Nikki's blog

Recently looking through my pictures of the 8 months touring with the CGA I found myself laughing remembering all the good times – a once in a lifetime experience for sure! I meant to pass the word earlier (but have been enjoying this last month of freedom to the fullest) that I am no longer living on the bus . . . gasp. Actually, as of Green Fest in San Francisco none of the original 5 crew members are still on the bus. This was the CGA’s first attempt at a one-crew/full-year tour and I say hats off to everyone involved! So many valuable lessons have been learned and the bus has been left in the hands of an incredible new crew full of fresh energy and enthusiasm.

We are currently driving through Nebraska on our cross-country journey. After sitting around waiting for some bus repairs to be made it feels great to be back on the road. We’ve spent the last four weeks between the Baltimore and D. C. areas and we’ve met a lot of amazing people.

Down south in Virginia we met some of the nicest people ever. Rich, from the Fair Lakes Whole Foods Market, liked our “altar” (a collection of idols, charms, bones, incenses and other items intended to bring good energy from supporters of our mission into the Veggie-Bus’, and our, existence) SO much that he donated a bunch of incense, a turtle shaped incense holder, and a Chinese “good-health” charm. We also met a real estate agent named Lewis, who saw us on the side of the road late at night and decided to turn around to see if we needed help. We were glad he did because he directed us to the Shenandoah River State Park, a beautiful campground along a river surrounded by forest.

Hello Friends!

Aaah Willie – well done! As expected Farm Aid ROCKED! I’m declaring it my new favorite festival – not only was the music great, but the people supporting the event were some of the most genuine down to earth folks I’ve met all tour. There were many farmers and their children making the day extra special – having my roots tied to a small farming town in South Dakota the purpose of the festival hit home. I think their website says it well when it states, “Farm Aid stands up for the most resourceful, heroic Americans–the family farmers who work the land.” To learn more about all that Farm Aid continues to do for family farmers check them out at http://www.farmaid.org/site/c.qlI5IhNVJsE/b.2723595/k.EE67/Family_Farmer....

Wow, what an amazing first week. First off I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Amber and I live in Vermont where I work for Way Out Wax an amazingly conscious company that makes all natural aromatherapy candles. I’ll be on the bus for the next few weeks while Megan is finishing up a film project in New York, so ‘Thanks Megan for taking some time off so that I could take advantage of this amazing opportunity.’
I hopped on the bus in New York, at Farm Aid to be exact and let me tell you, what an interesting place to begin my tour. Having never been to New York I had no idea what to expect as I departed my train from Vermont. The hustle and bustle of the big city was overwhelming coming from my little cabin on a long dirt road in Vermont. To be honest I was a bit terrified as I stepped into Penn Station but as luck would have it I just happened to meet an amazing woman on the train from Vermont who was so kind to help me find my way on the subways of New York. Two subway trains and a cab later I arrived at Farm Aid where I met Will and Dani. After my long travel from Vermont I was ready for some sleep and I drifted off to Willie Nelson’s set.

Last Friday we made an appearance at a dance party on a pier near W. 68th St. in New York City. Jill, from Sunfood Nutrition, invited us to park our bus in front of the entrance to the pier and open our doors to everyone who walked, or danced, by. We spent the first part of the night enjoying the live rhythms of the Body Temple Drummers accompanied by a few different DJs mixing in their own style of music and beats. Later, when the music stopped and people began to disperse, Will hooked up his turntables to our stored solar power and kept the party going . . . ON OUR BUS! We must have had 20 people on the bus and a bunch more dancing outside, waiting for their chance to check it out. After a long drive earlier that morning we were extremely relieved to see the last person leave, because we still had to drive to Randall's Island that night to get set up for Farm-Aid!

We’ve got a working bus, two new crew members, and six months of an amazing year left – alright! Here are some of the highlights since I last checked in . . .

Although the bus was in the shop (or a few for that matter) for a chunk of time and we were consistently lost trying to navigate some of our country’s first roads much of the other, we did manage to make the best of our time in the Boston area. The upside to the bus breakdown was that I had coincidentally planned a trip back to South Dakota for my 10-year (whoa) high school class reunion, and was able to enjoy a great vacation seeing my family and many old friends without missing too much excitement on the road.

Time really does fly when you’re having fun! I can’t believe that it’s been three weeks since I got off a plane in Boston, a city I had never been to, and got on the Veggie Bus, with a group of strangers. It was so great to finally meet everyone and share our stories about who we are, where we come from, and how we got into this incredible opportunity. Even though I’ve only known Will, Dani, and Nikki for a little while I already feel like we are building true friendships. I guess that’s what happens when you spend twenty-four hours a day, everyday, with anyone.

When I saw the bus for the first time in-person, my jaw almost hit the floor, haha! It is SO cool! From the coconut palm floors to the hemp insulated ceiling, everything on it is natural and sustainable in some way or another, even the bus itself is “recycled” from its previous life as an airport transporter. I immediately became extremely proud to call this thing “home.”

The other day Will joked “Is it July?!? Was it my birthday?? Did I have a good time??!” We reassured him that yes, it was already July and we had celebrated his birthday and incase he couldn’t remember he had enjoyed himself. Here’s to an excellent 28th year Will . . . thank you for continuing to be our fearless leader!

Summer is upon us and it’s awesome! I’m currently enjoying one of my favorite parts of the job - lounging on my bed, good tunes in my ear, a nice breeze keeping me cool, watching the beautiful green Kentucky countryside pass by . . . all while on our way to Bonnaroo. Aaaah, even despite my hair’s green hues from my henna lightening attempts it’d be hard to dispute that life really couldn’t get much better!

Hello Friends!

Life on the road is flying by . . . almost three months down! It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been through all of Southern California, Las Vegas, the Phoenix and Denver areas, Omaha NE, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and now we’re almost done with the Chicago area and about to head to Michigan. Being back in the Midwest feels good and familiar, but our amazing friends out West are definitely missed. Thanks for taking such good care of us and for many great memories!