A Look Back at the Waring/La Petite École Rocinante Trip 50 Years Later

February 4, 2025

February 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of a uniquely Waring-esque event–the legendary cross-country Rocinante Bus Trip. This road trip transformed what most of us consider traditional education into a real-life adventure across the United States for fourteen students and three adults. The result was a trip encompassing learning, growing, discovery, independence, resiliency, and more. 

In honor of this remarkable experience, we invited Kate Sibley, a former student and one of the lucky road-trippers, to recount her memories of the adventure at one of our All-School Meetings. Her enlightening storytelling and 2020 article have allowed us to share her experiences with the entire Waring community.

The Journey Begins 

In the winter of 1975, the founders of La Petite École, Philip and Josée Waring decided to embark on a journey with fourteen students and several adults with a goal of transforming education through experiential learning. 

Their vehicle of choice was a refurbished 1954 GMC bus named Rocinante, after Don Quixote’s loyal steed. The interior gave ample room for sleeping, dining, and cozying up with a good book. The journey was set to last two months and would find the students exploring states along the Eastern seaboard with stops in Maryland, North Carolina and Florida. The trip would also take the group along the south, to states such as Alabama, Louisiana and Texas with the ultimate goal of reaching Berkley, California before heading back to Massachusetts.  

A School Experience Like No Other 

One of the most defining elements of La Petite École was Morning Talk, a daily discussion period where students engaged in debates on history, literature, and current events—from the resignation of Richard Nixon to the poetry of Verlaine and Baudelaire. We still honor this tradition with our All-School Meetings. 

The same format of discussion and learning was held during the road trip. Students read Don Quixote at campfires, sketched their surroundings, and studied French grammar in the middle of the desert. Students learned lessons about the animals they saw along the way and the changing landscapes that were new and unfamiliar to them. Learning was woven into every aspect of the journey.

The Texas Sojourn: A Happy Accident

As anyone who has experienced Waring knows, not all learning can be planned. Some of life’s best lessons happen when fate steps in – or, when life simply happens. That’s exactly what happened in Crystal City, Texas, when the bus broke down. 

What might have seemed like a setback for many, instead became the defining moment of the journey. Craig Morton, a local rancher, offered his land as a temporary home while the bus underwent much-needed repairs. The group ended up staying for five weeks, camping near a pond, exploring the desert, and immersing themselves in the rhythms of the wild.

Students spent days hiking, whittling mesquite wood, watching coyotes and jackrabbits, and learning about local archaeology, botany, and survival skills. The stillness of the desert, the brilliant night skies, and the simplicity of their routines—cooking over an open fire, bathing in the pond, sketching wildlife—created a profound connection to nature.

The breakdown in Texas was not the only challenge the students faced. One night, a flash flood destroyed the camp, forcing the students to evacuate to Craig’s house. The flood ruined sleeping bags and washed away supplies, leaving the group scrambling to salvage what they could. But even this challenge became a lesson—how to work together, problem-solve, and adapt.

Eventually, after five weeks, Rocinante was repaired, and it was time to move on. But leaving Texas was bittersweet. As the bus pulled away, one student pressed his face to the window, memorizing every rock, leaf, and tree. They knew they’d never see this place again—but they also knew they would never forget it.

Some students described the time at the ranch as the most meaningful of their lives. One wrote: “Maybe camping brings out the ability to do more for ourselves.” Another reflected: “The beauty seems impossible to capture.” The experience gave them confidence, independence, and a deep respect for the land. Kate remembers it as one of the most consequential moments of her young life. 

End Game – Berkeley, California

The ultimate goal of the adventure was to visit Berkley, California, where the Warings would meet with old friends, the Wagners, and students would have an opportunity to hear a physics lecture by Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman at Caltech. 

If Texas was about self-sufficiency and connection to nature, then Berkeley, California, was about culture and intellectual exploration. The group explored bookstores and cafés, listened to street musicians, and observed the vibrant counterculture.

Heading Home 

From Berkeley, Rocinante turned eastward, stopping at Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde before heading back to Massachusetts. The group camped in breathtaking landscapes and tried to process the immensity of their experience.

By the time they returned home, something had shifted. While the journey had drawn them closer than ever, it was also clear that this intense experiment in communal learning was difficult to sustain. In fact, by 1976, the Warings decided to move the school to a larger campus in Beverly, where ‘The Waring School’ officially came into being. The school’s evolution into a more structured institution reflected the realities of sustainability and growth. Yet, the heart of the original school—the emphasis on curiosity, deep engagement, and intellectual exploration—remained.

Rocinante’s Lasting Legacy

Now 50 years later, the impact of the trip endures. The students who traveled on Rocinante still recall it as one of the most defining experiences of their lives. Whether it was the stillness of the Texas desert, the debates around the campfire, or the thrill of encountering new worlds, the journey stayed with them.

Philip Waring once reflected, “An alternative school never really knows the meaning of what it does. It has to wait until the children grow up.” Now, decades later, the answer is clear: this trip wasn’t just a school experiment—it was a transformative journey, one that shaped minds, hearts, and lives forever.

Hear more from Kate Sibley on our YouTube channel where she recounts her experience on the 1975 Rocinante Trip.