But then… the bus found Jim. Jim Lugo had a dream of transforming the bus into a rolling Christian bookstore. But, as dreams sometimes do, it faded. And so, the bus slumbered in Jim’s barn for two long decades.

The story took a turn when Scott came knocking. Initially on the hunt for wood, Scott instead found his heart captured by this slumbering giant. In a twist of fate, a lottery win led Scott to sell the bus to me for a mere $2,000. But the bus needed a home—A MAGICAL HOME!

That’s where Orville English comes into the picture. Orville, the former owner of The Wolf Ski Resort in Mars Hill, NC, graciously offered a temporary haven for our wandering bus. The search for a property that whispered “enchantment” was on—towering trees, babbling brooks… in other words, a place where wonder could bloom. And on November 1, 2021, I found it.

11.55 acres of promise on Tusquittee Rd, complete with six structures waiting for new life. I flew up from Florida, and in a heartbeat, the property was mine. The bus then made its triumphant journey from Mars Hill to Hayesville—a parade of sorts, turning heads and igniting imaginations along the way.

But the bus needed a fairy godfather. Or in this case… a TikTok-found talent named Max. Max, with his shock of green hair and heart full of adventure, hopped off a plane and into my truck, ready to pour his Alice in Wonderland-inspired magic into the bus. For eight whirlwind weeks, Max wove his spell, but as the project neared completion, he shared a secret—his “snow-covered destiny” was calling him back to Mammoth Valley, CA.

Max had a plan, though. Enter Jorge—Max’s painter father, fresh from Argentina, brushes in hand, ready to race against the clock. Together, father and son—international artists united—finished the bus right on time.

But the story doesn’t end there. I needed Jim, the long-time owner of the bus, to see this metamorphosis. However, Jim had vanished. That is, until an influencer’s video cast a spotlight on our magical bus, and a comment from Leah lit the way. Leah, Jim’s granddaughter, shared stories of the bus in its former life, slumbering in her grandparents’ yard. A quick message, a shared excitement, and suddenly, I had Jim on the line.

And then… magic. Jim, his wife June, and granddaughters Leah and Rachel reunited with their beloved bus, now transformed. Birthdays were celebrated, memories relived, and photographs recreated. The bus’s legacy, alive and rolling.

This is the heart of Magical Mountain Resorts—a place where stories intertwine… where a bus can be a bridge across generations… across dreams. Where 1955 meets 2021, and fairytales come to life in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Come, stay a while. Let the MidKnight Bus, with its king bed, twin bunks, TV, AC, and heat both upstairs and downstairs, full bathroom, kitchen, breakfast bar, and couch upstairs—all wrapped in the modern comforts of AC and heat—whisk you away to a world of wonder.

But fair warning: you might just find yourself believing in magic again.

More enchantment awaits at magicalmountainresorts.com. Your storybook adventure is ready to begin.