 Blue Bird Body Company ... The Blue Bird Body Company was founded by Mr. A.L. Luce in 1927. At some point when Mr. & Mrs. Luce were considering names for their new company (building school busses), they realized that the "Luce Body Company" didn't sound quite right. As the story goes, Mrs. Luce was looking out the breakfast window during one of the "Name" discussions and saw a bluebird sitting on a fence post (there are lots of bluebirds in Ft. Valley) ... and proclaimed, "Bluebird ... that's it, The Blue Bird Body Company." So it was ... and so it is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wanderlodge ... There are those that believe that since we sometimes have difficulty keeping our Vintage birds going "straight" down the road, they named our magnificent machines "wander" lodges. It isn't known for certain ... ;-) |
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| Vintage Birds, Buzzards and Buzzy ... The story of the Vintage Birds logo goes something like this ... Harvey Lawrence (Charter VB member) was wandering through the gift shop of the NC Zoo with some folks from the Tarheel Chapter (of FMCA), and they spotted a little stuffed toy buzzard. He looked old, a little worse for wear and "very vintage." As a matter of fact, like he had been ridden hard and put away wet. We really got attached to him and imagined him with a top hat, etc.. Harvey mentioned the idea to Bill and Gay H. and sent him (the toy buzzard) to Bill via UPS. A very short time later Bill returned with a couple of great sketches. So far nearly everyone who has seen him thinks he is humorous, yet he has a touch of class and is beyond a doubt a "Vintage Bird." We named him, of course, "Buzzy." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The 1989 Tour" My wife and I recently purchased a 1989 WB Pusher! We knew nothing about the Wanderldoge Coaches and were not in the market for one. However, we sold our house a few months ago and traveled the USA with our two young kids and dogs, staying at Airbnbs along the way. The flexibility of working from anywhere led us on this journey. We had talked about purchasing a motorhome in the past but couldn't ever find one that had the quality to make it worth it. We returned to our hometown for the holidays, and 5 minutes down the road, this beautiful Wanderlodge, sitting for sale, caught our eye!...to make a long story short, we purchased the bird, and promptly named it the "The1989 Tour" after it's release year and both of our birth years. We are going back on the road full time- Joe and Amber Blanton (Picture)
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"The Grey Goose" When we lived in Arizona, we owned a grey SOB we named the "Grey Coyote". At a Good Sam rally in Phoenix, we found an '88 BB for sale and immediately fell in love with it. We later moved to Michigan, but continued to spend our winters in Arizona. Our home in Michigan is on a lake on which there are many Canadian geese, which migrate south for the winter. Our bus is grey, migrates south each year, so we named it "The Grey Goose". We also like vodka, but that's another story.
-Geoff & Marita Newton, FMCA 399039 VB 1609 Email
"The Bucket" I am now 77 yrs. young but back in the day I worked with a rock & roll band- The Grateful Dead & a line of song I always loved is “I may be going to hell in a BUCKET, babe, but at least I am enjoying the ride”. So THE BUCKET is the name of my 83FC33’ road rolling bus. -Philip Borger Email
"Wingin It" Our first Blue Bird was an 82FC35, Cat 3208NA. We made an excellent deal on it although we had had no plans to ever own a Blue Bird due to the cost. When Barb got over the shock that her husband had just bought a Blue Bird, she just knew the Bird's name was Humphrey (as in Humphrey the Camel). Humphrey was many shades of brown, inside and out, and could travel great distances on one tank of water. (Now diesel- that's another story!) Humphrey, like his namesake, wasn't very fast and he had a few other characteristics we preferred to live without (engine noise, bed jammed into a 3 sided alcove, bathroom presented to visitors immediately upon entry, mid-door, "earth tones" everywhere, etc.) We had attended a BB rally and found all the things we didn't care for in the FC were fixed in the PT series. So we found him a new home and went shopping for a PT40. Through the BlueBird Connection we found "Wingin' It" in 2001. It had everything we wanted and the seller was willing to negotiate. We became the second owner of what was then a nameless 86PT40, Silver DD 8V92-475. The original owners had not named it so we were on our own. We decided that Humphrey II would not work because this Bird was Blue and Silver, inside and out, much lighter and sunnier than Humphrey had been. We couldn't think of anything that just seemed right. So, because of her size, we called it Babe the Big Blue Ox for a while, but that was cumbersome. After it had been our unnamed home for 9 years, we decided on a name more related to the full-time life style than to the Bird itlself. Since the day we moved in, Feb '02, we had almost never made plans and seldom made reservations. We were always comfortable dry camping either in the toolies or in a parking lot or driveway. So we concluded that we had in fact been "Wingin' It" all those years. We still are and our Bird has always been there for us. We've been full timing for 13 years and never spent a night out of the coach that we didn't want to. Even when in the shop, we've always been able to stay in our Wingin' It home. During those years, we have visited all but 2 Canadian Provinces (Labrador and Nunavut, for obvious reasons), all seven Central American Countries (because they were there!), the Eastern half of Mexico (the drug thing started just as we were looking to do the Western half), and all but 2 US States (West Virginia and Delaware, who knows why). John & Barb Ely, Congress, AZ and many points West (Picture) Email
"Jubilee" My wife and I chose this name after thinking long and hard and looking at other names. Wanting something different for our Land Ship we settled on The Jubilee. In a Christian Jubilee year of celebration, which occurs every 50 years, slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. The Jubilee is also an Immigration ship that sailed from Galway Ireland to the New World in 1827, sometimes called a coffin ship because many of the passengers died en route due to overcrowding,lack of food or disease- Jeff and Julia Williams (Picture) Email
"RobinLeigh" 20 years ago Robin and I (Charles) changed from our Vocation to a new "Avocation"- Sailing.
Of course, I named the Yacht after my favorite Girl / Lady - RobinLeigh (Robin my spouse). Last year we morphed from the sea to a new Wanderlodge. Our land yacht, of course, is new aptly named "RobinLeigh"- Charles and Robin Wiesneth. (Boat Picture) (Coach Picture) (Morphing from Yacht to Coach)
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"Mauvelous" We were purchasing our new to us 1990 BlueBird Wanderlodge WB40 from an nice lady in Texas. While discussing the coach and what we did and did not like about it (a short list) my concern about the interior being so 'PINK' came up. She looked at me with a smile and said 'it's not PINK, it's MAUVE!'. Instantly, the 'Scottish Lion' became 'Mauvelous'… We have made many upgrades to the coach in the short time we have owned it but I doubt we will ever change the Mauve interior colors. Regards, Adrian Abshire
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"Hummin' Bird" I am the proud owner of a 1993 PT 40 I purchased from Henry and Catherine Bozic of Avon Park FL who had purchased from Gary Floyd the original owner.---Matthew Todd McCaskey, Waynesboro, MS Email
"Wanderlust" I am new to the Blue Bird world and have joined the Forum in recent weeks. I have purchased a fine 1995 BMC with the help of Randy and Bill & Pat in Indiana. For the past twenty some years I have wanted to live and travel half time in a Blue Bird, thereby arriving at naming the road treasure "WanderLust". How is that? What I have noticed with every person I have contacted is their kindness and willingness to share ideas and help. How very rare that is these "I want mine now" days. Cheers! Edward M. Stout Email
"The Dirty Bird" We got our our 36 PT 1985 from a guy in Florida this past April. We haven't picked an official name yet but started calling it "The Dirty Bird" on the trip from Florida back home to Missouri because the transmission retarder sprang a leak, causing us to stop every 50 miles to add transmission fluid. Our little car that we were towing was no longer green & had to be washed every day. Imagine our delight to read on your website of "Babe the Blue Ox" because the names still painted on the door of our Bluebird are "David & Judy Kay". Now we know its original (or at least previous) name!---Larry & Doris Spencer, St. Clair, Missouri
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"Rara Avis" Finding our 95 WLWB was the fulfillment of 30 years of dreaming. I saw my first bird in 1975 and promised myself that one day I too would be the proud owner of one. We named her "RARA AVIS" for she is indeed a rare bird! Every time I see her I walk around with this silly grin all day! -Eliot Harris
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"The Drifter" We purchased our 1985 PT36 named The Drifter from Frank and Mary Beissel in Lakeville Minnesota. After we'd had it for only one week, we'd already camped for four days in it! Frank and Mary had it for 16 years. I hope that we can keep The Drifter that long too! We're excited to be a part of the Bluebird Wanderlodge family! See you out there on the road! Joel and Kathy Hanson, Otsego, Minnesota
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"Vicaribus" We bought our beautiful `83 FC a few years back when she was called "My `Ole Kentucky Home." Would have loved to keep that badge on her, and listen to the Johnny Cash song of the same name forever, but unfortunately it just didn't go with the CA plates that we had to stick on her behind. After our first of many noteworthy journeys in which we got into the habit of sending 'road reports' to all our friends and family via e-mail and photo postings, we finally heard the comment "We love our vicarious travels with you" enough times that the name just stuck, and she's been "Vicaribus" ever since. We've logged a lot of hours, and a lot of living with a family of five travelers in Vicaribus over the past few years, and if you want to read about the best - and the worst - of it, I invite you to read my eBook, "Mexican Retreat" Here. I've also posted some Photos :. Anker Frankoni Email
" ThunderBird " Is the name first given to a 89 WB PT40 by a retired Pilot and Vet who spent much of its time in the South West. The name has both a military and Indian significance. I feel the name really belongs to the coach and would not want to change it as a matter of tradition. We're currently in New England and It'll be exciting to bring the coach back to it's true home one day. Michael Campbell VB 1516
"Putz'n Around" My 78FC35 is my 4th bus. As I was tying to figure out a name I thought I'd use something close to home and so I kind of watched myself from a distance (so to speak) looking for habits, humor, etc.. and what I found is that I just love "Putz'n Around" and looking the world over. Moving often as a kid (military family) and having the surname "Putz" made it all the more comfortable to me. Michael Putz Email
“It’s a Wanderful Life.” I called my 1983 35FC “It’s a Wanderful Life.” The runner up was “What a Wanderful World.” Cheers, Nate Owens
The Office Our '98 LX40 is named the office as my wife thinks that others will think I'm industrious when she tells them that I've gone to the office. We were also going to use her as an office at our home in Ann Arbor while we remodeled. The Peoples Republic of Ann Arbor had other ideas and she is now stored elsewhere. Jim & Patti Kennedy 1998 LX40 "Large Marge" We have a houseful of chow dogs. The queen of the pack is Maggie who has a weight problem. She gets called "Large Marge". While shopping for an RV, I wanted the Bluebird rather than a small class C, I pointed out to Robin how we could take the dogs with us in a 'Bird. SOLD! When I went to get the vanity plates LG MARGE, the lady at the counter says with a straight face, "I'll bet that one's still available". John and Robin Churchill, Black Tongue Farm, Sanibel, FL Email "The Bird" Our '92 is named "The Bird. That's what we call it...that's what she is. Besides, it's the most common gesture given to four wheelers that cut in front of me. We have driven her all over the US and Canada with great dispatch. She is always a lady and draws attention in any locale. If you can't get a Prevost, get a Bird. If you can't get a Bird, stay in motels. You'll be a lot happier. Bill McNew Camelot We inherited my parent's Bluebird. It's a 1980 35ft diesel. My Mom and Dad chose the name, because it's where the loved to be. They traveled all over the US and Canada, many times taking my daughter. She saw so many points of interest at a very young age, and she was there only granddaughter. Once they drove through a town with a feed lot. My daughter Kathy noted the awful smell, and wanted to know why all those cows were there. My parents tried to explain a feedlot as ungraphically as possible to a six yr old. They explained that the feedlot feeds the cows to get them fat, and then they butcher them to have meat to sell in the grocery store. When they finished, Kathy came back with, "if I was a cow, I just wouldn't eat." All three of them had a big laugh. Many memories in Camelot, that only Camelot knows now. My husband and I hope to show our granddaughter what the US is beyond Colorado! Howard and Carole Fleming South Fork, Colorado Babe The Blue Ox Name of our 36 PT 1985: Babe The Blue Ox. I wasn’t too thrilled when my husband decided he couldn’t live with any other coach but a Bluebird. After studying all about motor homes, he realized it was the only coach for anyone who traveled a lot. The others were just too fragile for extensive travel. I, on the other hand, felt that the blocky style and heaviness of the coach made it look like a school bus or an “ox”. Since she was a lovely color of blue, the name Babe the Blue Ox was the logical choice for us.Over the past eight years as we have volunteered for national and state parks around the United States, I have grown to love my “Babe”. She has come to our rescue and taken such good care of us with all the many “Bluebird” features that I think her blocky “school bus” style is really cute….that is…cute for a 40,000 pound ox. We don’t mind the 7 mpg because we just tell people that isn’t such bad mileage for a home. After all it’s true that “home is where you park it”.. Our license says RBABE and that she is..our Babe. David and Judy Kay WildthingWe have own this bird for 8 years this is our 3rd Blue Bird. We have named all after old rocken roll songs Starting with Rock-n- Robin next came Raindancer mainly because we live in Washington and finally Wildthing I am sure there is another one I my life and I havent gotten the name picked out yet. Bob and Sheila Gregg Port Angeles Wash. EmailSmoke N MirrorIt takes an ample amount of both to keep the Bird tip-top. Plus it is smokey grey with polished stainlessLeroy Eckert"It's the Journey".Tricking out a Harley Davidson motorcycle has long been consideredthe ultimate expression of individuality. Before purchasing our 1979Bluebird my wife Cathy and I seriously considered buying a Harley to travelwith. Wisely I think, we opted for our Blue Bird coach instead. Since thenI have always considered and treated our Blue Bird as my Harley, andtherefore, the expression of our individuality. Our daughter Kristy saw, andpurchased for us, a plaque that had the now well known Harley motto "It'snot the Destination, It's the Journey" on it. It seemed only appropriate tous then that we would name our coach "It's the Journey". PictureYankee Clipper I am the proud new owner of Kent Pribil’s 1982 FC33 SB 3208T. I have spent time thinking about a name for this near mint old girl…I always like the story of the Yankee Clipper (Apollo XII CM), on takeoff when it was hit by lightening the crew reset a few systems and went on down the road so to speak…. It is similar to the tenacity of the WL’s, beautiful engineering feats that few have duplicated. That is quality that lasts and lasts (kinda like a BB ;-) ). That’s my story, and I am sticking to it ;-) Joe, Yankee Clipper, 82FC33
Big B's We named our 1979 bluebird. Big B's. we have a company named Big B's Leather. And we travel around the USA inour bird. Everyone up and down the Midwest from North Dakota to Galveston Texas who have been to a motorcycle rally have probably seen our Bird. It's a custom color of maroon and cream.( go sooners). we travel in our Bird 46 weeks out of the year. We absolutely love our Bird and don't remember how we got along so long without it. Bruce & Cupcake 1979 Bluebird Big B's 2 We now have 2 Blue Birds!!. Our first one is a 1979, 35 ft and it is already named on here Big B’s. It has 500,000 miles and is still running on it’s first motor. Our second Bird is a 1987 40 footer. Previously named “Alligator”...(previously owned by Joe and Pat Garner) We have renamed her to Big B’s2 . Real original huh? It is the best Wanderlodge we could have bought. The previous owners were so good to this Bird. We are proud to drive her up and down the road! From coast to coast, still driving to every motorcycle event we attend. Big B’s Leather is ready to sell you your best quality motorcycle leather apparel- Bruce and Cupcake; Big B’s Leather 800-859-8297 cupcake1214@aol.com
JP's White BirdThe coach belonged to my little brother, Jimmy, who was the second owner. He was killed unexpectedly in an accident nearly 3 years ago. Jimmy had never married or had children so mom was his heir, at 85 she certainly didn't want to drive it, but has learned to thoroughly enjoy traveling in it. Jimmy had the bird painted white and had never gotten around to the graphics. Mom and I have been traveling a bit the last couple years. mom often called Jimmy, "JP" when going down the list of kids in exasperation (there were five of us) Anyway we've been calling it JP's White Bird for the last year or so but just had a few graphics and the name JP's "White Bird" put on in Rocky Point Mexico this month to honor my little brother. I think he is looking down at us and thoroughly tickled that we are using and enjoying his bird.....! Picture Picture Rose Mary and mom Clara (85 years young) 82 FC Side Bath JP's White Bird from Oregon MacAttack RacingOur 1987 PT38 coach name is "MacAttack Racing". The coach has an NHRA history. NHRA Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan spent one Friday morning showing me the coach and we made a deal. Curt Sprenger, Anaheim Hills, Calif. Email Blue StreakWell, my Bird's name actually came from my first CB handle I ever had. I picked it up back in 1973 when I had a little red Chevrolet Vega. Which, by the way, I had installed a little 327 small block chevrolet engine under the hood. Since I did not want to draw any more attention to my little red rocket, nor want anyone looking for someone with the handle "Red Streak" in a llittle red hot rod Vega, I chose the handle of Blue Streak. Well, I have kept the same Blue Streak CB handle all these years, and when I got my 1983 PT 40 Wanderlodge, which did not have a name on it,,, what better handle for a Blue Bird?? At least when going down hill ! Dennis and Yang... Young (DAYSeldom Blue We named our 2nd Bird this because we realized that each time we left home for a trip we felt as though the stresses of the jobs were lifted off our shoulders. We relaxed and slept well and enjoyed everything. The last Bird was called Smell the Roses Now! and we raised our kids in that coach and the previous Superior coach. Bob & Judy Johannesen VB 345, WL 1986, FMCA F72567 This Ole House II,We named our first Blue Bird a 78 Bird This Ole House because anything you own that is old requires constant work to maintain it. When we sold our first Bird we continued the name and it has held true to the name. At the same time we bought our first coach the TV show This old House was starting. when we were traveling down the road and it still happens, people ask us, whether we are part of the show. We have been members of The Blue Bird Club and the Vintage Birds for a while and enjoy the friends we have made over the years. We are more active again, now that we have retired and are snow birds. See you on the road again. Larry & Barbara Brehmer FMCA #F041492 Blue Bird #1820 Vintage Birds #448 Home (914) 328-8530 Valhalla, NY 10595 The DrifterWe chose to call our 1st bluebird the drifter because we were meeting a lot of blue all over the country and even in Alaska.We just keep drifting on to people we knew and we were kinda looking for a name for our bus, Me and the wife decided that it fits in with our lifestyle so the name still lives on our 2nd coach.Frank & Mary Beissel,Lakeville, Minn. Rebel BirdI chose this name because of its colors and that it is the only back door Wanderlodge that I know of (that's operational). It is not like a real fancy Wanderlodge but can do all the things at true wanderlodge can do. This unit cost 21,000 dollar and has a 10,000 dollar paint job and has been reupholstered. I'm very happy with my first bird and the best part it gets 11 miles to the gallon on diesel.PictureJon Lechich 1978 Wanderlodge 'Kicks in a 66'!'This is our 66'. She works for a living as our race car transporter. Shewas repowered by a cat 3208 with 4spd Allison. She has all new upgradedsprings to handle the 15,000#+ trailer. We installed dual TVs, sat, DVD,VCR, extensive stereo system with 4 amps, 2 subs and a total of 12 otherspeakers (tastefully). She had a full size RV fridge and a separate winecooler. We have three separate battery systems including the main RV andEngine bank and a large separate reserve only bank for starting if needed aswell as a genset only battery. She has 100W of solar and 500W of wind powergeneration for those remote race tracks without power. We went to 22.5"wheels with regular semi tires for the better selection and ride. The bushas all new awnings all around. All the chrome and polished trim wasredone. The bus had two 60 Gal tanks plus a 100 Gal reserve for those longhauls. She has Zenon lamps in front and LED stop and reverse lights. Wejust had to replace the 66' vintage water heater and went with an instant onunit saving 30# of weight and opening up some more storage space. Even withall the load she carries and the long pulls up the hills she has never everlet us down!! We get very slow on the big hills but never run out of gearsto grab to keep us going. She does 65-70 on the flats if needed. We areinstalling a propane injection system for some extra power for the hills buteverywhere else she has plenty of power. She is affectionately names 'Kicksin a 66'!'.Picture Derrek Huntleywww.huntleyracing.com "Sweetie's Dream."My wife, Pam, just retired the 1st of August. I wasunfortunate enough to have retired several years agoon disability. We purchased our '77 FC 34 this pastMarch. Contrary to the seller's claim, the coach wasnot road ready! After many dollars and much effort wefinally have a smooth running coach with a remodeledinterior. My wife did all of the upholstery work andthe carpentry work on the dinette, cabinets andtables. My pet name for my wife is "Sweetie", and,since it was her dream to travel and visit ourchildren in comfort and style, it seemed natural toname our coach "Sweetie's Dream." Jim and Pam Owens 77 FC 34 F327477 Pacific, MO FreebirdI've taken my son camping since he was two years old; first in an OLD 29' fifth wheel, then two motorhomes and a camping trailer before finding our Bird. Since my son learned to talk he would see a Bird on the highway and point out the 'Wanderlodge, Mom!!!' Now he is sixteen. So, when we bought our '86 PT-40 in May, we had wanted a Wanderlodge for so long that naming it was a big deal. Being from Sweet Home Alabama, what else could we name her but "Freebird" ? Liz Borg FreebirdAlabama@yahoo.comAcres Awaybecame the name of our 87coach because when we "fell in love with it " and bought it in the fall of 97 we had owned a patch of land for a number of years that the kids had dubbed "20 acres". Then in the early 90s we built a house in a lake community. Most of the lots are pretty tight and folks tend to ask you how much land you have in yours. If you count the 100 foot driveway and all the portions of bank that have washed away we own a whole 1 acre. Gets discussed fairly often. It seemed fitting that the traveling house fit the tradition. Our previous coach had been a 76 gas like Moby Bird mentioned by the Chalup folks. We were so proud we had actually found a Bird and dubbed it "LynDon Coach" (Lynne and Don). It was upsetting when an observer announced "Gee, that looks like a BlueBird but it must be made by the Lyndon Coach company; that's what it says on the front!" ---Lynne and Don McHenry Selador We just named our 'new' 86PT40, selardor. The name is a bastardizationof the words cellar door supposedly the two most beautiful soundingwords said together in the english language. We have a long and amusingstory of naming kids and other sundry asides associated in our familyhistory. But it is enough that this beautiful machine should have themost beautiful sounding name. Jean and Bob Benner folks@bennersfarm.com Puff the "ole" Blu Dragon 1986, pt 40' BB WANDERLODGE w/ 8V 92TA My wife and I were going to Anchorage, Alaska and we went through Montana to meet up with our aunt and uncle who were going to follow us with their 5th wheel. Everything was going along smoothly when I asked my wife whether we should take 16 outside of Edmonton, Alberta Can. and she says, "NO- TRUST ME". Wrong! Both units ended up in downtown Edmonton at 4:00 in the afternoon. We finally found a space large enough for both units to pull over into and ask how to get out of town. A very nice lady started giving us directions when she suddenly stopped and says, "I'm sorry; I was giving you directions to my brothers house." We finally get the correct route, I put my foot into it to pull away from the curb and a BIG PUFF of black smoke blasts out and gets the people waiting for a bus. My uncle asked me not to let my wife navigate anymore.As we were going down the road, a few days later, a truck suddenly decided to pull into a mall and stopped right in front of us and we naturally had to stop. A lady was crossing in front of him pushing a stroller. When the truck turned, not thinking and foot on the throttle, POOF- Mom turned her back, coughing and sputtering. I'm sure baby had one or two baths when they got home.The final contribution to the name "PUFF" was when we were in the Yukon. As you know, the Alcan is always being worked on, and after sitting for about 20 minutes or so, the flaglady finally starts the line moving and she doesn't think we are moving as fast as we should be - so she starts waving HURRY UP, I do and POOF again. She jumps about 2' in the air and about 3' back. It's hard to be nice even when you try. Thus we have PUFF the "OLE" Blue Dragon.Our colors are Blue and Silver.Jack & Willie, VB # 1219, Yerington, Nevada Moby Bird We just purchased our 1976 FC-31 Wanderlodge (gas, Ford 534) froma very nice retired couple in Texas. They had named it "Berta II",after the lady's mother. There is no name up on the front overheadplate though, so we will be adding our name for it there: "Moby Bird" It's big, it's (mostly) white, and we embarked for many months on what seemed a mad and fruitless quest to find and capture it! A Bluebird? In our price range? Without many fatal flaws? A wild 1800 mile ride to Dallas to inspect what seemed to be the best of the lot we had found-, and then an even wilder 1,800 mile ride back with our little car in tow behind our new Wanderlodge. Moby Bird it is! :-) PictureCheers,Mike and Strata Chalup (WA2FHF and KF6NBZ, Hi to any fellow 'bird hams!) The Big Bird Picture After owning a 1973 Winnebago Indian and a 1978 Travco which we enjoyed traveling in for three years combined, we had the chance to buy my uncle's 1978 33' Blue Bird. We had just finished restoring the Travco and really wanted to enjoy it, but you know how hard it is to pass up a Blue Bird. So, we bought it and now owned two coaches. I sold the Travco and started to do some minor updating on our new coach. Our daughter Angela was only ten months old at the time, but was already a seasoned camper. Once she started to speak, she would call the coach a "BIGBIRD" rather than a Blue Bird. As a result, we always give Angela credit for naming the coach. We also have a son Alex who loves to travel in the "THE BIG BIRD" . Give us a shout if you see us rolling down the highway! Steven, Liliana, Angela and Alex Pappas VB1010 Glad Times ... While still working, I decided that I wanted a fishing boat to chase and catch Blue Fish off the New Jersey Coast. Some wit had once said, "name the boat after your wife", if you want her approval. Thus I proposed naming our boat, "GLAD TIMES", after my wife Gladys. There was a GLAD TIMES, a GLAD TIMES II and a GLAD TIMES III.The advice worked. After retirement we developed interest in traveling, and turned to motor homes as our preferred method of travel. We are now on our third Blue Bird, and each has been named just GLAD TIMES, for my sweetheart. David Clark VB# 925 Alaska Brrrrd ... 1979 XV (Picture) has been the "most of the time" home (9 months a year) for Rick and Dana Moore and children Julie and David for the past 3 years. We have "home schooled" for 9 months each year in the "Lower 48" and worked at completing a real house in Homer, Alaska during the summer. We have enjoyed seeing our country and learning history first hand. What a wonderful education it's been for all of us. Now it's time for us to stay in one place for awhile (July, 1997).Havin Fun ... We decided to go with a good high grade MH instead of another new one. The new Holidays didn't appear to have the quality we thought ours had. And I couldn't justify the price. We came very close to getting a new Fortravel, but I began thinking a good used bird -- with, HOPEFULLY, all, or most all, the bugs out of it, and for about the same money -- might be a better way to go. I think we (I) made the correct choice. Well, anyway, we found this one, and I couldn't make up my mind. It was lunch time, and the salesman wanted to take us to lunch. I told him to go eat - we had lunch in our Holiday Rambler - we would eat and reach a decision. We got into our MH and both went to the front seat. As we sat there, thinking, I said, "Wouldn't it be nice, at times like this, if the good Lord could somehow speak to us!" I no more than got it out of my mouth, when a big BlueBird pulled in, right toward us, with it's big name on top "Just Do It" ... We did!!!!!!!! ... We were than going to name ours "We Did", but began thinking of reasons of why we better not ... ... Dale and Betty Vondrell. It's Time ... The year was 1990 and Loren Clark had been looking at motorhomes for a couple of years, planning to "retire and travel". During this time he had subscribed to Family Motor Coaching to assist his search. After a tour of the factory in Fort Valley, he went to the J. Robie Stadium in Tampa where he saw a 1990 Bluebird Wanderlodge and met the New York dealer/owner of the vehicle. Unable to agree on a purchase price, Loren and dealer said good-by and the vehicle subsequently sold to a New York resident. Two years later the dealer telephoned to say he again had the vehicle, for resale. On the first anniversary of his 'full retirement birthday', Loren committed to purchase it (after Jeanie said OK) and took possession of it in time for Christmas. Name of the vehicle was never a question as his mother had often reminded him to take time to "listen to the birds and smell the roses" and that time had now arrived. "It's Time to listen to the birds and smell the roses" is represented in words and pictures over the windshield.LilyPad ... 1988 XXV ...When we purchased the coach we had a new puppy who had been named "Lily Marlene" before she was born, but that's another story. We already had a black and tan smooth miniature Dachshund whose name, "Koenig Ludwig," is in honor of the mad king of Bavaria who built the castle at Neuschwanstein. Lily Marlene is the same color and size. We had to purchase the coach in order to travel comfortably in the U.S. This then became Lily Marlene's residence, on the road. Ludwig was quite content to have had his name on my license plate for many years and was very gracious in his acceptance of having his little sister's name on the coach. License plate on coach reads "LYLYPAD" and on the tow car "LILY." The fact that Linda collects frogs is only partially responsible for the name ... ...Page Goffigon. Loose Goose ... My wife and I finally bit the bullet and traded up from a 24' Coachmen to an '82 Bird (35'/FC) in August of '98. It had about 2000 things wrong with it. We have repaired or had repaired about 1500 so far. We built her a nesting pen by having the roof on the barn raised to 12', and she barely fits . She spent so much time in there, we started referring to her treatment as being "penned up". When we did get her motivating under her own power, Barbara remarked that the "Goose is finally loose!" "Goose" = Bluebird, out of the barn = "Loose", well you get the picture. The "Goose" was finally turned "Loose" the first time in September '99, and she took us from East Texas to South Dakota to see the big heads. Had a few problems, but nothing major. She's back in the pen now awaiting more fixits. We hope to retire in about 6 years and turn her loose semi-permanently. Should have all the bugs out by then!!!??? Look for us on the road, hopefully not beside of it. T. Ray, Barbara, and the "Loose Goose" (Picture).Ludicrous ... Our 1988 Wanderlodge XXV is our first motorhome and we've had it for about three years. Ever since we (Lou and Cris, get it?) first got together, we knew that some day there would be a "Ludicrous." It was just a question of finding a critter worthy of the name. We never knew exactly what it would be, it could as easily have been a boat or a dog. When we walked into our coach the first time, we knew without a doubt that we had finally found our "Ludicrous." ... (Picture) We have always called it "Ludi" for short. Our new one will be "Ludicrous Too," so of course the short version of that has to be "Ludi Toons" ... ... Lou & Cris Hueneke. (Picture) |
We love the sense of security we get from her when we are on the road or bedding down at night. She has always seemed large to us even knowing there are many larger motor homes. For these reasons we quickly settled on naming her the "Mother Ship". As a long standing Sci-Fi fan, it is always fun at the end of the day to tell folks that we, "must return to the Mother Ship." Strange as it is, they always seem to understand our little joke. I attach a picture of my wife at the door. By the way, we are from France. Over the Rainbow ... Although her license reads "RUFINIT", we feel that we're not. The plate was chosen out of irony, and is my contribution. The coach name reads "Over the Rainbow". Chosen partly for the symbolism and what traveling means to us, its main draw was my wife's favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. Many will recall the song which "Dorothy" sung, contains two references to Bluebirds. And in both cases, "Over the Rainbow" is where they fly :-) ... ... Jeff Miller |
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I had been searching high & low for a diesel pusher for about 24 months when I ran across one I could not only afford, but one that fit my narrow list of acceptable manufacturers. As most of you know, an FC is not a pusher but this old girl was the best I could afford. During my phone conversation with the old girl's owner (as I was committing my self to the trek from N.E. Pennsylvania to southern Texas to see her in person) I hear the owner say over the phone "well there is one problem with my motor home!" Contemplating traveling 2,ooo +/- miles to personally inspect an 18 year old Blue Bird and hearing those few words, many many thoughts raced thru my mind at that moment, the first and only one I now can remember was that it must be "hot" (stolen). To make a long unique story short, it turns out that the motor home was named "Running Bare". The "old girl" is a 1981 FC 35. Two previous owners are not only nudists, but the old girl was parked in the nudist RV park in southern Texas that the seller owned. Oh, I could tell you all about the two times a somewhat straight-laced northeasterner like my self visited Running Bare in the nudist RV park- but I am sure I would bore you to death with the details. I think the old girl's original name of Running Bare should stay, don't you? Southern Comfort ... My first coach back in 1972,was a new 20 ft. Superior and beause I was living in jackson MS at the time, it was named Southern Comfort.(Nothing to do with Libations cunsumed at the time). Because we had a nice aluminum plate bearing that name cast to match out FMCA plate, the name has passed from coach to coach as we traded until now our present 1984 PT40 Bluebird is Southern Comfort 7. Picture She proudly bears the name as did the coachs before her a 1979 FC 35' Bird from 1997 to 2001 and from 1982 to 1988, the name was carried on a 1973 31" Bluebird. ... ( Harvey and Kathy Lawrence lawrence@awesomenet.netTreebeard... In JRR Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings" (the story of the Hobbits), there is a family of "beings" known as "Ents". An Ent is a living (of course), breathing (yes), walking (slow), talking (deep and slow) tree. "Treebeard," one of the elder Ents, saved the Hobbits at a most extreme point of danger in their travels. ... therefore ... we think of our "Treebeard," (Picture) as the "Slow, lumbering haven from whatever evil is after us" ... ... Dick & Lynn Doty. | . |
