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Michael and I  loaded Dirigo into the trailer on Sunday afternoon for the non-stop run back to the East Coast. We arranged a small bunk in the back of his truck and we swihched off driving every three hours for the next fifty two hours, arriving in eastern Pennsylvania late Tuesday night to a motel and some good honest sleep. We both had hopes for an early departure, but didn't see the light of day until after eight.

Then, like a soldier limping home from battle, Dirigo finally began to show a bit of wear and tear on the final 500 mile leg home to Maine. The front brakes began to act up, the exhaust pipe cracked completely open, and we were down to only one headlight. The driver's door lost a hinge pin which I replaced with a birch twig. It was raining most of the day, and the closer we got to Maine the stronger the Northeast wind became. Oh me of little faith kept looking for safe spots to break down and wait for help but Dirigo just kept on going and we arrived home just as darkness fell. The single headlight certainly was better than nothing.

Overall mileage for the 3000 miles was 62.3mpg. Not great, but a good mark to try to beat next time.

Jack McCornack finally showed up in Marin, but not with MAX, who was out with serious overheating. Jack was with us the whole way in spirit, and in constant cell phone contact, so we really felt he was a part of the event. He had a good look at Dirigo and had this to say:

I found, both riding and driving, Dirigo reminds me a lot of a Citroen 2CV, except Dirigo has more pep and has a lot more room for the driver and passenger. I think my biggest surprise was how spacious Dirigo is. It's sedan-size in the front and has huge storaage space behind the seats, it has a bunch more elbow- (and luggage-) room than a Miata, for example. Most high efficiency cars are pretty dang snug (MAX is a prime example) but Dirigo is like cruising around in a living room. Great visibility, minimal wind through the cockpit, cushy seats and a comfortable ride, who could ask for anything more? Congratulations on a job well done. Now write up some plans so other folks can build their own Dirigos.

Thanks to both Jay and Jack for their tremendous efforts on behalf of Rally Green. Also to Michael and Steven for driving the support vehicle and helping Jay get the good miles he did. Jay would have been lost without his team of his incredibly supportive wife and son Vicki and Jesse. At last report Jesse was about to attempt crossing the Mojave Desert in the Stealth. Check out www.trihybridstealth.com for details. Keep track of Jack's progress with MAX on his blog at MotherEarthNews.com

Twelve hours of delightful driving brought us to the Pacific and the end of the Rally. Jay had hoped to drive the last few hours to the finish, but had clutch troubles, and as if he hasn't gone through enough troubles already, he lost a tooth. In spite of their consistent breakdowns, the Stealth team kept high spirits and a positive outlook throughout. They were awarded second place in Rally Green on a cliff above the ocean on the dramatic Rt One.

We took off from Carson City and were faced with the east wall of the Sierra Nevadas just as the engine was getting warmed up. Carson is at 4000', which is fine for the naturally aspirated diesel. But very quickly we hit five, six and then seven thousand feet, with the predictable loss in performance. The summit was 7200', and then the long decent to Lake Tahoe. The inner teenager took over and pounded Dirigo through the twists and turns like there was no tomorrow. Again, the voices of the Camden pit crew were begging for moderation but couldn't be heard over the screaming of the gears. Lake Tahoe is an absolute gem, our own version of Italy's Lake Como. The small towns of Incline and Kings Beach had the classic mix of hipsters and wealth that seem to co-exist so well in beautiful places. One more seven thousand plus pass, and it was onto I-80 and the famous Donner Pass. With a little drafting assistance from a semi, Dirigo ate Donner for lunch and began the decent into California's Central Vally.

One of the finest drives must be rt 128 from Winter to Napa. Beautiful twisty roads, some with first gear switchbacks and then gentle rolling through farmland. The Puma river offers a cool dip in fast rapids, and there are the de rigeur winerys. I felt compelled to stop at at least one, imagining that I had penty of time yet: indeed, the day felt timeless. Adding to the general euphoria were four beautiful women in evening gowns coming for a tasting as well. The nineteenth century Nichellini winery was deep in the shade of giant eucalyptus, and the five of us were treated to a history of the family, local wine-making politics and rivalries, and a fascinating tutorial on winemaking in general. It took us an hour to get through the five varieties offered. Our host Greg was the fifth generation to run the place. Needless to say, when I got back on the road I was driving a bit slower, going for style points instead of sports carring. My father tried to drill into me as a young skier to slow down and just make nice clean turns, so it was with gratitude to his early training that I gently dipped and rolled along the twisting ribbon of asphalt with the gentle clunking of bottles in the back.

For once I was the last car in, at Pt. Reyes. We ate dinner and then went to find the ocean to celebrate the finish. Dirigo had 3002 miles on the clock and everyone was in awe of the little car. Attempting to document high mileage on a pedal to the metal cross country event might have been a bit silly, but it was real world stuff. No time for hyper mileing, but these cars should be able to get lost in strange cities, run with the rush hour, be comfortable on the Interstate and still return excellent mileage. I haven't calculated the average mpg for the trip, but it won't be great. But we did it and hundreds of people were turned on to three wheeled cars and had conversations about fuel economy. Not one person told me that it wasn't an important problem. There is a thirst, even deep in farm country, for fuel economy. It just makes economic sense.

So, I think I'll go for a ride around Marin county today, just to wind down. Maybe I'll meet some interesting people...

We had been dreading the hot August desert crossing between Delta and Carson City, so what a delight to find an overcast morning with scattered showers. Jay called to wake me up and to find his part that we'd hoped our welder  had fixed. I ran out to the car to find it, but it was no where to be seen. Only then did I realize that he'd failed to change his watch to Pacific time so it was actually 4:45. But I had a muffler to install, breakfast to eat and a desert to cross, so was quite grateful. The part was waiting for me at the coffee shop next door.

The wide flat basins on US 50 are separated by mountains with passes, and this day we counted ten. The prize for getting across the big flats and climbing the pass was the twisty decent down the other side. As I said yesterday, the handling of the car continues to amaze me. I just don't want to wreck it before we complete the event tomorrow. I met yet another Friend Of Jack in the small town of Ely. Not from the Mother Earth News blog this time, but from his home town. They spend the summer touring remote desert country. Jack had planned to meet us here in Carson City but has yet to turn up. Jay thinks that a leaking battery may have spilled battery acid onto the electric motor which would mean he's done. Michael and the boys are working on it tonight and we are hoping for a nice finish with all three cars tomorrow

I know this is supposed to be about Dirigo, but what is there to say about a little car that just keeps on pulling day after day? This leg was 450 miles, and the last bit was on freshly paved black asphalt well after the morning clouds had parted. I could feel the weight of the heat squeezing into the car from below. Why don't we add white dye as a knod to global climat change? The car never even thought of over- heatingI, and I managed to get a dip in a cool reservoir just outside of Carson City, but even dressing a dripping wet body offered short relief. But I'm not complaining. While Dirigo isn't exactly open motoring, there is still a great connection to the outside world because there are no windows and no radio. One is obligated to contemplate the outside world as it rolls by. I noticed, for example, the bushes at the side of the road were much greener compared to the rest. Must have been rain running off the road. There is a summer monsoon up here, so there had been a lot of rain recently and the desert was much greener than I would ever had imagined.

And then, in Carson City, on time at four for the first time, was Comma Coffee. As usual, there was no welcoming committee of enthuiastic eco-car nuts, but to walk in to Comma after many days of watery coffee and cowboy culture and bask in the art, the food, and the incredibly hip hangers on was well worth crossing a desert for, in not the entire country. Thanks to June and the kids for an exceptional place! Fuel mileage is better now that we're down at 4000', a bit over 60, but still nothing to write home about but I am regardless... 

Everything was big today: Big canyons, gorges, basins and passes. Big weather and wind. The drama of storms over mesas and clouds pouring down canyons with driving rain. Sun in the distance setting distant mountains aglow. I felt like I was driving across the bottom of the ocean in the Utah archipelago. This place must have been a great place to sail before the sea drained out. Dirigo felt very small indeed in this geography, although in keeping with the day's theme of Big, the performance was right up there. I got my car back! Yesterday's huffing and puffing up the pass was gone and we were all about performance, especially as half the day was all downhill. But the mileage wasn't as good as I'd hoped, considering all the downhill: only 80mpg. I think we're still suffering a bit from altitude sickness even though the engine appears to be running well.

Approaching Delta on US 50 we picked up a strong tailwind and were able to cruise along at a good 70 mph will no ill effects. The Camden pit crew would be pulling their hair out in they knew what Dirigo was going through. The valley that comes down from the ridge leading into town is well irrigated and rich with corn, sorgum, and other green stuff I couldn't recognize. There were also piles of huge straw bales that were just waiting to be made into houses. There were longhorn cattle and dairy cows. With all this agriculture it shouldn't have been a surprise to find a welder to repair Dirigo's exhaust. I'd asked at the cafe-hotel where I'd checked in and  it turned out he was sitting right outside eating with his buddies with his welding truck nearby. I asked where his shop was, and he said "right here!"  He had to run off to a fire and took my muffler with him, but I'm sure he'll have it done in the morning. The fine ladies at the Stateline Immanuel Lutheren Church in Kansas appear to be watching over me...

Jay had his best day yet, with eighty miles before he melted two batteries. Some heat insulation didn't get replaced this morning's repair work, but it was still a successful trial.  He'll do another small reconfiguration in the morning and is hoping for even a better run. Tomorrow we meet the elusive Jack, and hopefully we'll all run into Carson City together.

Crack of Dawn

We were up before first light to make the long run over the Continental Divide to Aspen. Jay again had mechanical troubles early and spent the morning shopping for parts. He was able to find what he needed and take an interstate shortcut to Aspen, arriving in time for dinner. Dirigo blasted across I-70 to Colorado Springs where the mountains loomed ahead. The little diesel was working hard by then, missing and smoking and loosing power as we topped 5000. The plains are quite flat, and then there's a left turn and up you go. It's as if someone just plunked a mountain down.

With no turbo to force air in the engine, it was really gasping by now. The power loss at 9000' was significant. Some might say that Dirigo was behaving like a dog, and I would completely agree. This little car was going to do it's owners bidding or die trying. We took a small break to let Michael and Steven catch up, and to cool ourselves down. Dirigo sat in the shade while I eased myself into a section of cold rapids. I stopped at a garage to ask if there was any simple way to adjust the mixture on the diesel. There isn't, but we did clean the air filter, which might have suffered from my side trip up the dirt road in the canyon where I went for a dip.

With clean air at hand we pushed on for the summit at over 12,000'. Drigo was struggling to maintain 20 mph in second gear, blowing an embarrassing plume of unburned fuel into the pristine mountain air. (what little of there is!) We stopped again when the engine temperature hit 230, which it has never done before. I parked the nose into cold wind, took off the hood and engine hatch cover to get better ventilation. The wind was quite cold and strong up there, and coming from directly ahead. Still making 20 mpg around the final switch-back, we made the summit to much fanfare from the support crew.

Now, I've been driving this car for over 3000 miles, but never knew that beneath that diminutive outlook lay a serious sports car. As a reward for so gallantly climbing the pass, I let Dirigo run down the backside on Independence Pass  fast. It is a long twisting decent into the Roaring Fork valley and the only limits on handling the turns was this drivers' cojones. It was the drive of a lifetime, no traffic and the turns and twists just kept coming and Dirigo just kept gobbling them up. I didn't see much of the scenery on the way down (I'd my my share on the slow climb up…) but it was a small price to pay for experiencing the exhilaration of this cars handling ability.

Nobody was waiting to see us here in Aspen, but as usual, there was a great tide of spontaneous interest from a broad spectrum of people. I never tire of the smiles and good vibes this car generates. Could it be that if we all drove Dirigos the world would be a happier, more peaceful place? Consider that the prime body styling objective of  most car makers seems to be aggression. There's a road sign here in Colorado which offers a number to call if you experience road rage. Hmmmm.

Jay, Jesse and Steven have just finished working on the Stealth, and we'll take off together in just a few minutes. Our host here in Aspen, old friend Pat Milligan, has put us up in fine style and we are all very grateful. A good friend from back in Camden had insisted we have a couple of drinks on her if we actually made it, which we did and so we did!

Just heard from Mr. McCornack and he's soon on the way. And thanks to Denny's garage for putting my mind at ease yesterday regarding Dirigo's transmission. It was running very hot and Evan, Dirigo's crew chief, and I were,t sure which nut is the transmission oil fill so I was convinced we filled from the one that allowed less oil in the gearbox, hence the very hot to the touch. He laid his greasy hand upon the lost soul and behold: all is fine. They're supposed to be hot, so I'll have to find something else to worry about.

Off to Aspen!

We're in the land of long, straight roads. Excellent for mileage runs, but with the long legs and the way so many people come out to admire Dirigo wherever we stop, we have to run at top speed to make it to the next town on time. We were an hour late to Lincoln yesterday; our one lone fan was about to leave when he saw Dirigo coming. Today I thought we were making good time so I got serious about mileage and put the windows in to improve aerodynamics. I set the cruise control at 50 mph and drove. The thermometer said 110 in the cockpit, but after two 60mpg legs I was determined to see how well we could do. I wanted drive  for at least 100 miles. Considering the thin air and gradual climb up the western slope of the Rockies, I awarded Dirigo 88mpg. How nice to come across Glen Elder Lake a few miles later and jump in for a quick dip.

From there it was nearly a straight line to Colby, but look: there's a turn in the road! A nice, sweeping ninety degree turn. What fun: an actual turn. I was grinning ear to ear! We pulled in to Colby and found one fan waiting for us. Well, for Jack, actually. Jack has quite the fan base. But I guess I was okay, too, as Tom invited me to dinner and his charming wife Tina made a wonderful pot roast.  The Colby Free Press ace reporter Vera Sloan chased me across town and finally caught me at the court house for an interview.

Approaching the Nebraska-Kansas line there was nothing but corn and fields. Rounding a long curve a silver shingled steeple appeared, so I pulled over. Why would there be a church way out here? They're such in town institutions. Now, we know by know that Dirigo draws crowds, so I was chuckling to myself that no one  would ever show up here on a Monday morning. I was basking in the awesome tranquility of shades of green rolling away to the horizon; truly a spiritual place that the early settlers must have felt, when a pick-up parked next to me and a woman stepped out. Soon another arrived and in a matter of minutes there were a dozen charming ladies wondering about the car. They were farm women so asked about horsepower, transmission, engine, and all those good nuts and bolts questions. What an absolute treat! They gave me a tour of the church, asked for a post card from California (I can't bail out now!) and wished me Godspeed.

Jack is still delayed and we don't know where we'll find him, but are hoping for Aspen tomorrow. Jay got the Stealth fixed at a welding shop in Lincoln. I got a small amount of grief for telling Michael that brining a welder would be overkill and how it's nice to meet locals sometimes...Then Jay fried a trailer bearing, replaced that, and the tow car began to act up. He managed to fix that, too, and still make it to Colby before dark and get interviewed by Vera. We're planning on an early start so we'll have plenty of time to work our way through the heart of the Rockies.

By Michael Stephano:

We are in Lincoln NE. It has been quite a day. Bill had a nice run. We showed up a little late down at the Haymarket District in Lincoln. There was one guy who actually showed up and was waiting for us. Jay and the Trihybride Stealth Car had a problem early on in the day but showed up tonight with Stephen and I at the Hotel outside Lincoln.

Jays car is still under development, and you could consider this the sea trials. Dave in the Hudson Stinger turned back. He rode along for a bit this morning , but had other commitments in Michigan. Tomorrow we head across the plains to Colby Kansas. One day closer to the finish.

Bill is couch surfing tonight and had the car parked out front of the home he is staying in. A neighbor named Jerry has been following the blog. I guess he was a little surprised to see Dirigo parked across from his house.

I just spoke with Jack who is covering plenty of his own miles and will be meeting us shortly to finish the Rally.

It has been a lot of fun today. Peoples reactions to Dirigo are great.

The small town of Knoxville swells to nearly 25,000 people on this weekend of the Knoxville Nationals, a famous Sprint car race series. The place is thick with campers, motor homes, and people in race car tee shirts. In spite of the human density here, Knoxville hospitality is superb. The owner of the retirement home in which we are staying dug into her mother's trunk to find her collection of crocheted bed spreads to spruce up the mattresses they had laid out for us in the empty rooms.

We have been treated like race car celebrities. Everyone loves the cars, and it's so inspiring to speak with these clever farmers who really seem to grasp the urgency of fuel efficiency and have clever solutions to deal with it. One fellow has developed a sweet sorgum harvester and processor to convert sorgum to ethanol at a fraction of the energy intensity it takes to convert corn to ethanol. Another guy has a company which captures methane gas from landfills to power on-site generators that pump electricity back into the grid. He told me that there are 1200 landfills in this country that simply burn off the methane. Makes you want to scream! He's attempting to develop a market for the gas in the transportation sector.

We were lined up for the parade with 150 others after a pancake breakfast that just couldn't be beat, complete with maple syrup freshly delivered from Maine. The parade wound through the center of town with sidewalks solid with people, waving and cheering. In front of the grand  courthouse the mayor introduced each float as they passed. I suspect that no one along the route had ever seen a three wheeled car, let alone three in a row.  Our wonderful handler, Bob Colbert, led us back to the race track for an afternoon of meet and greet in the midwestern sun. We generally had delightful conversations, but there was one guy with whom I knew I just shouldn't discuss politics. Some time these things happen in slow motion and you just see yourself sinking deeper and deeper until there is no easy way out. When he proudly boasted he'd never buy a communist car (because they both had accepted federal money), I assumed he meant GM and Chrysler. It was time to go for a drink of water.

But this is what we're here for: it's not *all* oohs and ahhs...

We came back to the retirement home where we're staying to get the cars ready for the first leg tomorrow. Jay had a loose drive belt to tighten, and I investigated a transmission oil leak. We'll try to find a new seal in Lincoln.

Jack McCornack has been delayed a few days and will meet up with us in Kansas.