About the Bus

In the wild, electric heart of the 1960s, a group of free spirits led by author Ken Kesey took to the road in a technicolor, tie-dyed school bus named Furthur—a rolling symbol of rebellion, adventure, and expanded consciousness. The bus, a 1939 International Harvester, became the mobile playground of the Merry Pranksters, a collective of artists, musicians, and acid-fueled visionaries who crisscrossed the country, spreading their own brand of psychedelic enlightenment.

Kesey and the Pranksters weren’t just along for the ride—they were creating a movement. With Neal Cassady, the fast-talking, stream-of-consciousness muse of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, at the wheel, Furthur became a counterculture icon, inspiring a new way of thinking about freedom, experience, and community.

The phrase “on the bus” was born from this era, a line Kesey used both literally and metaphorically. If you were on the bus, you were part of something bigger—a shared journey, an unspoken understanding, a willingness to embrace the unknown. If you weren’t, well...you were off the bus.

It didn’t take long for the Grateful Dead’s ever-growing family of fans—who had long embraced the Merry Pranksters’ ethos—to adopt the phrase as their own. For Deadheads, getting on the bus wasn’t just about the music; it was about stepping into a world where the road itself became home, where every show was a new destination, and where the ride never truly ended.

So… when did you get on the bus?

 

 

 

Photos: Comox Valley Record | The Furthur Down the Road Foundation