On a cold January night in 2005 a 1994 school bus was purchased on eBay and made it’s 1,000 mile journey on a warm February weekend to Boulder from Moline, IL with a vow to pick up every hitchhiker along the way. Unsurprisingly, no hitchhikers were on I-80 in the dead of winter. That makes for a long drive since school buses are not equipped with radios.

Back home in Boulder panic sets in as I realize I have no idea what I’m doing. I know nothing about buses, welding or tours. The yellow reflects off the frosty fallen snow into my house and I walk around the living room looking jaundice. I walk out the door to go to buy Astroturf as I know that’s one thing that always comes in handy. A man with a beard is standing in my driveway. He says, “What are you going to do to the bus?”. I reply “Cut the top off, weld on a pitched roof, mount some saddles and recliners inside and give tours of Boulder. I want it to look like a Colorado Log Cabin.” He doesn’t wince, but replies “Let me introduce myself, my name is Will. I’m a civil engineer, an accomplished welder, have all of my own tools, and have cut the tops of two other buses in the past year. Would you like some help?” Three weeks later we had a pitched roof.

We start looking for logs to put on the sides. We discover logs are too heavy so we used old fence slats. When we are finishing the last slats when my friend Dan says “I don’t know what your vision was, but this doesn’t look like a log cabin. It looks like a hillbilly shack. Are you Banjo Billy?” It’s been Banjo Billy’s Bus Tours ever since.

Come take a ride in a bus that has disco balls, saddles and a rubber chicken on the front to lead the way. You won’t forget this bus ride!