Branson - 2012

When you go to Branson, the tour can take on a 'life' of it's own. Total strangers, being picked up at various stops along the way, gathered together for a prepaid visit to that southern musical entertainment mecca. Here we see my group departing the motorcoach and following the guide (each show sends someone to your bus with a flag or colored cone) for the "Brett Family Christmas Show". It was 9:30 AM and they were charged up and ready to be entertained. There were 12 motorcoaches at this venue...24 at the next stop, the "Daniel O'Donnell" show. Mr. O'Donnell announced that he will be moving into the Andy Williams Theatre next year.

Hawkeye Stages

When you train and then sign-on to drive a motorcoach, you are responsible for a 25-ton moving vehicle and the safety of all the passengers riding with you. That means getting them on and off the busy in a timely, yet safe manner. For me, one of the most fascinating aspects is how many various groups take a motorcoach. The conversations are always interesting and they always seem to be having fun. It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that your passangers are enjoying themselves. For me, I like group photos to let them express themselves as a group.

Colorado

This past summer, I started driving for a motorcoach tour company called Windstar. They have 55 coaches travelling throughout the US. They have five bases, four in Iowa and one in Lincoln, NE. I was tasked with taking the Dallas Center-Grimes Cross Country team to four days of high altitude training at the YMCA of the Rockies, outside Estes Park, CO. The trip was full of photo opportunities and great weather. We went to 12,000 feet. The kids did there thing and I walked (slowly) into the woods in several directions. Met some 150-member family gatherings that took over entire lodges. The lodge fed more than 1500 every meal and the food was super. No TV's meant this was a retreat in many ways. I rate it one of my greatest escapes.

School Bus #101

After retiring from the Postal Service, I enjoyed sleeping late and recovering from a few stress-related issues. My wife and I went to Alaska and then we decided I needed a part-time job. I choose driving a school bus first, with motorcoach (tour bus) second. I trained on a variety of bus sizes with Durham School Services (serving Ankeny, IA) and after I established some seniority I won the bid for shuttle route #101. Here a shot of my first bus. A big one, holding 81 passengers.