ASHLAND - Wanderlust has its appeal but you gotta eat, right?

The subject of this installment of "My Ride, My Story" found a way to embark on his desire for adventure, hone his professional photography skills and do it all in a cool old bus that serves as home and office. So far, he's put 50,000 miles on Francis the Bus - named after Lake Francis in New Hampshire where it sat for decades - and taken at least 10,000 photos in the mobile photo booth where people get goofy and smile (almost) freely.

The owner: Aaron McLaughlin, 32, former Ashland resident

The car: 1970 Volkswagen Transporter

Where and when did you get this van?

The summer of 2007 in central New Hampshire.

Why did you want this particular van?

I've always wanted a VW bus. Traveling around the country had always been a dream of mine. I needed a way to make money on the road. As a photographer it's hard to build clients if you don't know when you're going to be somewhere. I've always wanted to build a photo booth, and I know how much joy they bring people. Since I had gotten the van running, I knew how much of a crowd it drew just on its own. Everyday tasks, like going to the gas station, took far longer than usual. Everyone wants to know what year it is, where I got it, etc. I figured if I've got the crowd already, I may as well give them something for their time.

What kind of work did it need to be outfitted as a mobile photo booth?

I had built a basic housing for a photo booth (that I had to set up outside of the van) for my friend's wedding. It didn't take much to build a housing that was a little more versatile that could be taken down or setup easily in the van. A few rough drafts later, and well, I'm constantly working on making it better.

Did it need any mechanical attention? Do you have any experience working on these vans?

Francis - that's what I call the van - had been parked for so long that the mice had done a very impressive job of filling the gas tank with a house. It was parked because it had a blown seal, according to the previous owner. Everyone I talked to recommended an engine rebuild anyway because everything had been sitting for so long. I had experience working on cars, mostly out of necessity, little side of the road repairs here and there. I have worked on mopeds for over 10 years, and rebuilt engines at that scale. Most of the experienced people I talked to assured me it was like that, just a little bigger. With the help of the "Hippie Manual," ("How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive Forever" by John Muir) I dropped the engine in less than two hours. I completely dismantled it and separated everything out into labeled bags and boxes in another two. After awhile I ended up finding a shop in Rhode Island that rebuilt the engine and wheel-sets for me. Stopping is even more important than going, I remember thinking.

Since then I have been able to do all of the work on Francis myself. From master cylinder replacement to chasing electrical gremlins, to valve adjustments. Every time I think I have it figured out, I learn how wrong I could possibly be. That's part of the fun, though. I love learning new things.

Do you have a photography background? What made you think this would be a successful business endeavor?

I have been photographing since I was very young. My mom brought me into the darkroom at the newspaper she used to work at in New Hampshire and I still remember thinking how much I loved the smell and feel of it. When I was a kid, we also used to go to the "dip n dunk" photo booths in Laconia at Weirs Beach. Every year the four of us would cram into one of the tiny booths and have a family portrait taken. They always came out better than Sears Portrait Studio.

I'm still not convinced it's a successful business endeavor in the traditional sense. I thought "Everyone loves a photo booth!" which for the most part is true. I thought I would bring it to them and see how it went.

Once the van was outfitted, where was your first trial run as a mobile photo booth?

I brought the van to one of my friends' weddings. It was a backyard DIY affair, lots of fun, and everyone really enjoyed themselves.

Since then, where have you gone?

Last summer I spent traveling mostly around New England. I headed south along the East Coast stopping at places I had never been, like the nice parts of New Jersey (who knew?!) Richmond, Virginia, where my friend Emily made me an awesome, and much-needed, banner for the booth. I went to Leeds, Alabama, for the Barber Vintage Festival for three days of vintage motorcycle races at a huge, beautiful racetrack. I spent three weeks around Halloween in New Orleans. I headed through Texas, down to Big Bend National Park. I spent three months in Phoenix with some friends and traveled to Death Valley during the "Superbloom" this spring. I spent two months traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway and then inland in California to visit all of the national parks I could. I continued up the coast in Oregon and spent a month or so in Portland. I continued up the coast in Washington and around the Olympic peninsula. I headed back through Montana to visit Glacier National Park. Then I headed down to Rocky Mountain National Park and back to New England for the end of the summer.

Any funny or unusual stories with the photo van?

New Orleans during Halloween was definitely full of them. My favorite thing has been how many of my friends from home, I've seen all over the country. Almost every other time that I set up the booth, even as far away as Los Angeles, someone I know has been there. It has gone a long way from keeping me from being homesick.

These vans were originally made to be campers so is it still able to serve that purpose? How does it drive?

I camp out as often as I can. I built a new storage system for the van. I'm sort of an over preparer, and a collector. I have way too much stuff with me. It drives like a dream if you dream of some sort of bus/tractor/blimp hybrid, which I suppose I do.

What are your future plans with the van?

I would like to continue doing this for as long as I can. I'm looking for grants and artist residencies to help me along the way. I have a few more dreams of different photo booth options.

Walk us through a typical photo session in the van.

People get in the back seat through the sliding door. Hit the red button. Look into the middle of the mirror. Make four different funny faces. Try not to whack their heads on the way out of the van. Leave with a smile and two photo strips. I then upload a digital copy to my website, as soon as I can find wifi again.

Why do you think people would want photo print outs when digital media (smartphones, etc.) is so prolific?

There is a whole generation out there now that hasn't held a photo in their hand of themselves. I think that it doesn't take long to forget there was a time where you had to wait a week to find out if anything even came out at all. I realize that digital speeds thing up, but then what? It sits in a folder on your desktop, or hidden in your phone, or up in the cloud? The background of your phone's screen is the new photos you keep in your wallet. Outside of the occasional #tbt how often do you sit and look through photos on your computer? Instagram is great, and has been a huge part of how people find me in the world, but it's not the same as sitting on the couch looking through a photo album.

When I see a 5-year-old get so excited about his photo that he literally tears it in half, that brings me joy. Also, you can't magnet your phone to the fridge. Really, don't try it.

If you want to follow Aaron and Francis the Bus, here's a few ways: on instagram, he's at https://www.instagram.com/francisthebus/ , for Facebook he's at https://www.facebook.com/acmephotobooth/?fref=ts and try his website http://acmephotobooth.com/

(Got a car story? Contact Sunday Editor Rob Haneisen at 508-626-3882 or rhaneisen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Rob_HaneisenMW.)