Fuel Stop In Nevada

Chuck Zimmerman

TA Truck StopOur first major fueling stop on the highway Saturday was this Travel Center of America truck stop.

With 17 vehicles and a busy truck stop this was not a short one. I asked inside and unfortunately this is one stop with no ethanol being blended with gasoline. We have several stops across the country on our agenda that do. I figure it never hurts to ask though. That’s one way we can all help communicate our desire to have a renewable and clean burning fuel like ethanol become more and more a part of our fuel supply.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Dueling Satellite Radios

Chuck Zimmerman

Dueling Satellite RadioHello from Salt Lake City. Yesterday was a long travel day and tomorrow will be too. This morning I had to get organized and find an internet access spot that works. I’m on my 4th location which is a Sheraton hotel and it’s working!

Before we kicked off one of our convoy sponsors, XM Satellite Radio, provided all the convoy participants with radios. I’m sure it was just so we could check news and weather right?

I had brought along my Sirius radio so after talking it over, XM VP Roderick McKenzie and I thought a cross country comparison would be an interesting side line to the highway adventure. I interviewed Roderick so you can learn about some of the interesting data applications XM is working on, some of which are being demonstrated on this trip with some special GPS/Satellite radio receivers.

My Sirius receiver is a Clarion plug-n-play and the XM one is a Delphi Roady. One thing I noticed quickly was that when I go under an overpass I lose Sirius service until I’m out the otherside. I never did with the XM. I’m sure I’ll have more comparisons for you soon.

Here’s my interview with Roderick: Listen to MP3 Roderick McKenzie Interview (11 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Lots of Highway On Saturday

Chuck Zimmerman

Lake In NevadaIt’s the end of the day here in Reno. Tomorrow it’s on to Salt Lake City with an early departure.

I’m sure we’ll be passing some beautiful countryside like this.

Our schedule says we’ve got a 9 1/2 hour trip (520 miles) and a dinner after we arrive. My guess is this means you won’t see a fresh post from me until Sunday. I’ll be thinking about you though.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Nevada Senator Bill Raggio

Chuck Zimmerman

Sen. Bill RaggioWhen we got to Reno, NV today our first stop was the National Automobile Museum. We were welcomed by state Senator Bill Raggio.

Senator Raggio said good things about the highway system and that there are challenges looking into the future, especially as it relates to issues like funding.

You can listen to Sen. Raggio here: Listen to MP3 Nevada Sen. Bill Raggio Remarks (4 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Rolling Behind Me

Chuck Zimmerman

Rearview MirrorAs is normally the case for me when I’m out and about, I’ve got way more pictures than I can ever post for you. At the conclusion of this 2 week cross country adventure I’m going to post a Flickr photo album for you that will have lots of interesting photos.

Here’s one as we were on the way past Sacramento toward Reno. This is what’s been in my rearview mirror all day. That’s a big motor coach.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Head Out On The Highway

Chuck Zimmerman

Head Out On The HighwayThis is what my view was like as we left San Francisco this morning. Looking at the rear end of a vintage Hudson. I’ll have more on it and the driver in a future post.

To help you get a feel for what it was like I had to shoot a video clip. This is definitely not recommended by the state troopers who you will see.

You can watch it here: Watch wmv file Rolling Through Town (3 min WMV)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Andrew Firestone At Kickoff

Chuck Zimmerman

Andrew FirestoneOne of the primary sponsors of the cross country interstate celebration is Firestone. They are well represented by the great grandson of Harvey Firestone, Andrew. Andrew made remarks this morning at our kickoff ceremony.

It was a bright morning hence the shades.

Andrew says his family was there from the beginning of the interstate system. In fact, he pointed out that without these great highways, we wouldn’t have been able to get our kicks on Route 66.

Listen to what Andrew had to say here: Listen to MP3 Andrew Firestone Remarks (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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One of our Convoy Vehicles

Chuck Zimmerman

Firestone/AASHTO TruckI just missed the ribbon cutting ceremony after which we had to start our engines and take off on the highway today. It was held in front of this truck which proudly displays the reason we’re travelling cross country this month.

You can see the name Firestone and I’ll have more about that name in the next post.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Transportation Sec. Norman Mineta

Chuck Zimmerman

Norman MinetaKicking things off this morning for the AASHTO cross country convoy was our U. S. Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta.

Sec. Mineta is from California so this was a homecoming speech in a way. He spoke about then Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower’s historic trip in 1919 which showed the need for a road system in the U.S. and how we now have a system of highways that is the envy of the world.

I recorded Sec. Mineta’s comments which you can listen to here: Listen to MP3 Sec. Norman Mineta Speech (10 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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Stories About The Kickoff

Chuck Zimmerman

San Francisco SkylineThis is the San Francisco skyline behind the staging area for this morning’s convoy kickoff. It was a beautiful sunrise on the bay.

This is a view from Lincoln Park where all the convoy vehicles were on display. Lots of media was in attendance so you may find coverage of the event online. Some I found include this one, this one, this one and this one.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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