Trip Line

Somehow, some way, we made it. We travelled close to 4,000 miles, hitting up only E85 stations along the way and saw over 1/3 of the states in the Union. Thanks to everybody out there who has followed us along the way, had drinks with us at your neighborhood bars, and listened to us talk about our fantastic voyage on ethanol.

We made it to Los Angeles this weekend just in time to have an arrival event at Lovecraft Biofuels and talk with people about the Clean Energy Campaign and Proposition 87 the one Mr. Khosla was discussing with us on the phone the other day). In my short time here, it's pretty evident that California needs to do something about energy consumption. I'd estimate that 70% of our time here has been spent sitting in traffic. At least there's great radio stations!

My buddies left town this morning (I miss you already!), but I'm going to stick around Cali for a little bit to talk with some more people about our trip, hang out with old and new friends, and maybe meet some models. After driving cross-country on ethanol, do we qualify as D-List celebrities?!

Thanks to everybody for the sunrises, sunsets and memories. Nevermind the bugs on the windshield.

My goal for the Vegas leg of the trip is to win enough money to buy fuel to get to Los Angeles. Come on, Red 27! I need some E85!

Luckily, I won't have to cruise the Vegas Strip too much looking for E85 fuel pumps because we got our Google Map Ethanol Station Locator working! Just enter in your zip code and you can find out where you can fill up.

Find E85 stations near you:

Right now, about 90% of the locations have been added to the superduper fancy-schmancy machine we created. It'll be perfect soon. It'll be even more perfect when Big Oil punches in their zip code and realizes there's a real need for alternative fuel in this country.

Homebrewed ethanol-fueled Hummer!?! Alex Conger has figured out a way to not just convert his H2 to run on ethanol, he fills up with fuel in his own backyard. Oh, and E85 isn't good enough for him. He rolls with a special blend of E98 that he has found to give him the best mix of gas mileage and horsepower. He taught us all about it, and let us know it's possible to brew up to 3 gallons of your own fuel per hour in your own backyard!

Alex plastered a "Kick the Oil Habit" bumper sticker on his car to go along with his ethanol endorsements. He calls his Hummer his "billboard on wheels" and uses it to advertise his Idaho-based company that helps people convert their cars to run on ethanol.

Check out those wheels!

About an hour outside of Salt Lake City, just as we crossed the Utah and Wyoming border, our engine told us she was thirsty. We had to pull over and fill up with our spare tanks so we didn't damage the fuel-injected engine.

Can you drive coast to coast on ethanol? The answer appears to be "Yes, but you need to plan carefully and carry extra fuel." Come on, Big Oil. If you double the stations in the country, this would've been easier for both of us.

We shacked up in Evanston, WY and are leaving in a few minutes for Salt Lake City. With only a few gallons left of E85, if my back of the envelope mathematics are correct, we're going to run out of fuel before we get to the next station.

I'll make sure we take some pictures and video to document the fact that we couldn't get through the Rockies going from E85 station to E85 station.

I always played with Tonka Trucks as a kid, and always wanted the opportunity to drive around one of these big powerful machines. This morning in Denver, I had the chance to do just that AND do it in a way that's environmentally responsible. Mayor Hickenlooper and the fine folks in Denver have decided to run their fleet of city vehicles on alternative fuels like Biodiesel, ethanol, and even some hybrids. It's all part of their "Greenprint Denver" plan that's going to keep the city clean for future generations.

I rode around in a sanitation vehicle with our new friends Cedric and Ricardo and learned all about their clean wheels.

I'm blogging from an Arby's outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming (you've gotta love the Internets). I convinced the cashier to hook me up with both the curly fries and the regular fries in one bag. Maybe we should be running our wheels on french fry fuel.

Dinner in Cheyenne, Wyoming and then we're headed to Denver for drinks. Holla if you see us in the Mile High City tonight.

We just had a delicious lunch at Alley Rose in Kearney, Nebraska and a wonderful conversation with Minister Sam Rathod of Faith United Methodist Church about why conserving energy and nurturing the Earth is both morally and ethically responsible. The food and the convo were both religious experiences. What Would Jesus Drive? Probably not an SUV. We're guessing ethanol.

Passing through South Sioux City, Nebraska? Love a good ole rest stop diner experience? The Crystal Cafe is serving up some of the finest eggs, bacon, and hash browns you'll ever taste. Our car? It runs on ethanol. Our stomachs? They run on deliciousness.

What's the Crystal Cafe most famous for? Slices of pie as tall as Gheorghe Muresan and the following quote next to the penny jar: "Need a Penny, Take a Penny. Need Two Pennies, GET A JOB."

The high cost of gas invokes such humor.

Check out a more thorough review!

And check out the photo of us in the parking lot!

Here's the large version, in case anybody wants to print it and hang it up on their wall.

Oh, and here's a picture of us in front of the Ghostbusters mobile. Notice the similarity in our logos? Kick the Ghost Habit!

What's more amazingly cheap: $2.39 for a gallon of E85 OR 2 for $3.00 Gatorades?

You be the judge. We are officially South Dakota local news media darlings.