{"id":23,"date":"2025-12-13T02:15:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meandthekiwi.com\/the-bus\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T15:53:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T15:53:46","slug":"the-bus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/meandthekiwi.com\/es\/the-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bus"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Buster the Bus<\/h1>\n

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Born:<\/strong> February 13, 1973
Birthplace:<\/strong> Wolfsburg, Germany
Model:<\/strong> Volkswagen Kombi
Current Status:<\/strong> Living his best life on the open road<\/p>\n

Buster isn\u2019t just a bus\u2014he\u2019s a certified world traveler with more stamps on his metaphorical passport than most humans. This handsome devil rolled off the assembly line in Germany on a chilly February day in 1973, dressed to impress in a rare shade called Sumatra Green<\/b> (yes, it\u2019s a real color, and yes, it\u2019s as cool as it sounds).<\/i><\/p>\n

His first owners had big dreams: they brought him all the way from Germany to North America and showed him the continent. From sun-soaked beaches in Mexico to winding mountain roads up north, Buster\u2019s early years were filled with adventure, questionable road snacks, and probably a few breakdowns that are now family legend.<\/p>\n

Then came owner number two\u2014whose name was also Buster (yes, it\u2019s confusing, but we didn\u2019t make the rules)<\/i>. He transformed our green machine into the ultimate grandkid-mobile, creating memories one ice cream run and camping trip at a time. We like to imagine him teaching tiny humans how to pop the top while telling stories about \u201cback in my day.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Now? Buster\u2019s with us\u2014the third caretakers of this rolling piece of history.<\/b> We\u2019re preparing him for a legacy-defining year. Next month, I take him on his 1,000-mile maiden voyage\u2014a true “shake-down<\/em>” run to test his vintage heart. Then, in October, we point his nose south for an eight-month trek to Argentina<\/b>. It\u2019s a journey his German engineers definitely didn\u2019t anticipate, but we suspect they\u2019d raise a glass to the ambition of it all.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/medium.com\/the-narrative-arc\/the-screwdriver-the-shovel-and-the-53-year-old-dream-4f7426ec7f2e?sk=6c9ab88c8d7ec4e2fb0c42de1d48872e” button_text=”Read the full story: Finding Buster” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_border_color=”#000000″ button_font=”Cinzel||||||||” button_icon_color=”#000000″ button_icon_placement=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Stats” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#323741″ custom_margin=”30px||||false|false” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_number_counter title=”Buster’s Kilometers” number=”71,803″ percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Open Sans||||||||” title_text_color=”#ADC6D9″ title_font_size=”14px” number_font=”Cinzel||||||||” number_text_color=”#FFC38F” number_font_size=”48px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_number_counter][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_number_counter title=”Campgrounds Stayed” percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Open Sans||||||||” title_text_color=”#ADC6D9″ title_font_size=”14px” number_font=”Cinzel||||||||” number_text_color=”#FFC38F” number_font_size=”48px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_number_counter][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_number_counter title=”Mechanical Milestones” number=”4″ percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Open Sans||||||||” title_text_color=”#ADC6D9″ title_font_size=”14px” number_font=”Cinzel||||||||” number_text_color=”#FFC38F” number_font_size=”48px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_number_counter][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_number_counter title=”Wildlife Spotted” percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Open Sans||||||||” title_text_color=”#ADC6D9″ title_font_size=”14px” number_font=”Cinzel||||||||” number_text_color=”#FFC38F” number_font_size=”48px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_number_counter][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Service” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#323741″ collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/meandthekiwi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Road-Trip-scaled.jpg” alt=”Three wild donkeys on an open asphalt road in a desert landscape with rolling hills and white clouds.” title_text=”Wild burros standing in the middle of a desert highway” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/meandthekiwi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Arizona-Road.jpg” custom_margin=”|||-10vw|false|false” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_color=”#FFFFFF” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”b327cbe4-b1d5-4b66-ad37-40c8f2f061ba” header_font=”Cinzel||||||||” header_2_font=”Cinzel||||||||” header_2_text_color=”#000000″ header_2_font_size=”48px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_font_size_tablet=”32px” header_2_font_size_phone=”20px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” inline_fonts=”Special Elite” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

STORIES IN THE WILD<\/span><\/h2>\n

A trail of stories left for the hands of fate and the souls who find them.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m leaving my stories in the wild for whoever happens to walk by. No shops, no signs\u2014just books left in unexpected places for the right hands to find.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you find one, it belongs to you. Read it. Keep it. Or leave it for the next wanderer to discover.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you find a copy of Shelter in Motion<\/b> waiting for you, snap a picture and tag us @simplyheatherjacks<\/b><\/span>. Help us map the motion\u2014it\u2019s like a living family tree, connecting us through stories and the random souls who find them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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