Party bus no picnic for local restorers

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

While the Space Shuttle is readied for a return to the final frontier, its earthbound sister is rising from the rust to carry pampered passengers on their own terrestrial adventures.

The undertaking by A Royalty Coach and Limousine owners Robyn and Michael Vanosdall certainly doesn't compare to getting the shuttle back into orbit, but it's still a daunting venture into the unknown.

It's taken them and their extended family two and a half years of hard labor and nearly $200,000 to restore a hulking 20-year-old bi-level bus that once shuttled tourists about the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration ordered 22 of the stretch buses custom-built by a German manufacturer, according to Robyn, and theirs is one of only two that still survive.

She said their behemoth measures 50 feet bumper to bumper - 5 feet more than the longest conventional bus. It is so long that it must be parked diagonally to fit into the maintenance structure north of LaPorte specifically built to house the beast.

It was indeed a frightful sight as Michael, son Jason and friend Kelly McConnell worked relentlessly recently patching it all together so it could proceed to painting - the next step in the total makeover. Then the plush interior, custom-fabricated by the crew, could be installed and the huge windows set back into place.

Time was of the essence, Robyn said, because the big bus had to be ready to roll by June 11 for a tour hosted by the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau to show off local sights to some 20 travel writers across the country. She also was anxious for the bus to finally start generating revenue rather than remaining a gigantic rolling money pit that swallowed all the proceeds from refinancing their home.

"It's a gamble. We've got everything we own in it," said Robyn, a dynamo constantly fielding calls from prom-goers inquiring about limousine rental. This adventure, she said, has become her own weight-loss program, causing her to drop 30 pounds working untold extra hours to help finance the bus restoration. In addition to at times serving as a driver or bartender, she does the upholstery work on the company's vehicles.

A veteran mechanic and auto body artist, Michael was confident he could fix anything made of metal. He had overseen the restoration of the company's other two buses, but he had never before taken on the transformation of such a total rust-bucket, riddled by the humid, salty Florida climate.

Getting it home proved the first adventure. The bus broke down after 100 miles and Michael had to recruit the services of a maniac tow-truck driver who pounded down the highway at slightly subsonic speeds without pause.

The bus was delivered to a Nunn diesel shop, and it soon became clear they were in it for the long haul. "I didn't know anything, I just know there was no turning back," Michael said in his contrasting calm and soft-spoken demeanor.

The bus remained there for two years while receiving a more than $70,000 engine rebuild. That should give it quite a bit more power, he concedes with a slight sly smile.

With it again running under its own steam, they brought the coach back to its quarters, stripped it to the core and set to replacing all the rot and repairing the rest.

Some parts came from Germany, others from the bus company's American manufacturing facility in Lamar. The rest were scavenged from wherever possible. Robyn said her guiding principal was, "If you can't fix it, fudge it."

It will join their fleet as what Robyn grandly calls "the world's largest rolling cocktail lounge." The luxury cruiser will be completely equipped with a restroom and full bar staffed by a bartender and two servers to attend to passengers' every need. Complete with sleeping berths for the drivers, it will ferry the fortunate to far-off destinations or - closer to home - concerts and sporting or special events.

Originally planned to become their own personal retirement villa on wheels, the Vanosdalls said they later will return to that goal by restoring yet another bus of their own.

"We've pretty much been labeled insane," said Robyn.