Happy Camper Bus
Smick has scissorhands and sexy legs!
Happy Camperbus 2008-07-03 17:41:28 UTC

Boise, Idaho offered several unique experiences, unique depending on one’s own personal perception that is.

First off we realized that the fuel pump that had been running slightly erratic back in Portland was now inoperable (yet, it got us there regardless…..how cool is that?!) and needed to be replaced forthwith. We headed to the local Auto Zone, smack dab in the heart of Boise, and sought out the proper replacement part. The men running the shop were incredibly helpful and friendly. I experienced that neighborly type feel of camaraderie in Boise at just about very turn. The guys opened a new pack of tools from the shelf and offered them to Smick, along with the use of the parking lot to get the job done.

With the fuel pump successfully installed we headed out to check out the town and, well I am not quite sure, wander around as we do, I suppose.

We soon discovered, much to our dismay that the new, ‘universal’ fuel pump was not going to work for our quirky bus. It was pumping fuel too fast and much to powerfully and was flooding the float bowls and in turn causing the carburetors to sputter and spit out the left overs. Not only was this highly inefficient, after about a half an hour or so the Bus was barely drivable. Auto Zone was closed for the night. Humpft.

We did have a funny sort of run in as a result. We were tring to get to the nearest, safest place to camp for the night. Le Wal Mart in this case, but the Bus was pitching a fit, jerking back and forth, coughing and wheezing. It was quite a challenge getting down the main drag, you can imagine. In fact, we ended up geting pulled over for driving so erratically. The fun part in all of this was the cop that pulled us over, after having accurately assessed that we were not under the influence, heard our reason for disrupting the common ebb and flow of small-town-city driving and he turned all goofy on us. He became excited in a very boyish sort of way, and insisted on helping us get the Bus going again. Mind you, he was not interested in getting his hands dirty, but he did offer the assistance of his flood lights and his authority to control traffic until we were properly (?) back on the road. Once we found our awkward roll back on the street, he honked and waved and I suppose wished us well.