Skoolie In Nebraska: A very common ‘hand crafted’ RV conversion is the ‘skoolie’, a converted and remodeled school bus. (Skoolie is the correct spelling for these RV conversions). Some skoolies are a little ‘rough’ in their construction and some are very nice and well constructed. Shown is a skoolie that we spotted back in 2017 while we were camped near Alliance, Neb. for the solar eclipse that year. We were camped very close to Carhenge, which is a unique art display of Stonehenge but made with cars. There were hundreds of spectators gathered at Carhenge and we when we walked over for a visit we spotted a nice skoolie driving toward us. I would suspect this conversion is as nice on the interior as it is on the exterior. One unusual feature is the hood ornament which is a duck! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
VW Camper: We see various VW camper vans throughout the west but this one was unique. It appears to be a VW bus or camper that was modified by incorporating a pick up camper into the conversion. I hope he had an engine that would power the additional weight as the VW campers are known for being underpowered. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
When traveling about the country we see a variety of unique and unusual subject matter along the way. No matter what it might be, I always try to get at least one photo even if it is taken out the window of our RV.
When I am reviewing the images later these photos of unique items always bring a smile to my face. The creativity seen in the photos can be both amazing and just weird. Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves and I love these unique items.
One unique thing that we see from time to time is the RVs that we see. We see RVs with unusual paint jobs, RVs crafted from various other vehicles, and RVs that are manufactured but are very unique in their design. We see these RVs in various locations but we see them most often when stopped in town for supplies or running errands.
My hope is that seeing the photos of these unique and unusual RVs will bring a smile to your face just as they do with us when we see them. These photos have been taken over many trips and several years but that does not alter their uniqueness.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Emergency Vehicle: Emergency vehicles and ambulance vehicles are another RV conversion that we have seen while traveling. Depending on the interior remodel, I have seen some emergency vehicle conversions that incorporated some of the original emergency shelves and cabinets into the RV interior. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
All Together Now: This RV conversion falls in the weird category for me. We spotted this vehicle in our hometown of Castle Rock, Colo. It was parked on our Main Street last summer when we were downtown and I had to get some photos. It is technically a skoolie with some additional decorations. There are weird and unusual items on every exterior portion of the bus. Who knows what the interior looks like! The RV had Vermont plates, which means it has traveled across country. It may be better mechanically tuned than a lot of other RVs. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Skoolie Plus: This skoolie conversion has some additional features as two VW bus frames have been incorporated into the conversion. I am guessing that the beds are located ‘upstairs’ in this conversion. Many of these type of skoolie conversions use small room air conditioners like you see on this RV. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Ready For Battle: We encountered a couple from Germany in this unique RV that was custom built by a German company. The couple had the RV shipped to the U.S. and they were in the process of an extended tour of our country. The RV looks like a vehicle ready to go to war not on a country tour! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Decked Out: We spotted this extraordinary RV in a parking lot in Steamboat Springs, Colo. awhile back. These premium vehicles are known as expedition vehicles and are constructed to literally go anywhere. This vehicle was manufactured by GlobalXvehicles in Missouri which has since merged with Storyteller Overland in Alabama. These units are still manufactured in Missouri. These RVs will costs well over $500,000 new. This is the only one I have ever seen out and about! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Big Rig: We spotted this ‘big rig’ at an RV park in Albuquerque. The fifth wheel camper is being towed by a tractor trailer cab although the cab unit has lettering stating that it is a private motorhome. In addition there is a Smart Car parked sideways on the back of the cab for local travel. I did not meet the owners but I suspect these travelers are ‘full timers’ meaning that they travel full time in the RV. This is another very pricey rig! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
RV & Toad: The RV seen in this photo is a standard Winnebago RV but his toad is very unusual. (A toad is the vehicle pulled behind an RV for local travel at a destination, usually a small car or truck) The toad in this case is a helicopter. You never know what you’ll see next when out on the road. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com