You are probably all on the edge of your seats, wondering where the Krisco Kid is in the vast western landscape. But we’re not going to tell you. Not just yet…
Since you last heard from us, we were making our way toward Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps. The city of gambling riches, entertainment galore, and enough neon casino lights to attract poker players from across the galaxy. You’d think that we’d gobble up the big city life after days on the road and in the Sequoia National Forest, but perhaps it’s just not our natural scene. We spent about one hour walking up and down the strip, and Phil spent a thrifty 35 cents in the slot machines of the MGM Grand casino. He tried to pour a frivolous 45 cents into them, but the nickel slots just wouldn’t accept his dime.
Of all the glitter and gold of Vegas, though, the scene that actually held our gaze the most was the…err…Krispy Kreme donut shop. Seriously. They had a huge viewing window where you could watch the whole automated donut making process. We sat there for a good half hour watching the amazing life cycle of the most mouth-watering pastries created on the planet. And you know what? That frying oil appeared to be pretty high quality as well!
But what about that disagreeable, temper tantrum throwing Kid, you ask? Isn’t he still playing games with you? Well, of course! The Krisco wonder Kid never shows all the cards he has in his hand at once. This time the problem was with the starter motor. Picture this scene:
Two young men wake up after a wild night at club Krispy Kreme and head for the truck. One hops in the driver’s seat (which actually requires unlocking the passenger side and reaching across the cab to the inside handle because that door hasn’t opened from the outside for weeks) and turns the key. No classic Krisco roar. No revving. Not even a click of the ignition. But would the two adventurers be stopped? Would they fall to their knees and have to crawl home? Never! With the glamorous buildings of the New York New York, Luxor Pyramid, and Bellagio casinos towering just 3 blocks away, they throw the Kid into neutral and start pushing it toward the nearest downhill street. The rig picks up speed, the clutch pops, and with a roar, the Krisco Kid comes to life.
This issue, however, has been somewhat unpredictable. Cold weather seems to aggravate it – gelling up the diesel and weakening the battery – but even an already warm engine hasn’t always started again. So for the last several nights we’ve been parking the Kid on the best incline we can find so we can give it a helpful shove in the morning. True to our word and our poor starter motor, we’ve made our way eastward as quickly as possible. Driving late into the night through Utah, we finally set up camp in the mountains in order to rest the engine and get some sleep. After waking up early to frost-covered sleeping bags, we drove 10 minutes (all downhill) and slapped our foreheads with a groan – we had chosen the HIGHEST elevation point in the region to rest!
We made it as far as Glenwood Springs, Colorado that day before we needed to hunt for oil. Within 10 minutes we found over 100 gallons of the cleanest Sushi grease ever. We would have taken it all if not for the fact that the Kid had a David and Goliath sort of match-up with Vail Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel between it and Denver. The Kid didn’t show the same enthusiasm for the grease as we did – it refused to start. Aaron’s mechanical mentor and neighbor, Rick, advised us over the phone that any diesel owner freezing his toes off in the mountains better have some starter fluid handy. So we picked up a can (along with three unsuspecting locals) and soon had the Kid doing laps around the parking lot. The rig bellowed like a Hot Rod and sputtered to life! We thanked the locals and told them we’d be back next year to form the bobsled team for which we have so obviously been training every time we do a push-start.
After this anxious and uncertain engine starting session, there would be no sitting around a campfire with mugs of hot cocoa for us. Instead, we headed straight up into the Rockies while the Kid was still roaring and the night sky was clear of snow. As we neared the lights of Denver we breathed a sigh of relief because home was, quite literally, all downhill from there.
Hopefully these two vegetable oil fanatics left a little grease inspiration on the way out of Colorado though. In Fort Collins, we were invited to Aaron’s cousin Sierra’s 8th grade science classes to tell our story and describe this alternative fuel. Who knows? Maybe one of them will take their first driving test in a grease car!
Now here we are in our 14th state of the Veggie Voyage – Council Bluffs, Iowa. Home for both of us in a way, getting to breathe in that chilly Midwest air. Home for the Krisco Kid too. The truck gets to rest its weary auto parts at Phil’s house and get some careful attention without the pressure of continuing a long journey. Thanks, everyone, for following along with this crazy adventure that began a couple months ago. We’ll still send you some more stories, facts, trip highlights, and/or pictures – it’s not the last you’ve heard from the Krisco Kids just yet!
Phil and Aaron