> sick of not being able to see what's behind me, I set out on a quest
> for the
> "last word" in reverse lights.

the cheapest and least-likely-to-melt-anything solution is ...

a fog light.

yup. just find a good quality brand rectangular fog like (i recommend
Cibie or Hella ... not Bosch (strange light pattern)). buy  a kit of
two, put one on the rear bumper (on top) between the license plate and
the passenger/right side taillights.
run the wires up front (under the bus) ... ground wire to the battery,
and power wire to a relay in the dash, with a switch on the dash (this
allows you to turn on the backup/fog light only when you need it ...
like at night or in the deep woods. it keeps the backup/fog light from
coming on automatically  when in reverse during daylight).

anyway, this REALLY lights up the woods/night .. just like having a
headlight pointed out the rear of the bus. :)

what to do with the other light in the kit? put it under the rear seat
as a spare. :)

hope it helps. good luck!
joel