ThanksBus.com

"Who designed these things?"

That was the question I kept asking myself as I drove across the American West passing those iconic National Forest signs. It was staggering to think that a government agency would create something so beautiful. 

With insatiable curiosity and a little detective work, I uncovered the story behind these mini-monuments. The man behind the signs was a forest ranger named Virgil "Bus" Carrell. I contacted with his adult daughter who was so thrilled someone wanted to tell his story she gave me a treasure trove of historical photos and personal stories.

ThanksBus.com is a passion project of mine to preserve this story that even the U.S. Forest Service has forgotten. I've written about Bus for various publications and I've been interviewed several times as the de facto expert on the subject.

I also use ThanksBus.com as a creative laboratory. It's become a space where I can experiment with social trends, generative AI, and emerging technologies. From things as simple as splitting images on Instagram and using ChatGPT to experiment with hashtag relevance to paid vs. social posts and learning how OpenArt and Midjourney might interpret Bus Carrell's designs. Visit the Digital & Social Showcase to see the latest examples of the on-going experiments.