Anna-Grace Dicus was a freshman at Humboldt State University when COVID-19 hit and forced curriculum online.
After that and seeing the cost of living on campus, she decided to take a two-year gap in going to school.
She saw a video of a student who lived in a car and that sparked an idea.
Thursday, she wrapped up a cross-country trip in a nearly 30-year-old school bus that's 37 feet long.
"It all started with wanting to live in a van because I found that housing on campus was actually more than tuition," Dicus said.
She was working two jobs — as a delivery driver for Domino's Pizza and a cashier at Grocery Outlet — when she found the bus for sale in Georgia on Facebook.
Using the tips she made as a delivery driver, she paid $3,200 dollars for the bus and drove from Georgia to Arkansas to meet up with her grandfather.
"He's got a big shop so we parked it all the way back to the shop and just stripped it out," she explained.
She worked on it with her grandfather and some of his neighbors to put everything together, including the electricity and plumbing.
Her father joined her in Arkansas until she made it back to Los Osos. They stopped on the way to see places like the Grand Canyon.
"I named my bus molasses and I named her that because she runs a little bit slow, especially going up a hill," Dicus said. "I'm probably going about 20 mph and there's usually a whole line of cars (behind me)."
The upgrades to the bus cost a total of $7,000. Now, Dicus just has to finish the last improvements to make things homier over the next two weeks.
"I think if you have an adventurous spirit and you are okay with being outside your comfort zone and okay with lots of work and determination, then yes, this is for you," she said.
