Buck and Flip by the Rhein …  …… with wine

WELCOME TO THE BLAA MOBILE

… dot com

The Blaa Mobile was a 1967 Volkswagen Bus that I owned in Germany while I was stationed there with the U.S.Army.  It was given to me by a friend of mine, Aaron Saxon. 

No words can really describe the Blaa Mobile …

……. Pictures must do that job.

Mechanically, the Blaa Mobile was probably one of the worst running, most environmentally UNfriendly vehicles in all of Europe.  It broke down, on average, every 250-300 Kilometers.  It burned about a quart of oil in that time period as well, and it dumped about another quart of oil onto the autobahn every 4 or 5 days.  It was a monstrosity ….

It was BLAA ….. And it was MINE … well, ours should I say.

So …. If it broke down all the time and polluted the hell out of Europe … what was so great about Blaa you ask?

…… Everything.

The Blaa Mobile was an escape.  It allowed us to run away from  the reality of our daily military duties, if only for awhile. It allowed a couple of soldiers to be ….. Well ….. Free. 

From the mountains of Bavaria to the Coffee shops of Amsterdam.  From the borders of France to the Brandenburg Gate … The Blaa Mobile carried us all across Europe on an adventure so wonderful, it could only be referred to as “The Blaa Mobile Adventure Series.”

It was our spray painted brother. Our Adventure bus …. And yes, for two months in the summer of 1995 … it was even my home.

The last time I saw the Blaa Mobile, it was being picked up by a couple of gentlemen who were going to ship it to Africa. I must say, looking back, it was a sad sad day.  I would like to think that the tradition of Blaa was carried on, but I really don’t think it was.  It will however, be carried on in the memories I hold dear to me.

This sight is dedicated to the Blaa Mobile … and to those who believe that the world is too big to NOT see as much as they can of it .. This site is dedicated to you too.

Travel far …. And share your experiences.

-  Dave Van Doren

“ And so it came to pass .. As all good things do, that the adventures of Blaa became only memories, and we …. As friends ….. can only look back and try to figure out what the hell we had learned”