CHEA 2012: More driving, and bus trouble (May 23)

And so we continue our tale of the Wisconsin CHEA conference trip.

After our evening fellowship bash, we enjoyed a nice breakfast and prepared to pack up camp.

Besides the conference, seeing friends and camping, another reason for going to Wisconsin was that the Menards in Wisconsin carry roaster over liners for just $1.99 a box! (We may have purchased the last 40 boxes, so call before you go!) This enables us to use our roaster oven at camp, without expending hours of scrubbing!

So we enjoyed yummy steel-cut oats, with the exhilaration of throwing away the mess afterward!


We did have to elevate the roaster, to avoid having a racoon jump in.


And yogurt.


And a final round of volleyball, before putting it away.


And some time with local friends.


And watermelon. The watermelons survived pretty well, with only a few lost from rolling hither and yon down the aisle of the 35 foot bus.


And cheese crackers.


And pretzels. Looks like we are morphing into lunch here.


Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but picnic tables.


The Lindvalls had a desire to experience authentic Wisconsin river transportation, so here we are on the Wisconsin River.


In a bus.


Just like Lewis & Clark.


Daniel says, "I thought we were taking the ferry."

All ashore, and soon stopped safely at our favorite Wisconsin establishment of finer diesel, with a snapped belt. I forget which type it was. Looks like a big vacuum cleaner belt with teeth to me.


For you laymen, I'll explain: Buses are kind of like vacuum cleaners. They both make a lot of noise, but when the belt breaks you can't use them.

Fortunately, unlike vacuum cleaners, a bus can double as a waiting room.

While a party embarks in the Lindvalls' vehicle, looking for parts, we explore the area.

The guys locate the belt, bring it back, but have no clue as to how to install it, because there is no belt diagram (sometimes they post diagrams for these things under the hood). After consulting Uncle Danny, who cautions that we need a belt diagram, we track down a shop that is just about to close and the guy says he can install it for us if we get it there. Hmmm...

So, they put the belt on in the only way they can, so they can drive the bus to the shop. Then, they head out in the bus by faith, hoping to get there before the shop closes.


One adventure after another…


No lack of laps for sweet Daniel Amos.


Once the guys leave in the bus, just heading over the freeway to the shop, our waiting room is gone, so we play outside on the grass next to the parking lot.

After waiting at the shop for the mechanic to come out, the guys realize they must have all left for the night. So, they head back to meet up with the rest of us. The bus has run fine since then (still is) with the belt configuration we made up off the top of our heads.

We meet up at McDonalds for a thanksgiving feast before heading to the conference venue.