There are people in this world for whom retirement is not necessarily that boring part of life during which all you do is manage your ailments and water your azaleas, but one that allows them to finally do all the things they wanted to, unencumbered by daily responsibilities. Randy and Shelley Knapp fit in the latter category and they’ve chosen to live their golden years on the road, in their Miss Mary converted school bus.
The aforementioned people are a retired couple of self-employed artists who used to earn a livelihood making kaleidoscopes. They did that for 31 years but in 2019 they decided to sell their business and conventional home and move into a tiny house on wheels. To be more specific, the Knapps bought a 40 ft (12 m) Thomas school bus and converted it into one cozy, artsy motorhome that offers them everything they need to live comfortably and explore the world at the same time, hiking and enjoying nature.
Their tiny home on wheels was converted by themselves and personalized to suit their preferences and needs. As you would expect (given their professional background), the school bus has been turned into an oasis of creativity named Miss Mary and is now a very relaxing and enjoyable place to spend time in.
Miss Mary is based on a 2004 Thomas Saf-T-Liner school bus with Allison 3060 automatic transmission and a Cummins 8.3-liter rear engine.
You can immediately tell this is not your ordinary motorhome just by looking at the vehicle’s door. The original door on the bus was broken so they had to build another one and they decorated it in a way that perfectly showcases their artistic personalities. And it only gets better once you step inside.
Miss Mary offers 250 sq ft (23 sq m) of space and its interior is flooded by natural light, with the bus featuring large house windows and two skylights in the front. The living room area comes with a twin-size mattress that serves both as a cozy couch and a lounge chair with adjustable height. You can find art items all throughout the school bus with Randy and Shelley decorating their home on wheels with art pieces they collected over the years.
Miss Mary comes with a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with a 32” shower, and a generous bedroom with a Murphy bed and lots of closet space in the rear. When the bed is up, the bedroom becomes a “great room”, which is used as an art studio by the couple.
You can take a look at the latest version of the Miss Mary converted school bus in Tiny House Giant Journey’s video below. You can also subscribe to the Knapps' YouTube channel if you want to keep up with their nomadic adventures.
Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars. Full profile
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