Ghetto-ade, fortune cookies and free dinner!

Sunday: our last day in San Francisco, and it certainly came too soon. The bus crew was roused bright and early at the certifiably insane hour of 4:30 am to head across the Golden Gate Bridge (alas, in the fog, so no spectacular views). Don’t fret just yet, though - we were dragged out of bed for a good cause: manning the water station of mile 7 of the San Francisco marathon. The Bus Crew was put to work pouring hundreds upon hundreds of mini cups filled with a gatorade – like substance also known by the names of Cytomax, and “Ghetto-ade.” We were joined by a great group of bikers who kept us entertained all morning. Before we knew it we were hit with the first wave of runners, clipping along at a pace that was faster than most of our sprinting speed. Apparently, running that fast doesn’t correspond with being a nice person, as we were chastised by some angry racers who vocally disapproved of our beverage dispensing methods. After a steep learning curve we were all pros and handed out cup after cup to the grateful and inspiring runners. Our cries of “electrolytes!” and “cytomax!” soon morphed into “lecterlytes?” "sattlites" "christmaslights" "psychomax" and“spiderplex!” but the runners seemed to understand. By 9 am or so we had hydrated the last stragglers and made our way back over the bridge to the finish line.

The afternoon provided bussers with some much-appreciated free time to hang out and explore San Francisco. Half the crew checked out the local brewery where Colleen’s cousin worked and then explored downtown San Francisco. A stop in Chinatown proved fruitful as the bussers returned to the apartment with a bag of homemade fortune cookies. Nearby, Lucas and Esther met up and compared buses with Ethan Burke from BioTour, another bus on a sustainble mission. The rest of the bus crew passed the afternoon visiting museums, walking in the park, and taking in the wonderful oddities of the city such as roller dancing and the people on Haight Street (the home of the hippie revolution).

As evening rolled around the bus headed out once more for a dinner provided by some more folks on a similar journey – the Udall Scholars. We were spared being tardy by catching a ride with the most crazy taxi ride ever, which was quite similar to an amusement park roller coaster ride. Everyone enjoyed the delicious dinner and interesting conversation. It was great to compare stories about life on the bus, which is certainly a unique experience. Udall - it was great to meet you and best of luck on the final stretch of your journey!

-kate

links-o-the-day: Check out our bus friends! http://www.biotour.org and http://udall10.udall.gov/

Your inner flower child says:

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

People like Crank (’06, BGB1&2), Aekta (’05, BGB1), and Hoffman (’05, BGB1), who were kind enough to open their home to us this weekend in addition to planning an alumni picnic in the park. With the bus parked grass-side we spoke to curious passers-by as well as Dartmouth alums from ’66 to ’06. But no bums, which made me a little sad. I was expecting a few hip hobos to swing by and talk to/personally inform me about electric acid kool aid. But my mood is fickle, and my mild disappointment soon disappeared. when so many of the BGB1 alums arrived at the park. I was so pleased that I forgot to sulk. Not only were we able to exchange ideas with the original Bus Crew, but us newbies also got to show off the sweet alterations that we've made on the bus (cough cough we're awesome).
It was agreed upon after much discussion however, that in a super death-dome melee, BGB1 would beat both BGB2 and this year’s BGB3 by a bone-breaking landslide. I’m not quite sure how the discussion came to this point, but the final decision was undeniable. BGB1 is Fierce (notice the capitalization of the 'F').

For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair

After an afternoon filled with sandwiches, disks tossed every which way, and more than one too many of those delicious brownie bites in my tummy, the crew parted ways for the remainder of the day. Nate, Kate, and I visited the de Young museum and explored the paths surrounding it. We strolled through the Aids memorial park and lay in the grass making flower chains that we then wore while walking down Haight Street back to the apartment. And no, we did not have to travel in Mr. Peabody's way-back time machine to achieve this…we just had to live on a bus for a while.

All across the Nation such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion people in motion

The rest of the gang beat us home after dropping the aforementioned bus off at Vista Point and taking a look-see at Fisherman’s Wharf. Once home, they quickly flaired-up and ran out…also before we returned home. Their destination? Why a flash-mob dance party that we had heard about through the grapevine of course! The entire group (a tall leprechaun Lucas, spandex pimp Merritt, scuba Esther, hottie mchottpants Colleen, and disco princess Whitney all dressed their part) met up at this impromptu chi gam, sans the raging hormones, stripper poles, and suffocating axe-fumes of course, where we danced to some bollywood tunes until our bodies could rock no more.

The Merrittbot. Go, go Merrittbot.

For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

Our night did not end there! We were tired after appeasing the glorious gods of dance, but there was more love to spread. Our next destination was a party in the lovely grown-up-home of Susan Gordon, Natalie Allen, Libby Hadzima, and Aya Caldwell, where we found alums and friends in ever corner of the SF apartment. The Dartmouth redux lasted well into the night as we hugged, told stories, and spent time together that seemed so comfortably and wonderfully out-of-context.

Hi San Francisco. I have a crush on you.

If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a lovin’ Dartmouth there

-Hayley

One Farewell, To a Cool, Cool Bus

I write today with a tear in my eye and a catch in my throat. My time on the bus – altogether too short – has come to a close. I find myself nostalgic, sentimental, and pained to be leaving my ten compadres, our big green bus, and the little blue chase car. Tomorrow morning will find me in a car at daybreak, setting out against the horizon for a family vacation. Going from 11 people on a bus in big cities to 7 people on an island without electricity and running water, culture shock is the understatement of the year. I don’t want to wax too poetic, so I’ll sum up my bus time in a sentence – great friends, beautiful scenery, and a summer to remember.

My last full day on the bus was a good one. We started the morning at another awesome company, one of our sponsors, Clif Bar. Their headquarters were reminiscent of Google’s, and we had a great time learning about their five pillars (business, brand, planet, people, and community), their environmental initiatives, and a bus project similar to ours that they have run in the past. We stocked up again on delicious Clif Bars, making sure to grab Luna Bars for the girls and Builder Bars for the boys.

Our second stop was at the Chrissy Field Center in Golden Gate Park, where we talked to an awesome group of campers from elementary and middle schools. We promised to name some names in the blog, but since we can’t fit them all, we’ll just say that from Alex to Quinn they were all fantastic, and that we know Jacky is spelled with a “y” and one of the kids named Chris spells it Cris. We had a really fun time and loved their enthusiasm!

The night ended at the apartment of Bus alums Crank, Aekta, and Hoff, where we watched School of Rock, walked around the Haight, and played a spirited game of Celebrity. A great way to cap off my summer with the bus. I’ll miss you all dearly, and can’t wait to reconvene in the fall!

- chris

The group kicks back for some games with bus alums Crank and Aekta!

Fact-o-the-day: Clif Bar as a company has recently taken huge strides to reduce their waste by eliminating shrink wrap from their packaging, and minimizing non-recycled materials. They even make handbags out of unused wrappers!

NATE RAINES

Gooooooooogle

We awoke to our second morning on the beautiful Californian coast in Andrew Molera State Park to continue our drive up Route 1 toward the San Francisco bay. After a few low-key hours on the road listening to Jack Johnson and taking turns with the two bus copies of Harry Potter #7, we arrived in Mountain View, CA. As we awaited our main event of the day with Google, we perused REI and a pet store while taking advantage of the city wide wireless internet to catch up on logistics planning, etc.

Later that afternoon on the Google campus, Charles Baron ’05 (who works on the climate team with company’s philanthropic arm, Google.org) greeted us for our afternoon of activities. In addition to working toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change, Google.org also strived to combat issues of global public health, economic development and poverty. Craig ‘Crank’ Rubens ’05, Andrew Hoffman ’05 (both formers Big Green Bussers), Charlie Guthrie ’07 and Chimpo Cahill ’07 all joined us for our tour as well and provided a welcome Dartmouth reunion for our time in the Bay Area. After showing the bus to a few members of the Google.org team, we headed over to join up with transportation specialist Ward Thomas to tour the company’s evolving hybrid plug-in vehicle program and solar panel facility. There we learned that Google owns five plug-in hybrids vehicles for company use – 10% of the total such vehicles available in the world. Additionally, they're striving to meet carbon neutrality by the end of 2007 through renewable energy generation, carbon offsetting, and improving energy efficiency.

Finally, we met with Jon Murchinson ’91 - one of Google’s senior communication managers – who gave us a tour of the company’s corporate campus before leading us to the cafeteria for a great dinner. After abandoning Nate to send Chimpo and Charlie off to the Marshall Islands, we piled into the bus to drive north to Berkeley where we camped out in Nat Smith’s backyard (Dartmouth class of 2009) though he and his family weren’t home. A quiet neighborhood and beautiful view of the city lights were all we needed to end the day.

- whitney

The BGB crew goes crazy for Google!

Fact-of-the-day: Each year, Google.com spends one percent of it’s total corporate profits toward philanthropic endeavors. To combat climate change issues, they are partnering with RechargeIT, CalCars, and the Electric Power Research Institute – among many others – to develop hybrid and renewable technologies. For more information, visit http://www.google.org/.

Happy Birthday Green Bean!

July 25, 2007 = one of the best birthdays ever. A morning run in San Simeon State Park followed by the gorgeous drive up Big Sur kicked off Colleen’s 23rd birthday. Lucas—the ever-vigilant driver—spotted elephant seals off the coast, so we stopped to ogle at the blubbery 5,000-pound male seals (with trunks!) that spend the summer in Big Sur molting and fighting to establish alpha male status. We then set up camp at Andrew Molera State Park for an afternoon of chilling on the beach, reading Harry Potter, and exploring waterfalls, galleries, and spectacular vistas along the Big Sur coastline.

In honor of Colleen’s obsession with snacking, Nate and Merritt prepared hors d’oeuvres throughout the day—with a rousing round of Happy Birthday sung each time! The master chefs served delicacies such as goat cheese and sundried tomato spread, melon and prosciutto (with driftwood skewers), and a dinner finale of fresh salad, gado gado, and no-bake cheesecake! As we hung around the campsite chatting and laughing, it was decided that the BGB gang has found its groove, Colleen loves the amazing crew that gave her this best-ever birthday, and we should follow Nate in praising the glory of public land.

- colleen

Brent enjoys a day at the beach.

Fact-o-the-day: The Northern Elephant Seal is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends 8 to 10 months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5000 feet deep for periods of 15 minutes to 2 hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. The Piedras Blancas rookery, on the California Central Coast, is home to about 15,000 animals. (www.elephantseal.org)

Pretttttttyyy

A morning grease stop/media event at a local McDonal’s in Santa Barbara turned into grease-snobbery, as the bus crew deemed the WVO dumpster – complete with plastic bags of old Egg McMuffins – unfit for BGB use. Splitting off from the bus, the car went to Kinkos and the hardware store to finish some tasks, while the bus went elsewhere to search for veggie oil! A brief stop at In-N-Out Burger again for lunch (they give their veggie to a local grease-car-guy) satiated the bus crew before they pushed onward and upward to a T-Bell and MickeyD’s for a good fuel stop. With bus and crew both greased up, we hit the road en route to Big Sur.

Everyone enjoyed a beautiful day of driving before stopping in San Simeon Park and Washburn campground, a bit south of Big Sur itself. We grabbed a campsite and Whitney cooked up some delicious chicken-in-a-can curry with rice that we all devoured. After dinner, a quick hike down to the beach for a beautiful sunset with the whole group. As it got colder, we bundled up, threw on our comfy Clif Bar beanies, and had a nice small fire in our hobo-style trashcan fireplace. We discussed logistics, read our books, and had a lovely night’s sleep in the crisp NorCal air. During the night, Esther sealed her place as the #1 BGB bird puncher. Well done.

- chris

The beautiful NorCal coast.

Hayley frolics in a gorgeous sunset.

Moron-o-the-day: Merritt Jenkins. Whipping people with kelp, burning himself repeatedly and intentionally on the fire, and just generally being dumb. Keep up the good work!

In-N-Out of Santa Barbara

Our final morning in Encinitas began early as we prepared for a long journey to Santa Barbara (our bus + morning L.A. traffic + seaside distractions = a full day’s drive) . We said goodbye and thank you to the Kennedys and as has become typical on early morning drives, Lucas drove while the rest of the crew slept. We made a quick detour to Malibu to drop off dear Kate for a visit with a friend, and then continued to travel north on beautiful Route 1 along the coast. Although the air was cool, the waves tempted the bussers to stop for a quick run into be waves before continuing on. With a growing afternoon hunger in our stomachs and Chris yelling “Barf want burgerrrrrr!!” from the bunks, we began our search for an In-n-Out Burger. There, Esther, Merritt, Lucas and Chris all lost their In-n-Out innocence for only $4 per person – we love California!

Our first official event in days was to take place at University of California, Santa Barbara with 60 high school students participating in the Research Mentorship Program. We rejoined the chase car carrying Frances and Colleen and cleaned the bus, set up our displays and divided into groups to educate the youngsters. Unfortunately, their plans changed and they were only able to spend one minute outside before moving on. This was slightly disappointing, but it meant that we get to save our rested A-game for another day. After a hour of random bus work including a run to Kinko’s and finally installing the quarter-rounds on our EcoTimber wood floor, we headed into the hills to stay with Carly Silverman, Dartmouth class of 2010, and her family for the night. There we were treated to a wonderful barbeque dinner and great conversation before we settled down to watch The Italian Job. A perfect end to an awesome day – thanks Silvermans!

- whitney

Merritt digs into a double-double, animal-style.

Fact-o-the-day: For those who have never had the pleasure of an In-n-Out dining experience, you’ll be happy to know that all fries are cut from potatoes in-house and their meat is also fresh, never frozen. We also discovered the joys of the secret menu thanks to Hayley’s expertise in the area and agreed that ‘Animal Style’ is the way to go with any burger.

Sunny California

After departing Las Vegas, we drove through the night to Hayley’s home in Encinitas, CA, just outside of San Diego. The cool air coming off of the ocean was a welcome sensation after spending the past week in 90 – 110 degree heat. After a group nap, Hayley’s family treated us to burgers and shakes at the 101 Diner in downtown Encinitas. Our first day in California would not have been complete without a stop at the local fruit stand to stock up on perfectly ripe cantaloupe, plums, berries and avocado. That night, Chris led Brent, Colleen, Merritt, and Kate into San Diego to watch the Padres defeat the Phillies in a close 1-0 pitchers’ duel.

Friday morning began with a plethora of breakfast choices, and I think the whole crew agreed that something as simple as cereal and cold milk never tasted so good. Next up was the long awaited trip to the beach – the Pacific Ocean, finally! – and attempts by all to get up on two feet on the Kennedy family surf boards. A few hours of playing and reading on the beach proved to be just the R&R that we all needed. Over a delicious trout dinner, Hayley’s parents Audrey and Bill (who are both former professional cyclists) kept Whitney captivated with their stories and updates on the Tour de France 2007 and paved the way for a following over the next two weeks.

Saturday morning started slow, watching the first time trial of the Tour de France and walking to Barnes and Noble to acquire some new reading material for Nate and Kate – the seventh and final installment of Harry Potter! The rest of the group hit up the thrift stores in downtown Encinitas where Esther and Merritt made some amazing finds. The day ended with a neighborhood potluck in the Kennedy’s cul-de-sac where we enjoyed some great home cooked dishes and showed off the bus to kids and parents alike.

On Sunday morning Colleen, Frances and Brent took the chase car and forged ahead to Los Angeles where they planned to spend the next night and day with various friends and family. The ladies will rejoin us on Monday in Santa Barbara, but we’ll be without Brent until we roll into his home state of Wisconsin in three weeks – farewell and take care friend! The rest of the crew spent their final full day in this sunny paradise with more thrift shopping, finishing Harry Potter, a final stint at the beach and lunch at the local burrito joint Juanita’s. We returned home to the Kennedy’s for a TV dinner around the first Pyrenees stage of the tour to watch Contador take the stage from the leader Rasmussen in the final 200 meters. We haven’t had such edge-of-your-seat excitement in recent memory and the crew’s attention over the next few days will likely be divided between following the race and plowing through Harry Potter.

- whitney

Girls and their boards!
The whole group at the beach!

What Happens In Vegas, Gets Blogged About

Las Vegas, Nevada has been called many things – Sin City, The City That Never Sleeps, The City of Lights, The Birthplace of Culture, The City of Brotherly Love, The Big Apple, etc. etc. etc. This jack-of-all trades city is many things, but there’s one thing it isn’t – cold. 110 degrees during the day, 90 at night, and I haven’t sweated this much since my last Econ final.

We rolled into Las Vegas after leaving Zion National Park – with a quick stop in nearby Hurricane, UT for a daytime viewing of the newest Harry Potter (for a few of the girls) and Transformers (the best movie ever made). After hearing that our original plan to visit the Grand Canyon wasn’t going to pan out, we called ahead and reserved rooms at The Sahara, a desert-themed Vegas-mainstay hotel on The Strip. Braving heat waves hot enough to melt the sole off of Lucas’ sandals while driving (true story), we rolled into LV with only a couple desperation stops for water and ice cream.

Las Vegas was described by Brent as the best city in the world for about 4 hours, and then pretty awful after that. We had a good time for a little longer than that, but the assessment was largely correct. We were awed, amazed, and a bit put-off at times by the extravagance of the city, although we made sure to take in all the hotels and their grandeur. The fountains at the Bellagio - set in time to God Bless America – helped ring in the first birthday of the summer! Happy birthday Frances!

The night and next day were passed in numerous ways – shopping, riding roller coasters, touring the various hotels and casinos, watching pirates do battle at Treasure Island, slipping a couple quarters into slot machines, and enjoying the famous Vegas buffets. Frances, Lucas, and Esther stopped at a nearby elementary school and presented the bus to every single kid in the school! They rejoined the rest of the crew rejuvenated and ecstatic about a successful event.

A sushi dinner for Frances’ birthday finished our Vegas stay, along with the presentation of cake, a pink cowboy hat and matching boa, a badge proclaiming “Francis” the sheriff of Las Vegas, and a “We Live On A Bus” t-shirt to top it all off. We once again packed onto the bus, and headed for cooler weather and fewer bright lights.

- chris

Merritt, Nate, and Brent fit right in at The Sahara!

The group out for Frances' birthday dinner at Ra Sushi!

Fact-o-the-day: Las Vegas is planning to build a new city center that will be LEED certified. Read more about LEED certification here: http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/leed.asp

Into the Park: Adventures in Zion

The bus travels on in the land of the red rocks…

Monday and Tuesday proved just how awesome Zion really is. After a quick morning of presenting at the Canyon Community Center (along with yoga for Kate, Frances, and Esther), we returned to the campground to prepare for the day’s adventure: hiking the Narrows. At noon we set out through the canyon, joined by Ranger John (Colleen’s newly-found friend from the day before). Steep cliffs of sandstone surrounded us as we zipped past European tourists ("Bonjour" "Merritto baila con su cabeza"). As the walls narrowed, a river replaced the paved path. In we waded, happy to be in the cool water and shaded from the sun. Brent rejoiced when he found pools to swim in along the way (if its not clear by now, Brent really, really likes water). The crew joined him in his revelry, splashing and floating along. 5 hours later, we arrived back at the campground, happy, wet, and tired. To finish off a great day, we went to dinner in Springdale and enjoyed delicious fish, “forbidden rice” (I’m not sure why its called that, but I’ll be disappointed if I’m forbidden from eating again) and solar oven-cooked brownies. Many thanks to Stacy and Lyman for the meal and for showing us their beautiful sustainably-designed house.

Before continuing on our journey, part of the crew did one last hike. Taking advantage of the cool early morning air, the hikers headed to Angel’s Landing to catch the sunrise. Overcoming sheer cliffs and fear of heights, they climbed up and up and up to a view of the canyon spread below. Reports are that it was gorgeous. The rest of us slept in.

Tune in again soon as our (mis)adventures continue into the dessert…

-esther

The Bus crew poses in their sweet Ibex gear

In the Narrows with Ranger John

A shout-out to the park: The National Park Service’s commitment to sustainable practices was truly on display at Zion. A couple of our favorites included the shuttle system and the very “green” Zion Visitors Center. In 2000, a shuttle system of 30 propane-powered buses replaced the 5000 cars that would otherwise drive through the park. Zion’s Visitor Center made use of efficient materials, direction, thermal mass, native plant landscaping, and several other “green” design principles to create a sustainable building that not only reflects the beauty of the surrounding landscape, but also saves over $14,000 and 310,000lbs of carbon every year! Check out the park’s website for more on what they are doing, as well as tips on “greening” your own environment. http://www.nps.gov/zion/naturescience/green-park.htm

Fact-o-the-day: In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.

High On Mountains

An astute observation: the farther west we travel, the happier I am. The Bus Crew and the Chase car kids had a reunion in a Bryce Canyon parking lot worthy of slow motion, an open field, and an abundance of butterflies, as I had a more private reunion of my own with the browns, reds, and dry heat of the desert (insert deep sigh here). After reveling for a good 30 minutes at the fact that, for the first time ever, Brent was the stinkiest bus member of the bus, we set up shop outside of the Bryce General Store. It was a slow day for talking, but a good day for long hikes. The group split up into 3 respective groups and took in the unreal scenery. We reconvened for a family meeting in the evening over some polygamy porters. We saw 3 bambis and a jackalope….other than that I’m not quite sure what was said.
Fin!

- hayley

Bryce!

Brent, Colleen, Frances, Hayley, Merritt, and Nate woke up at 5AM this morning to catch the sunrise over the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. We were rewarded with a few minutes of spectacular dawn light, which we exploited to publicize ourselves:


We then struck out for Zion National Park. After driving in through a tunnel carved parallel to the side of a canyon, we split up, with some folks presenting to the public in the morning while others took a hike up through the Emerald Pools. We thought Emerald Pools might be series of beautiful, aquamarine swimming holes to provide an escape from the desert heat; sadly, the name was coined because they are green with thick algae. In the afternoon, we switched, with the presenting group going and exploring the weeping rock and the algae group presenting at Zion Lodge. Weeping rock was named for the water that seeps out of it, which we learned fell on the plateau above a milennia ago and has been percolating through the sandstone

The real story of today, though, was Lucas coming into his own as a man--nay, as a stud. He got hit on ruthlessly all afternoon, at times attracting a veritable bevy of ladies with his wholesome good looks and quiet charm. Bravo, sir.

- nate

Frances calls forth the morning in Bryce.

Floodgates status of the day: questionable.

Together Again!

Finally! The bus is in fine form (running better than ever), the crew is reunited, and everyone is in good spirits! Hooray!

Tales From The Other Side 3: The Chase Car’s Day Off In Moab and Arches!

On our last day away from home (We Live On A Bus!) the Chase Car Crew popped into Moab for some quick logistics work, an oil change for Sam, and iced coffees! On the recommendation of Chris’ friend Connor, the group took a back trail to a watery paradise, a crashing waterfall in a deep sandstone canyon with great cliff jumping. Brent was in hog heaven, and the crew enjoyed a few hours jumping, swimming, catching snakes, and taking pictures. After walking out, the group headed to Arches National Park where Brent instructed the crew for optimal photogenicity (it’s a word). Running from arch to beautiful arch, Colleen, Frances, Chris, and Brent made the most of their 3 hours in the park before hitting the road toward Bryce. Great news from the BUS! They’re on the road and headed to meet us tomorrow! The crew will be reunited! Huzzah!

- chris

Swimming hole in Moab!

Tales from The Other Side 2: The Chase Car Does Telluride and Mesa Verde!

Our adventures in Telluride began with a stop along Main Street Telluride, where we had cleared parking with the town marshalls. Alas, due to a semi-bureaucratic system, the sidewalks in Telluride are run by a separate administrative office than the roads, and thus our table on the sidewalk was illegal. After about an hour and a half of tabling, we were nicely told by a man on a bike that we needed to move. We packed up and moved on to our next event – a demo at The Market, a grocery store in the nearby Mountain Village. A hot and tired crew put on our smiling faces for the event and talked to Telluridians about sustainable energy. A salad in our beautiful hotel room at the San Sophia Inn in town closed out the evening, and we passed out before sunset for a much needed night of sleep.

After a rainy day in Telluride and a long drive to Mesa Verde National Park, the Chase Car Crew weathered a nighttime thunderstorm in tents on Wednesday night. Thursday morning brought a new (and hot) day, and after a morning tour of Cliff Palace the group headed to the Farview Terrace to present the car. Tour groups, French families, Wisconsonians, and ex-hippies enjoyed looking at the car, hearing about our mission, and staying as far away from the now-smelly crew as possible. Tessy from the park was unbelievably helpful at helping us set up our day! We shared a bit of advice about running a project like the bus with Tessy before hitting the road again. Thanks Tessy!

- chris

Sam shows off some scenery

The crew poses at cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde

Tales from The Other Side 1: The Chase Car Sets Out!

When we last wrote, the bus wasn’t working and the chase car had toodled off for events and adventures on its own, tearfully leaving the bus and crew behind. The car, however, wasn’t without mechanical uncertainty of its own. In the words of Brent:

One of the great adventures of converting a vehicle yourself is you can never be entirely sure how it is going to work. There is always the potential for problems that are unforeseen. For instance if your diesel filter becomes plugged, it can cause a failure in the diesel pump. No problem in a duel fuel system right? Just switch to veg, problem solved. Well, one would think so, but the problem with the unforeseen is that it is almost always just that, unforeseen.

Brent, Frances, Collen, and Chris left Denver at three in the morning. Running just on veggie oil the engine took a small amount of prompting (a rolling start) to get the fuel warm enough for driving. The eight hour drive was starting well, Chris was driving, Brent was telling bad jokes, Frances was practicing her contortionist routine for Cirque de Soliel, and Colleen was asleep. We were winding up mountain roads, enjoying the views allowed by the 1000+ foot cliff faces when we experienced our first encounter with the unforeseen. The car stalled. It might have been the veg was still running a little cold, maybe an air-bubble had formed in the fuel line, hard to know. The reality was, there we were, stranded on the side of a mountain at seven in the morning. At least we were on an incline. After pushing the car around to face down the mountain Brent hopped into the driver seat, kissed his St. Christopher medal and disengaged the parking brake. After a strong push from the remaining three he began his role down the mountain, picking up speed immediately. In a matter of seconds the rest of the crew’s faces, hopeful but worried, had disappeared from the rearview mirror and the real fun began. It brought back memories of soap box derbies, pinewood races, and dropping pennies off the side of the Sears tower. The speed increased with every passing yard. Dropping into third slowed the car, but it still refused to start. Cars going uphill slowed warily as the Volkswagen with no lights and limited power-steering plummeted past. And then the miracle. A drop into third, no different from any of the previous produced a rev, then a roar, and we were back in business. To say that pulling back up the mountain to rejoin the crew, leaping and whooping at the sight of their returned Sam (the Chase Car’s new name), will be the highlight of my summer is an understatement by as many miles as it took to get her running again.

- brent


The chase car crew on a sunny mountain side!

spontaneous comBUStion

When you (the reader) last heard from your heroes (us) we were in Boulder Colorado experiencing fine cuisine at The Kitchen, with every bite soaring closer to heaven than even Icarus could fathom. Now, six days later the crew is split due to a fuel pump failure in the bus. Four people, (Brent, Colleen, Frances and Chris) went on ahead to Telluride around 3 am on Tuesday morning in the chase car, leaving the remaining seven in Denver until the Bus could/ can be repaired.

Before we were separated however, we attended a few events with the chase car here in Denver. On Sunday, five of us visited reporters at the Capitol building, releasing the news that our bus had a bad case of the hiccups, and would be out of commission for a short period of time. From there we tabled with the little blue car (who we have renamed ‘Tiny Tim’) outside of Whole Foods, earning our food supply that will hopefully sustain us through the National Parks. To Brent and Merritt’s expected dismay, large steaks were not a main item on the shopping list.

On Monday, five crew members drove off to Boulder where they visited RMI, The Rocky Mountain Institute. RMI is an non-profit environmental think tank hired by corporations to consult them as to how they might make their company more green. The rest of the group went to the Denver Public Library where they happily (and quietly) embraced complete nerd-ness. Later the two halves met up in the growing green housing project Stapleton. Stapleton is a large planned community built entirely upon an old airfield, using recycled and green materials to accommodate a large number of families.

Since the Fellowship was broken on Tuesday, the crew left in Denver has had a very difficult time coping with the surroundings. Yes, we may be trampoline-jumping, art museum-visiting, cat-petting, and wine-drinking…but it’s just not the same without Frances, Chris, Brent, and Colleen. Sigh. I even cut Lucas' hair into a mohawk yesterday to try and distract me from my depression, but the curly red coif didn't fill the hole in my heart.

But tomorrow is a new day and a new part will be installed in our bus (don’t ask me which one though…) so with any semblance of luck, the Big Green Machine will be back on the road in no time.

Cross your fingers! (or your legs...I guess)

-Hayley

quote 'o the day: "I am a true Philistine."-Merritt

Stay Tuned

Internet may be spotty as The Big Green Bus heads into the National Parks of the Southwest, but stay tuned for updates as soon as we get an opportunity! News about Denver, Telluride, and mechanical adventures coming soon!

p.s. A note to all our parents: Don't worry, we're fine. We just can't call because we left all our cell phone chargers on the bus, which is still in the shop. Will call home soon. Love, the Bus Crew.

Bye-Bye Boulder

After an amazing night at The Kitchen and in Boulder last night, Saturday brought a more relaxing day for the bus crew. The day was passed walking around the beautiful town of Boulder, enjoying the Farmer’s Market, free samples, and wonderfully quirky hippies that the town had to offer. Fantastic purchases were made at American Apparel, sunglasses were found and bought, and Brent and Chris solidified their status as hippies by buying spinning poi at a juggling store.

The bus crew trades Kate for Colleen tonight. And ESTHER IS FINALLY HERE! Yay Mama Bear, welcome to the Bus! We'll be at full strength for the first time when Kate returns early next week! Off to Denver for the BGB!

- chris

Whitney and Chris grease up while new friend Dakin looks on.

Brent gets artsy with Chris' aviators.

Fact-o-the-day: Fuel injectors are really important for accelerating, apparently.

Boulder, Glorious Boulder

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. –Benjamin Franklin

Boulder Colorado. Today I learned two things. The first is that there are bottles of beer that cost $40. The second is that they are worth every penny. But before we come to that lets explore boulder. A walk down Pearl Street, the main drag for tourists, reveals a city building on its mining past and embracing its present – a mecca for alternative lifestyles cohabitating with a party-hard, drink-harder 30k student body. The architecture reflects the days of mining gold, then silver, and finally coal that established Boulder, but the old brick buildings now house stores selling namaste embroidered hats and designer coffees.

The mall itself provides an endless array of street performers scattered between bronze statues of local fauna magnified to mythical sizes (we’re talking Neverending Story sized snails and frogs larger than Frances), and the usual college town mélange of students, parents, tourists, and the homeless. A perfect stop for the bus? We thought so.

The bus had been having some of its usual difficulties (not starting, stalling in traffic, rolling backwards down the highway, etc …) when we pulled into Boulder and stopped the meet the citizenry outside our excellent sponsor, The Kitchen (more on them later). Said citizenry turned out to be some of the most colorful we have met thus far. This includes the staff of the righteous (only left of course, very left) eco-mag, Elephant, the diesel psychic Gordon Banta who confirmed Lucas’s suspicions that something was wrong with the fuel injectors, the Wild Oats staff who restocked us on organic goods, and a long missed alum Lauren Maynard.

And then we had dinner. If you are in Boulder, do as the natives do – eat at the Kitchen. Though the owner Hugo went into great detail describing his efforts to obtain local organic foods and the responsibility of waste disposal in the food industry, he neglected to warn us about the incredible ability of his staff. To say the food was delicious is to say that C.S. Lewis was a Christian, it’s true, but it completely misses the point. The food was so wonderful it was indecent, almost erotic – to the point that I would be uncomfortable eating there with my parents. Every dish was unexpected, exciting, and incredibly new. And the beer, yes the beer. For those of us who could imbibe (and we did indeed imbibe) our wonderful waitress Lily guided us through a list of local and imported brews that rivaled a Napa cellar for variety and price. While many were sampled, the favorite was Deus Brut Des Flandres, a Belgium beer served and in flutes and more akin to champagne than beer. In the words of Chris “on the happiness scale, off of the graph.” To Hugo, Adam, both Kates, and the entire Kitchen staff, thank you from the bottoms of our hearts and our stomachs.

- brent

BGBers enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of The Kitchen.

Tip-o-the-day: Go to Boulder. Eat at The Kitchen.

Photogenic Bus

Not too much to report from Colorado so far - a long drive, a day off, some frisbee, and some delicious homemade Pad Thai. Housed by Connor, Dakin, and Drew, we spent a nice evening in Colorado Springs, walked around the town in the morning, and then had more adventures in auto-mechanicary.

More importantly, Brent took the coolest picture of the trip thus far, which you see below. Awesome.

Sunrise, wind power, and The Big Green Bus in Colorado.

Fact-o-the-day: The majority of Texas' windmills are around 50 meters (164 ft.) tall. They are unreachable with bottle rockets from cars.

Boom! A BGB Fourth!

“Happy Birthday America” shouts Brent “Sheeps” Butler joyously, donning a star-spangled top-hat and sidling into the driver’s seat. It’s morning on the bus, and it’s the Fourth of July.

After a restful night at a picnic area somewhere Deep in the Heart of Texas, we were ready to hit the road and knock out the majority of our drive to Colorado Springs. A quick search on the interwebs pulled up beautiful(?) Lubbock, TX as our evening destination, and we set sail. Some brief engine trouble in Early, TX made us Late, but we soon hit the road again, caffeinated and entertained by Brent’s observations of the kittens, goats, sheeps, and other Texan fauna that crossed our path during the drive.

There’s hardly ever a dull day on the bus, and Independence Day was no exception. From Chris spraying hot vegetable oil all over his leg to a quick chat with the Texas State Troopers – “No, we’re not a commercial vehicle! We’re a motor-home!” – the day was full of surprises. The girls spent much of the day making patriotic (and of course stylish) outfits out of WalMart bed-skirts, and the boys installed the BGB’s newest toy, a CB radio between the bus and the chase car. For the rest of the day jokes, observations, and directions could be heard crackling out between our two whips.

With Lucas “Cash Money” Schulz at the wheel, the Big Green Bus rolled into Lubbock around 8, just in time to get a primo spot for fireworks. Frances and Nate showed up with $40 of our own fireworks, and we enjoyed/survived a bunch of bottle rockets, fireballs, and exploding miniature tanks. Frances proved especially adept at providing near-death experiences, knocking over a launching tube, deciding she would fix it, and promptly kicking it over again – this time pointing directly at the bus. Tall grass and blind luck stopped any horizontal flight, but not before the crew squealed, scattered, and dove for cover. We soon switched gears for the much safer dinner on the roof, a delicious pasta cooked up by Whitney “Iron Chef Alaska” MacFadyen.

We brought cushions onto the roof and sat for a while, enjoying firework displays literally all around us – 360 degrees of store-bought fireworks set off by Texans waiting for the real deal. When the show did start, we “oohed” and “ahhed” and picked our favorites, while Brent made us look in the opposite direction for pictures. After the grand finale, the bussers entertained passersby with a few rousing songs about beautiful Amerka from the roof of the bus while we waited for traffic to clear out, and then we hit the road for a nighttime drive. Without question, a great Fourth of July. Happy Birthday America! Colorado here we come!

The BGB loves America! And fireworks!

Fact-o-the-day: Anything you say becomes funnier when said over a radio. Seriously, try it.

BGB News Story Of The Day: Check out our TV interview on ABC from Houston HERE!

Texas is...Pretty?

When you’re living on the road, the first thing to go is your concept of time. I have no idea what day it is. I couldn’t even tell you when yesterday became today. But I do know that we are in Texas. Space and I are still on good terms, its just Time that I’ve had a serious falling out with recently. Hours on the bus can fly by, with every spare moment filled with a new running joke, witty banter, and some not-so-clever but equally amusing observations. But there are some minutes that drag like an angry paraplegic veteran on a makeshift skateboard. These minutes seem to have reproduced among themselves at an alarming rate in the past few days (especially considering their lack of appendages), which is why the Bus Crew was happy to get a day off from presenting yesterday. We ran errands from our hotel in Plano and checked quite a few tasks off of our ever-growing to-do list. I was deeply hurt when we were finally kicked out of the hotel lobby that we had lovingly called our home base for an afternoon (home is where the internet is, right?). Dear Homewood Suites, you did not live up to your name. My disappointment knows no bounds.

Though my emotional wound was still fresh, I found solace in watching Brent (a.k.a. mister tall and handsome I was captain of the swim team) Butler on his first try at grease duty. The job has been described before, but I will remind you that the task is as disgusting as it is simple. You stick a hose into a large bin festering grease, and try your best not to wretch for an extended period of time. Brent, being the near-perfect specimen of man that he is, obviously had to take grease duty to the ‘next level’ by sucking up the carcass of a blackbird from the grease bin of the chick-fil-a that we were parked behind. Brent, you truly are a God among men.

Brent Butler: Stoic

Before Brent could have another attempt at the golden hose, he and I took off to see the 7:00 showing of Ratatouille (Which was fantastic by the way. Bravo Pixar). As the rest of the bus began their drive to Houston, Brent and I giggled uncontrollably at animated rats, unaware that we had left both of our cell phones on the bus. Now I know you must be worried about the hero and heroine of this particular blog post at the moment, but I assure you the story will have a happy ending. (No Brent, not that type of happy ending. Put the mug away.)

Upon realizing that we had no way of communicating with the bus when we stepped outside of the theater, we were relieved to find the chase car parked in plain sight, waiting to deliver us to our next destination: The Love Field Airport! Brent described the airport concisely and accurately, “It’s like they built this place with the future in mind, and then completely ran out of money.” However the mass of concrete that is Love Field lived up to it’s name when Brent and I intercepted a one Miss Whitney MacFadyen at Gate 10 where we were reunited after her week long break of time off with 'the boyfriend' (ew whatever. who needs a boyfriend when you have the bus?). The love was in the air, and this love was real. Oh so real.

Meanwhile on the bus: I’m unclear on the facts, but from what I hear, most of the crew had changed into their grumpy-pants for the ride. And by that I mean they were crabby…not that we all have a designated article of clothing that we call our ‘grumpy-pants.’

The Chase Car Kids got into Houston (after a quick midnight Waffle House snack) around 3am and were re-united with the rest of the Crew who had checked into the luxurious Hilton Hotel (Provided by Waste Management! Oh la la!) only a half hour before.

Now where I’m confused is whether our reunion was at the end of this day or at the beginning of the next. Just to be thorough, I shall continue to tell this epic tale of love, deceit, cunning, and heartbreak, and finish where all good stories do, at the end. Ahem.

We awoke after what could technically be considered a nap at the Hilton, and piled into the bus to go to the Waste Management Headquarters for a breakfast meeting with the execs. Way up on the 37th floor we were led to a nice meeting room full of leather seats and croissant breakfast sandwiches. It was at this point that I realized the world of luxury that we had entered. As more people entered the room we noticed that all of the Waste Management employees and executives were wearing green. At first I thought that this, like the croissant breakfast sandwiches were an over the top, but entirely appreciated way of welcoming our bus. But I was wrong…as it turns out, every Tuesday at Waste Management headquarters is ‘green Tuesday’ (don’t get too excited, but I just deduced that it must be Tuesday today. Fantastic. Now if I only knew the date…). This weekly holiday is much like casual Friday, but with a more fresh springy feeling as opposed to an abundance of ‘Aloha weekend!’ Hawaiian shirts that make my eyes bleed. I like green Tuesday. I especially liked the woman who told me, with every ounce of sincerity that she could muster, that she buys green underwear specifically for green Tuesdays.

The meeting we had was informal and informative, and the time that we spent giving bus tours and interviews outside of the headquarters was equally as enjoyable. The attention that we get always amazes me, as does the receptiveness and genuine interest of the people we have the opportunity to meet and speak with.

We are now on the road to Austin. I’m writing this ridiculously long blog entry, envying the grazing cows we pass, Nate is driving (HOLD ON TO YOUR KEESTERS KIDS), the chase car is not-unsurprisingly nowhere to be seen, Brent was given the grumpy-pants within 5 minutes of waking up (apparently they do exist…apparently Brent does sometimes wake up), all while Frances and Kate are sewing star-spangled babydoll tops for tomorrow’s festivities. I just figured it out, today is Tuesday, July 3, and my tummy says that I’d like some dinner. I guess Time and I have reconciled our differences. I knew it’d come around.

The End (kinda…)

-Hayley

Holy Facial Hair Batman!

Fact 'o the Day: Chris Barth looks like a badgerman. A terrifying badgerman.

Don't Mess With The BGB In Texas!

There are many glamorous things that come hand-in-hand with life on the Big Green Bus - meeting amazing alumni, seeing the country's most emblematic cities and parks, and going to really cool events. There are many not-so-glamorous events too - like sleepless nights, brutally hot weather inside a schoolbus, and endlessly long drives. Alas, for the BGB crew, we left the glamour in New Orleans and met its opposite during the drive to Texas. We survived the eleven straight hours on the road, however, rotating between sleeping, preparing educational materials, drinking energy drinks, spilling energy drinks, and driving. Hayley made sure that the couch was in good hands for most of the ride.

We rolled into Plano, Texas around 8am, parking in the lot of Central Market, a health-conscious grocery store with more types of granola than aisles. We set up our bus, complete with cool new labels, info-sheets, and games, and got ready for our afternoon presentation.

The event in Plano was one of our favorites thus far. After a long drive it was great to meet a lot of families with young kids, share our information, and meet the great people from the Sci-Tech Discovery Board. Plano also marks our first official event with a bouncy castle, a huge bonus. The bussers were all pleased with the turnout and enthusiasm of the people in Plano, and after narrowly escaping a drenching thunder storm, we headed inside for a delicious Texas BBQ and peach cobbler to round out a great day. Showers, runs, and a movie at the Homewood Suites in Plano quickly led to sleep for the exhausted crew!

- chris


The bus crew with Mama Bus in Plano!

Tip-o-the-day: Do your laundry or use your dishwasher during the evening/nighttime hours. There is more stress on the power grid during the day, and lessening this pressure by running appliances at night allows power companies to use only modern, more efficient plants.