Left Las Vegas at 7:00 am to get to an event at a Ryder facility in Rancho Dominguez, CA. Also did a call-in to Curtis’s Thurday radio show. We traded the wrapped loaner 2012 back for my 2009 (hard to get used to my white one now). Hmmm, wonder what kind of deal American Honda can give us for the 2012 model we just returned?

Curtis and Bert drove off in the 2012 Honda; we followed in my 2009 GX to lunch at the China Buffet in Fullerton (the So. Cal NGV group had met there previously). Curtis treated us to lunch, and then we headed over to the Honda Center in Anaheim, where there was an American Red Cross fund-raiser for the Hurricane victims on the east coast (the areas we had just left a few days ago).  We all gave a donation, and got a picture with ABC7 Eyewitness News Team member, Garth Kemp.  Some ABC7 videos for the day can be found at the following links: Honda Center donates $10K for Sandy, Wells Fargo volunteers help at Sandy, and Sandy drive in OC big success.

Then we finally got home!

Here’s pics…

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Event today at 3:30 pm in St. George, UT.

We spent the previous night in St. George to ensure we wouldn’t be late to this event.
Finally got some shopping in at the Zion outlet stores while waiting (I left Gary at the nearby Starbucks with the laptop, and he was happy).

This was Clean Cities Coalition coordinator, Robin Erickson, third event this month.

Here’s pics (will figure out names later)…

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Darn!  Missed getting to the 4:00 pm Tremonton, UT today.

I had tried to catch up on blogging this morning, thinking we could make up the schedule by cutting out a lunch break.  But forgot to check the increased drive time due to overnighting in Glenwood Springs instead of Grand Junction.

We had plenty of fuel left (5 bars) to make the 87 miles to Grand Junction, so we bypassed the planned Rifle stop, figuring that would help save time.  Unfortunately we found the drive from Price to Salt Lake City slow going due to construction and traffic.  We called the Clean Cities coordinator, Emily, to say we’d be late; Robin called back and said the event would be over by the time we reached Tremonton, so we ought not come.  They had plenty of other folks there.

So we turned around and headed to St. George, to be sure we wouldn’t be late for the next day’s event.

Nothing but pics of the scenery (forgot to get pics of Price station; it was only 3000 psi).

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Getting further behind in blogging…. will update the notes below later.

Checked out of the hotel, drove out to fuel up again at Pioneer Natural Resources (PNR) which is 20+ miles out of town (there was 1 of 20 bars of fuel left).

Called the Colorado number on my Clean Energy (CLNE) fueling card for Colorado stations, and found that Citibank Mastercard had declined a 16 Oct charge for fuel in Denver on our eastbound trip.  We had overlooked notifying Citibank before set started this trip so they declined out of state charges as a security precaution. Gary had called Citibank after the first occurrence (13 Oct) in Grand Junction (at the wineries) and we thought the situation was resolved.

Called Citibank again, called CLNE Denver again, called CLNE corporate office in California and thought the issue was resolved.

Headed to the Trinidad court house to meet with local city and county folks interested in a public CNG station. Missed getting a picture of Tara.

Trinidad city and county officials, and others interested in a public CNG station

Headed west again and problems with CLNE fueling card discovered again at Castle Rock.  More calls, more time lost.   Finally decided to skip CLNE altogether and head to Firestone to fuel at the only non-CLNE station which accepts regular credit cards.  That was another 1/2 hour north of Denver, but we didn’t want to lose more time on finding another CLNE station, only to find that the card still didn’t work (apparently reinstatement of an account normally takes 24 hours to take effect, but after the first calls from Trinidad, they were supposed to push through an immediate update to the Castle Rock station this same morning).

After fueling at Sky Blu in Firestone, we headed west on I-70 going an average speed of 60 mph to ensure enough fuel available to reach Rifle (the distance from Firestone was expected to be further than from Castle Rock, but was unclear as Google Maps on our iPhones no longer functioned properly;  Thank you, Apple… I should have stuck with my iPhone 3 instead of buying an iPhone 5 for this trip).  Using the CNGprices.com trip planner on the iPhone was less than optimal, but we were able to discern the distance (208 mi).   The elevation gain on I-70 west was a concern in impacting the estimated 280 mi range of the 2012 Honda NGV.

It was almost 8:00 pm when we approach Glenwood Springs. We had plenty of bars (11 of 20) of fuel left; there were only 27 miles left to go to the next CNG fueling station in Rifle, and then 61 miles to Grand Junction where the original plan had us lodging, but being somewhat worn out, we crashed overnight in Glenwood Springs.

Will add pics later (still need to review, filter and add captions).

We get today off as no events are planned for today, Sunday. We had arranged to fill, at Pioneer Natural Resources (PNR) private station outside of Trinidad, that morning and on the drive back to town, we encountered some interesting wildlife. I wasn’t quick enough to catch a snapshot of the coyote that raced across the road between us and an oncoming vehicle; that got our attention. But I did manage to get several shots of what might have been our Thanksgiving dinner (where’s a shotgun, when Gary needs one?). Oh well, I hear wild turkeys aren’t very good eating anyway.

After fueling, we ended up at the Colorado Welcome Center and met Joseph Tarabino, who helps us connect with his boss, Tara Marshall. There was supposed to be an event on Monday (29th Oct), but that fell apart. But Gary still wanted to talk to the folks who had expressed an interest in a public CNG station, so we now have a meeting at 10:00 on Monday.

Joseph Tarabino

After our visit to the Colorado Welcome Center, we headed up to Ft. Carson with plans to fuel there and do some sightseeing in the areas west of there (e.g., Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument,  the town of Cripple Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Preserve) while looping back down to Trinidad.  At the only CNG fueling station in Ft. Carson, a Clean Energy (CLNE) station on the military base, the price listed was $4.499/gge.  Attempting to fuel was futile… this station (and all CLNE stations in Colorado require a Clean Energy fueling card); normal credit cards are not accepted. I had acquired one prior to the trip, and it had worked fine buying about $11 of fuel in Denver on the eastbound trip, but now it was indicating “Credit Limit Exceeded”???

It was Sunday, so I got the recording that CLNE offices were closed when I called the number on the card.  I did select the “emergency” option and left a call-back number.  A technican called, but was not able to help.  He can only come out to fix equipment, and is not allowed to come out and fuel for cash.  So much for CLNE support.  We would have to wait until Monday to resolve the fueling card issue.

Luckily, we had 11 bars of fuel left, so we made our way back to Trinidad, going slowly to ensure we’d have sufficient fuel to reach the PNR station outside of town.  So much for our “day off”.

The pictures below are from the morning’s drive out fuel at PNR and back to the Colorado Welcome Center.

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We had a cold, but lively morning event at an OnCue Express in Oklahoma City, where Clean Cities Coalition coordinator, Yvonne Anderson, welcomed everyone, identified the achievements to date in expanding CNG stations throughout the area, and introduced Stephen James, CFO of OnCue Express. Stephen gave a brief description of the local CNG infrastructure improvements and recognized the efforts of all parties that were involved. We later discussed the development of the OnCue Express CNG fueling station with him. As we have learned over the weeks of our trip, these CNG stations require the efforts of a broad assortment of dedicated individuals, not the least of which is those with an understanding of the process of government coordination. We also appreciate OnCue’s low competitive pricing ($1.35/gge) and the complimentary fill provided by Stephen James.

There were several CNG vehicles on site, including a chopper (the conversion had been done in Orange Country, NY). I missed getting a pic of the converted Dodge caravan for passengers (will have to see if I can get some pics from others who where there or link to their sites).

We met a number of interested attendees and actual participants in the development and installation of the CNG fueling stations. We also met Rich Marson, of Preferred Service CNG LLC, whose company installed and maintains the CNG fueling dispensers. Rich left ahead of us to ensure the next station on our stop, at Woodward, was up and operational. Rich was also generous in providing a complimentary fill and treating us to a delicious lunch at a popular local steakhouse, Dan’s (we would never have found the place on our own).

Just went through again and reorganized and updated the following pics.

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Only one event today in Dallas, TX.  After stopping to fuel at a CNG station in Shreveport, LA (one that was less than 2 miles from our hotel and different than originally planned), we headed for Dallas, TX.

I slept most of the way to make up for last night.  It rained along the way, but stopped when we arrived at McShan Florist in Dallas, TX (we had brought California sun to previous events, but we must being getting tired).  Wonderful event held in the florist shop with all the Christmas decorations around us, with lunch provided. Afterwards, we went out to fuel at their new CNG station, which was supposed to have opened earlier in the year (see MotorWeek’s video segment, McShan Florist, which aired on May 25, 2012). I love McShan’s Longhorn Lincoln (converted to run on natural gas), parked nearby.

Then we headed off to Oklahoma City, with me catching up on sleep along the way.
Here’s the slideshow of pics taken today.

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Today was a very long day…took a while to find the last fueling stop for the day.

The CNG station in Jackson, MS (finally found it after 7:00 pm)

The day started with a fueling and a press event in Atlanta, GA, with interviews from two separate organizations:  Sustainable Atlanta and Southeast green.  The AFS station there is huge, well-designed for both large and small vehicles, and on a major street with a sign.  We had very lively discussions with the folks there, including Rahim Charania (AFS CEO), Scott Briskey (Sustainable Atlanta Communications Director), and Beth Bond (Curator of Sustainable News at Southeast green).

Then on to Birmingham, AL, for more interviews with their local press (ABC and NBC).  There we were  joined by Libby McConville, who’d brought her husband’s 1966 Pontiac GTO which had been converted to run on natural gas (husband, Mark, was away on travel for their business, CNG Logistics, LLC).  Back in 2010, this bright red GTO had made a historic ride on Route 66 from California to Chicago, and then ended up at the steps of the U.S. capitol.

The next fueling stop in Tuscaloosa, AL, showed they have prices even higher ($2.94/gge) than Clean Energy.  Gary got the manager’s number to call so he could discuss lower prices as a strategy to grow the local market.  It later turned out, after calling, that the manager, Bob Strickland,  had already met us at the event in Birmingham, AL.

Stopping to fuel in Jackson, MS, turned into another exciting episode.  Don’t know how, but I missed the hours of operation and the need to call ahead for an appointment.  When we arrived in Jackson, MS, it was after business hours.  A call to the phone number listed only went to voice mail.  That was further complicated when we could not find the station following the navigation system in the car.  Googling the station’s name, “NGV Solutions“, showed a different address, so we went there and found nothing.  I was starting to question if the station really existed  Panic is starting to set in!

Checking user comments posted at CNGprices.com, I found a comment posted on 21 Oct (just 4 days ago) so it must exist.  Checking CNGnow.com had additional info on an intersection in the area where the navigation system had taken us (around and around).  CNGnow showed the location west of where we had previously been.  Returning to that area but looking west (instead of east) of the Wirtz intersection, we finally found it!   Of course, no one was there, it being after 7:00 PM.  Now what?  I found a phone number for their security company and called, explaining the situation.  They contacted the business operators, provided our contact number, and Jayce Vanderveide, of NGV Solutions, quickly calls back saying he’ll be there shortly.  What a relief.

After much discussion regarding NGV Solutions local CNG efforts, and the need for a Clean Cities Coalition coordinator, we headed off for our overnight destination in Shreveport, LA, arriving shortly after 1:00 AM.   Good thing I can sleep while Gary drives.

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Big event today at the PSNC facility in Raleigh, NC… even had news media there (news14.com).   We were the honored guests, sitting up front for presentations and Q&A sessions (will need to get the pics that David Tucker was taking).  Also got a tour of the facility from PSNC manager, Jerry O’Keeffe.

Afterwards, stopped to fuel in Charlotte, NC, but there was a maintenance vehicle already waiting to fuel there, so we went off and found Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen, and ordered fried oysters and catfish to go (so much for the weight I lost before the trip).  While waiting for our take-out, we chatted with other folks about our trip.  Going back to fuel, we found yet another maintenance vehicle had come to fuel.  We had to wait 20 minutes as the driver wasn’t accommodating to my request to go ahead of him so we could meet our schedule for the next event (he doesn’t get paid if he runs overtime; hey, I’m not getting paid at all!).  Oh well, lots of folks have higher priorities than promoting CNG awareness.

Despite the wait, we made it on time to the scheduled stop in Greensville, SC, but no one was there when we arrived.  No one answered the phone calls we made, so we were concerned we had the schedule wrong.  But after 15 minutes, a fellow came over from the Piedmont Natural Gas facility next to the fueling station and indicated everyone was still inside (a stakeholders meeting must have overrun).  Everything turned out well, and we even had help fueling from a very lovely young lady, Rachel.

Then on to Atlanta, GA and we found out that their traffic rivals (or surpasses) the traffic in Los Angeles, even at 8 in the evening.  No dinner out tonight… have plenty in the cooler to finish off.

Here’s pics for the day (will come back to add needed captions)… gotta run to get ready for Thursday morning’s event in Atlanta.

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Today we left Philadelphia, headed south to fuel in Curtis Bay, MD, then on to DC for a photo op.  My cousin, Miranda, had flown in from California for the Sunday family reunion in Pennsylania, and we were now giving her a ride down to Fredericksburg, VA to visit another relative.  The Honda now had 3 people and their stuff packed in.  Pretty cozy, but we made it, no problem and the car handled fine.  Then on to Richmond, VA for an event at their new Clean Energy station.  We also did a radio interview enroute with NPR.

Spent the evening working on viewgraphs for tomorrow’s presentation at Raleigh, NC, so got behind on blogging.

Pics still need captions…

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