SPAB Days

So, what does SPAB mean? "School Pupil Activity Bus". In California, tour buses double (as in most other states) as school activity buses... meaning, extracurricular activity buses, field trips, band trips, and, this time of year, grad night buses. There's LOTS of that right now, and, since the bus company I drive for lacks enough SPAB drivers (it requires special certification from the CHP), I do *LOTS* of SPAB runs. Not that I really mind, dealing with kids is usually pretty easy and straightforward. When I call in to see what my assignment is for the next day, I merely ask "What SPAB run am I doing tomorrow?" (grin). It all comes to a screeching halt around mid- to late June, then it's back to the more traditional "mix" of work.

Me and Tom Bodett in Ventura

Hi again.... it's Memorial Day weekend, and you know what that means... I'm out-of-town with my backpacking group. However, in an unusual twist, they're not headed 300 or 400 miles up into the Sierras; just 200 miles up the coast to Ventura, CA. From there, it's onto the boat going to the Channel Islands National Park. A couple days camping on Santa Rosa Island, and then back to Ventura, where I've been waiting for them. Me and Tom Bodett, that is (grin). My "digs" on this trip is the Motel 6 here in Ventura. I can't really go anywhere, the cost of diesel fuel dictates that the bus be run as little as possible, so here I sit, except for long walks. Fortunately, I have this laptop to help pass the hours. I did go to Blockbuster yesterday and rented a couple movies. Another great use for the laptop! I spot today at 1400 to pick up my tired passengers, and then join the insanity on the freeways. Wish me luck!

Forgot about posting :-(

Geez, it's really been a long time, like, a month! It's been busy at work, but that doesn't really explain why I haven't posted. I basically *forgot* about it for a while! In the meantime, since that Yosemite trip I last blogged about, I did a 5-day Palm Springs trip, and am currently doing a 2-day military trip to Fort Irwin, the huge Army reservation where desert tactics are practiced and perfected, with hummvees, M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. They say that the decisive desert battles of the first Iraq war were the direct result of both superior equipment and superior training. The training part was largely due to Fort irwin's facilities and similar terrain to a lot of Arab lands.
I'll try not to forget about my blog again *grin*