If you were to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway one day earlier this spring, you might have noticed an unusual ride parked at Zuma Beach in Malibu. With its green roof, blue front, orange bumper, and mismatched side paneling, its custom paint job is hard to miss.

The vehicle belongs to Matthew Rogers Harrison, a 37-year-old surfer and past Senior Deacon at Liberal Arts Lodge No. 677 in Los Angeles. In a previous life, the 2004 Ford Econoline 350 was a little yellow school bus. But when Harrison bought it in 2017, he had other plans for it. That involved stripping it down and turning it into something new: A “skoolie,” a sort of DIY-camper van hacked together from the remnants of an old school bus.

Harrison’s eye-catching skoolie is part of a larger trend, and one that’s been around at least since Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters toured the country in the psychedelic school bus they named Further—a journey chronicled in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. These days, however, these retrofits tend to be less counterculture and more Instagram-optimized. Those with a knack for craftsmanship or with deep pockets can install solar panels, hardwood flooring, and all kinds of additional amenities to go off the grid. In Harrison’s case, friends suggested building a high-end Hollywood tour bus or making it into a creative studio. But he had a vision: a surf caddie.