By March of 2015, a man named Patrick was ready to get out of the rat race. Living in California, Patrick wanted to run as far as he could from the hamster wheel that commands us to go through years of schooling, find a partner, get a job, buy a home, and start a family. While that’s all well and fine, there’s something to be said for people who no longer want to base the courses of their lives on social norms.
When he came across a big blue school bus that was for sale in Long Beach, he knew what he needed to do. With the help of his parents, Patrick converted the bus into something that would help him live the life that he’d always envisioned.
To the average passerby, this bus — nicknamed Big Blue — might not have seemed like anything special. But to Patrick, it was full of possibility.
After purchasing Big Blue, he drove it to his parents’ house to begin work on turning the vehicle into a tiny home on wheels.
The first order of business was to take care of the roof and ceiling. Most people leave these alone when they convert school buses, but Patrick and his family really wanted to give Big Blue a unique design.
“This was by far the most difficult part of the build,” Patrick writes. “I wanted to change out the insulation and make it nicer and more comfortable.”
It looked rough at first, but Patrick and his dad had a vision for what this bus would ultimately become.
Things really started coming together when they added this beautiful flooring.
When it came to installing the counters and cabinets, they dug through Dad’s garage and pulled out some leftover materials. “We tried to recycle and reuse as much as we could,” he said.
Before long, the vision of Big Blue’s makeover started coming to life.
After building every single unit by hand, this bus finally became a home.
Unique accents really bring the space to life.
And Patrick has everything he needs to live comfortably.
The best part of all is that his off-the-grid approach to energy usage relies on solar panels, converters, and batteries.
So what did Patrick and Big Blue do when the work was done? Something incredible, of course.
Since he and his family finished working on the bus, Patrick has traveled over 10,000 miles and visited 30 different states.
“On this trip, I’ve seen the most incredible skies,” he writes. “Billions of stars at night. Sunrises here, sunsets there. It’s nice to sleep under a different sky each night.”
For now, he’s parked in his friend’s driveway to wait out the colder months — but something tells me that these two will hit the open road again as soon as possible.
(via Metro)
People can do some pretty amazing things when they put their minds to it. To keep up with the rest of Patrick’s adventures, be sure to follow him on Instagram. We could all learn a thing or two from this explorer’s perspective on life.