Ken Kesey’s ‘Furthur’ bus returns to San Francisco

The ‘Furthur’ bus, a central symbol of San Francisco’s 1960s counterculture movement, is being returned to the city from Eugene, Oregon. Originally a 1939 school bus, it was famously modified by author Ken Kesey and his group, the Merry Pranksters, with psychedelic colors, a sunroof, and a balcony.

The bus became an icon of the era after the group embarked on a cross-country journey documented in Tom Wolfe’s book, ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’. It played a significant role in the 1967 Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park, an event that preceded the Summer of Love.

Zane Kesey, son of the late author, has agreed to return the aging vehicle to San Francisco. Despite its current dilapidated state, the bus remains a historical ‘Rosetta Stone’ for the psychedelic era and the ethos of the movement.