I can relate somewhat to this issue - my brother's '69 bus burnt to 
the ground on a backroad near Horsefly, BC (yes, it exists!) a few 
years back, and with it most of his belongings. He had just returned 
from a 6 month trip to India, Tibet, Nepal, etc. and was on a tree 
planting trip when it happened. The bus was part of the family (heck, 
my parents even tried to kick it out...), so it was pretty sad. All 
of his pictures from the India trip were on the bus, too, which I 
never did see :(  

This may have taught me not to neglect the important items on a 
vehicle... It may also explain why I like diesels so much.... :)

Shawn.