History of Furthur
and NoFurthur
History of Furthur
and NoFurthur
Furthur was the name inscribed on Ken Kesey's psychedelically painted bus that carried the Merry Pranksters across America (and Canada) in 1964. Furthur (or as it was later spelled, Further) became a culture icon of the 60s and a symbol of free wheeling creativity and irreverence. Links: Furthur Festival, Furthurpast, Furthur facts, Ken Kesey's writings, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. We would like to thank Zane Kesey, Ken's son, for sending us an excellent set of tapes that capture that now legendary 1964 bus trip and inspire us to this day. This site is a tribute to Furthur, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters but also to NoFurthur, a 1960 International Harvester school bus (with another bus shell welded on top). NoFurthur goes physically no further in that it is parked at Ancient Oaks Farm in Northern California, but takes its riders on a journey of the imagination and design as new frontiers in Merry Prankster-style cyber-costumery are reached. Now for the dirty down dirty of ... the Furthurs... |
 |
 |
 The original Furthur |
 Another version of Furthur |
Further... NoFurthur
The original Furthur (on the left above) now rots in a field on Ken Kesey's land in Oregon.
 Yikes! Furthur is going back to Nature, not to the Smithsonian! |
 Breaking News: Ken Kesey’s original magic bus being restored Rainbow-painted ‘Further’ may yet run again (January 2006) |
NoFurthur
Well, is that the end of the story? Not for us as there is another bus to get on... NoFurthur
NoFurthur is a 1960 International Harvester school bus which had the shell of another bus welded on top of it in mid 1970s Santa Cruz, California. NoFurthur is a bus going nowhere, not even to Burning Man, but will take riders on a stationary journey into the inner reaches of artistic practice, the experience of music, celestial wanderings and such. NoFurthur is starting to move into new creative realms, take the trip with us here below... |
NEWS: NoFurthur has an interior makeover!
Recent art made in the bus! (Nov-Dec 2004 to current)
CyberHippie fasions!
 The Doublet |
 The CyberDoublet |
First art and visitors in the bus!
 A scrunchie for the love Galen (Nov 9, 2004) |
 First visitors, Sun and Al! (Oct 31, 2004) |
The Early History of NoFurthur NoFurthur had a perfectly happy life ferrying kids around as a 1960 International Harvester school bus and then some time in the mid 1970s (we think 1975) it experienced a metamorphosis into a totally far-out double decker. Two innovative Santa Cruz (hippie) guys figured out a way to weld the shell of another school bus on top while leaving a fore and aft loft and created a unique, cathedral-ceilinged (yet still driveable... but watch for those low bridges!) bus. Two other far seeing hippies, Lupe Nieto and Bill Savage, saw the bus on the street in Santa Cruz and saw a future home and many other uses. For a time the bus served as the base of a traveling theater and drew attention wherever it went around Santa Cruz county. Then, for a time, the bus went no further, and sat parked on Gordon Candee's place near Boulder Creek by the good graces of Donna Beavers. Bruce Damer bought Ancient Oaks Farm right across the street from Donna's in 1998. Spying the bus and having a vision for a creative studio space, Bruce found Lupe and Bill, made a heartfelt (and tearful) deal and they liberated the bus to a new life, as NoFurthur. In October of 2004 NoFurthur was towed across the street to Ancient Oaks Farm and set into place where it is now experiencing a Renaissance as an Art Bus Studio. |
Andrew Bailey, a connection with NoFurthur's past
 Andrew Bailey, author of the original interior layout visits Mar 5, 2005 |
 Original drawings of the interior layout (made in 1977-78) |
So How did NoFurthur get Here? NoFurthur was moved!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Shifting and Leveling the Bus (Oct 31, 2004) | Site Preparations (Oct 25-28, 2004) |
Other pictures, inside and out (in its old home, Oct 24, 2004)
 |
 |
 |
 |
NoFurthur is a work in progress and you are all invited.. to get on the bus!
NoFurthur needs a new paint job, preferably multi-colored, if you know how to help, contact me!
Contact me if you want to get on the bus!