Our Introduction,New to Prevosts, New to Pog, OLD Rvers

[christyhicks]

Welcome Christy. I read the bus conversion mag forums from time to time and remember seeing your announcement about the purchase of your Beaver. Hope you are enjoying your new ride - the pics looked very nice. The skylight is very cool - you might post some pics up on here.

Crap, Gordon, you weren't supposed to blow my cover! ha ha. I figured I'd slither in here unannounced and just use my "alter-ego" when posting over there.

Yes, I have posted about our (mis)adventures on occasion, and so naturally I let everyone know that instead of converting BigBus, our MCI-9, we bought this Beaver and will be selling the other buses.

We are THRILLED with this bus. . . drives like a dream, is SO beautiful and OMG, I just LOVE those roof windows. Sure, there are times when we close the shades to keep the sun out, but it was amazing that over and over, when people stepped up into the coach, their first comments were something like, "Boy, this coach is really wide open" or "man, it looks so big in here!" Now, this, mind you, was considering that we had Elvis and Morty, our "new to us" elk and moose head mounts, inside with us. (We bought Morty & Elvis at Quartzsite and they were too big even to go inside the Jeep or the one of the bays, so pretty much from the time we landed in Quartzsite, we've been sharing our living quarters with heads bigger than ours!)

Anyway, yes I will get a picture or two posted eventually, just figured I'd find my way around here a little and figure out all the rules and such BEFORE I start breaking them, ha ha. Christy

[Ray Davis]

Please post a link to the pictures of your bus. I looked pretty hard a couple of years ago at a 92 Beaver with skylights. I can't believe that there were many of those?

Ray

ps: Welcome! It's great to have you here.

[hobobimmer]

Welcome! It's great to have you here.

Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires from beautiful East Tennessee welcome you, also.

Just so you can know that you don't have to wait until October 2010 for POG Rally in Kerrville, TX, there is a mini rally in mid-February (2/18 - 2/23 or so) at Port St. Lucie, FL Outdoor Resorts. Will be a few buses there.

There is also a West Coast Mini Rally in Vegas in mid-February. You have probably seen posts on this topic. You should feel welcome to join any or all of these rallies, or create your own.

Then 3/18 - 3/21 (I think) is Mobile, AL to eat lots of oysters. That's within striking distance of Oklahoma, I think. If you don't like oysters, come anyway and learn to eat and love them.

If you want to create your own rally, post here that you're going to be at "_______ Campground" in City/State on a certain date, and invite other POG members to join you. Frequently folks will show up.

It's very fun group. We are glad you have joined.

Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires
Huntsville, TN

[Coloradobus]

Hey Ray, Besides Chrisiy and Larry's coach, there is one other Beaver Bus Christy and I have identified that has the Astral ceiling widnows, and that Bus #10. It's first owner was Ernest and Tanya Borgnine. Currently a couple from Washington State own it as 2nd owners.

[Ray Davis]

THAT was the one I looked seriously at. I was a little confused awhile back when someone posted a link to video of Ernie driving his coach, and I didn't see the skylight windows.

The one I looked at was owned by Ernie, and was being sold by Paul Davis in Texas. I got pretty close on that one. (first bus)

Ray

[Coloradobus]

Okay,

Ray!!! that must mean there is a 3rd Astral windowed Beaver bus out there that we don't know about. The owners of Bus 10 didin't buy from Mr Olivers.
After hearing about Bus 29 that Kevin E and Ken Z have seen at separate times recently, Chris and I were wondering just this morning how many of the conversions are left out of 34. Even old Beaver Execs don't know. We now have 4 in POG!!
Christy and Larry
GMCbuffalo-Greg and Huong
Jack and Thelma
Me and Chris
Whooppeee!

[rahangman]

Welcome Christy & All ! When you head for Carthage, MO let us know, we are only about 100 miles away, and if not somewhere other than Home (Arkansas) we could make a quick run up to meet you.

[jack14r]

Welcome Cindy,I use Busch Polishes to polish the stainless on my bus,I use a variable speed Dewalt polisher and their airway pads with the green or ultra green compound,they also have the adaptors for the airways.They also have a good liquid stainless polish (wax) that I use a couple times a year.Their web site is buschshineproducts.com.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Welcome Chrusty, follow the link to your metal care needs.

It is best to call and discuss your needs and expectations with them direct. This is a high tec product, not a gimick.

Oh yea, fill in your signature and avatar before Will gets on your case.

http://www.metalwax.com/

[christyhicks]

Please post a link to the pictures of your bus. I looked pretty hard a couple of years ago at a 92 Beaver with skylights. I can't believe that there were many of those?

Thanks for the welcome, Ray, and actually, if you looked at a 1992, I would think it would have had to have been one of the last one's converted. Ours is a 1991, and it's # 12. The Astral windows were just one of the many options offered by Beaver at the time, and it looks like our owner #1 must have been liking all of those options, because he bought MOST of them, ha ha. . . . (good for me though!) I'll try to get some pictures posted. . is there a specific place or should I just add them to this thread do you think?

Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires from beautiful East Tennessee welcome you, also.

Thanks for the welcome! I doubt we'll be able to go to any of the early rallies, as if we make it home by Sunday, we'll have been gone just under a month, and are overdue at taking the helm back at work. We own an hvac/plumbing company, and our WONDERFUL officer girl has stepped up to the plate for us and was "acting head honcho" for way too long! Although, I will admit, air cards, Messenger, cell phones, online faxing, etc., all make it pretty easy to work while on the road. I could pretty much stay online with her 24/7, and I spent at least one day a week plus whatever other time I could cobble together, working on paperwork, doing my payroll, billing, etc. OTOH, it's NOT the same as being there and now we've got to get back to the grindstone and whip stuff back into shape back home. We WILL keep track of rallies as they come up, but we've also got to fit some trips in for Canton, TX (the big flea market) and a few rallies we're committed to. Thanks for the heads up on what's coming up!

posted a link to video of Ernie driving his coach

Actually, I think that video was of the coach Ernie purchased AFTER the Beaver conversion. There were some differences and I think the video was of a 1993 or 1994 or something like that. The Beavers quit production of the Prevost conversions in 1992. . . with Jim's being TECHNICALLY the last, even though it was actually rushed and finished ahead of #33.

When you head for Carthage, MO let us know

I sure will! The rally is held every year, the 2nd weekend of October, which co-incides with the Apple Butter Festival in nearby Mount Vernon. We've held the rally at The Big Red Barn RV Park, which is a nice, clean campground, pull-throughs, easy access for big rigs, and best of all, they have an activity barn they've let us use which features a full kitchen and plenty of room for potluck dinners, and a nice fire ring which has served as a gathering point for all attendees. Since we hold the rally in October, it seems that the fire is a natural place to gather. . usually early evening, we've got a large circle around the fire, and as the night closes in, the circle gets smaller as people head back to the rigs, but also, people get closer and closer for more heat, ha ha. I call it a "simbiotic relationship" between the general group, the die hards, and the fire, . The rally is open to all makes and models, and we've had wanna-be's drive in and stay in hotels even. With the Texas Bus Roundup the weekend before, and then the Eagle Rally midweek in Branson, MO, we may get some extra Eagle drop-ins this year too. We laugh and say this is a no-schedule, no-seminar, no-special activity rally, (probably because we're essentially lazy!), just a group of people who love buses hanging out together. We'd love you to join us Roger, and anyone else that loves buses is welcome too! I'm sure I'll post about it in the proper section.

I use Busch Polishes to polish

follow the link to your metal care needs.

Thanks for the tips Jack and Jim, as I definitely will be doing some research on this. The final question is which one of us will sucker the other into actually doing the work, ha ha. I figure if I do the research, Larry shoudl have to polish, but he's thinking if he picks out the equipment and polish FOR ME, that's good enough!

fill in your signature and avatar

Oh, geeze, I TOLD you guys I was trying to stay undercover and start out with a clean slate, so I deliberately didn't want to list our buses, as then the truth of the extent of our disease would show. Oh well, I guess I knew it wouldn't last!

Christy & Larry Hicks
1991 Beaver Prevost Le Mirage XL conversion
1986 MCI-9, DL3 kit, in process of converion (conversion canceled as of Dec 17, 2009)
1978 MCI-8, stripped and ready to convert before MCI-9 purchased as "a deal we just couldn't pass up"
2000 Jamboree 22 1/2' Class C (for those 100 mile garage sales and mini-trips . . did I tell you I HATE hotels and sleeping in other people's beds?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 1996 Jeep Cherokee toads
ahem