels or the batteries? It was a whirlwind of information before finally I found myself at the driver’s seat, with the key in the ignition. It was time to head off in my new home-on-wheels. It was very weird to think of myself as driving off in my new home, but at the same time, I was so excited to allow my mind to settle into the idea.
parting selfie with the creator herself, Shay
arriving in Oakland, I celebrate a Christmas-in-July with all of the things I’d ordered to Daniel’s house
Anya’s first look at her new home!!
By the chance of a wrong turn, one of my first views from that glorious driver’s seat was the wide-open Pacific Ocean. That quick couple of miles up the coast was one of the most invigorating moments of my life. From there, Anya and I made our way back to Oakland.
The first couple of weeks, I found myself with the beautiful fortune of being next-door neighbors with Daniel. Or, well. Maybe front-door neighbors is a better suited description as I was able to street park almost right in front of his house. This definitely helped with the “bus life scaries.” I knew if anything wasn’t working out, or worst-case, if something went very wrong, he was literally a stone’s throw away. I was able to settle in with the comfort of his home right behind me.
a stolen bucket
my first night sleeping in the bus, and I couldn’t have felt more peaceful in that little, cozy space
This came in especially handy as my first hilarious bus-life blunder happened. To make the bus feel like my own, my first step was to clean it front to back, including the bathroom. Now, brace yourselves cuz this tidbit freaks some out. My toilet is a composting toilet. There’s no magic flush button to wash away the waste. Liquid “waste” goes down a funnel into my grey-water tank. Solid waste, however, drops neatly into a little bucket, and you cover it with composting material (I like to use coconut coir, it’s what Shay recommended and it works fabulously) to cover the smell. So, in case anyone is confused, toilet paper and doo-doo go into a bucket lined with a garbage bag and dirt.
Anyways, as I was cleaning, I decided I would bleach the current poo-bucket. It wasn’t dirty, but for my peace of mind I decided disinfecting it would make it a bit less freaky. Bleach, bleach, swirl it around, rinse, rinse, down the drain. Set it upside down outside the bus to dry in the nice August sunshine. Go into Daniel’s house for a lunch break. Come back outside.
No bucket.
No bucket?! Where’d it go?! I quickly checked the trash cans along the street to see if some good samaritan had thought it was litter and thrown it away. Nope. Nowhere to be found. The realization hits:
Somebody… somebody stole my shit bucket!! HA!!! Someone walked down the street and decided that this old kitty-litter container was well-suited for taking. (I will spend the rest of my life wondering what they possibly used it for.) As it turned out, that bucket had been very well suited as a poo-bucket in the bus. The way the toilet is set up, it had been exactly the right height, and I had a rather hard time finding a new vessel for my big-business waste. All that to say, it was very handy to be parked in front of my brother’s house while all of these unforeseeable circumstances ironed themselves out.
exploring The Bay
sunset views from Oakland Hills 😍
At the same time that all this settling-in was happening, I was able to do some exploring of The Bay Area, too. One night, Daniel and I saw 80’s cover band “Tainted Love,” in San Francisco with his friends. The band was incredible, and so was the group outfit theme of Canadian Tux. We tried new coffee, meandered the shops of Piedmont (would recommend!), and ate at the fantastic restaurant Mägo.
Jason and Mia’s engagement party also went off fantastically. Due to a handful of circumstances, at the last minute the venue was cancelled, so we rescheduled the whole thing to be in Delores Park, San Francisco. The park is really pretty, and was bustling with people. I’m convinced Mia is a magician. Within only a couple of days, she was able to get blankets, pillows, a rug, borrow a table, food, drinks, etc to pull together a gorgeous, comfortable, all-day setting for a party where people could pop in as they pleased, or sit down all day to share a drink with friends (old and new). I felt especially fortunate, as I have lived so far from both brothers for so many years, that I really (prior to this) didn’t know any of their friends. Having this ultra-chill day to sit and talk with their closest friends was such a sweet surprise to this first leg of my bus life. As the weeks passed, I found I was similarly blessed to get to know Daniel’s friends as well.
And so, the first unanticipated glory of bus life was already beginning to reveal itself. With only a couple of weeks under my belt so far, I had spent more time with all three of my California family members than I had in a very long time, and the icing on the cake was getting to know all the best people in their lives, too.
When it was all said and done, I spent a little over two weeks in Oakland and San Francisco. Jason and Mia were there for most of it, and as I prepared to officially start my first road-trip (which would ultimately end at Jason and Mia’s house outside of LA), Daniel decided he’d head down, too. So as bus life continued, so did the precious time with my favorite people.
Anya napping in her pj’s that match our sheets
Using the app iOverlander, Instagram posts, and Google Maps, I had plotted my stops along Route 1 (AKA: the Pacific Coast Highway). What better journey to kick off bus life than driving one of the most famous highways in the world?! So that’s what I’ll share next; my first nights on the road, including my first road mistakes, wins, and precious moments.
Love ya a latte,
Jesi & Anya
