25, 2004

Albequerque to the Grand Canyon

I had some great company for the southwest leg of the Route 66 tour. Jess is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic people I have EVER met. Of course, it's easy to be enthusiastic about the southwest. We enjoyed some incredible scenery, ate food drenched in green chile sauce, and learned to drink water ALL the time. La Montañita Food Coop in Albuquerque hosted our event on Tuesday and everyone who stopped at our table was down with the campaign. The local NBC affiliate dug our tour so much, they aired it on the 5, 6, and 10 pm news.

During the drive to Santa Fe, the Hybrid Evolution Tour became the "I could definitely live here" tour. The desert is amazing. There are mountains in every direction. At one point, traffic stopped due to construction, and the locals just turned off their cars to get coffee from a curbside vendor and chat with each other. The tour became the focal point of everyone's coffee break, and folks walked away with materials on hybrids and renewable energy.

Santa Fe soon became the place we would definitely live if we really moved to New Mexico. Jess and I were welcomed into town with a radio announcement that the tour would be at The Marketplace, the local organic grocery store. It was good afternoon of tabling, but our work didn't end there. As long as we wore the "I will evolve" t-shirts, people continued to approach us and ask questions about the hybrid car and the meaning behind the logo. We felt like rock stars. The Hilton hotel staff was so taken with the tour that they insisted we stay there that evening, and how could we say no?

Thursday proved to be a loooong and eventful day. We traveled six hours across New Mexico and Arizona to Flagstaff, and for the first time, we didn't pay attention to fuel efficiency. The landscape blew us away. Having never been to the Southwest, it was a challenge to focus on anything but the mountains, desert, and the Indian reservations. However, the Prius took care of us, and we averaged 50 miles to the gallon.

As soon as we found Heritage Square in Flagstaff, we knew the event would rock out. Picture a brick plaza surrounded by restaurants and stores, with a live band playing and hundreds of people enjoying a summer evening. Jim McCarthy, our eyes and ears in Flagstaff, put together an amazing event that drew hundreds of people as well as the local NBC affiliate and the Arizona Daily Sun. Jess noted that there were plenty of cute guys with dogs, and she decided right then and there that Flagstaff was where she would live if she really moved.

The next day, Jim, who thinks of the Canyon as his backyard, was kind enough to take us hiking there. We set off from Grandview Point on the South Rim and hiked down an old mining trail. After wrestling with my paralyzing fear of heights for an hour, I decided to return to the rim while Jim and Jess continued to hike. They made it down to the red rock, while I talked to tourists about the Hybrid Evolution tour. All in all, it was a good day.

-- Colleen