Blythe or Bust!  by Marc E* Zorn

Greg and I ate our tacos and joked about how we could solve the world's
energy needs by breeding hamsters and putting tiny generators on their
treadmills.  This topic wasn't any more odd than the others we'd had on
our weekly taco run.  The conversation wandered a bit more, but got back
to our EV1s, something a little more conventional.

I had my EV1 for just over a month.  It seemed to take just about that
time for me to fully adjust to driving an electric car as my primary
transportation.  We talked about all the new experiences I had gone
through.  Greg had his car for just over a year, and was delighting in
hearing me relay many of the same experiences he'd gone through just
months earlier.

We talked about dispelling the myths of electric cars.  The biggest one
in people's minds is that you can't take them on long trips.  Kris
Trexler had proven that wrong with his "Charge Across America".  Greg
had just returned from driving his car to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. 
Clearly, it can be done.

I wanted to meet some of the drivers from Arizona.  Somehow, we came up
with the idea of meeting at Blythe, at the California/Arizona border for
an EV1 Detente of sorts. We could all camp and charge at any number of
RV parks at the river.  "BLYTHE OR BUST!"

After putting this suggestion on the mailing list, there was a flurry of
email from both SoCal and Phoenix EV1 drivers.  It was decided to hold
this EVent in mid-April, which would be warm enough to camp, but cool
enough to drive across the desert.

A few SoCal drivers got together for dinner to plan.  There was instant
comraderie.  It was an odd mix of backgrounds from social work to
electrical engineering.  We all had our own perspectives, yet, we all
had this unique driving trip in common.

Though, there were a couple of folks that planned to drive from Arizona,
timing conspired to prevent them from coming out (this time).  This
didn't deter the rest of us.  We even made stickers emblazened with
"BLYTHE OR BUST!"

Everything was ready.  There were eight of us in six EV1s; Bob Hadden,
Greg Hanssen, Lisa and Bill Korthof, Bill Mason, Nick and Bob Seldon,
and Marc Zorn.  We'd be driving from as far as Thousand Oaks and as near
as City of Orange.  The plan was to drive out early on Saturday morning
and meet at a park near the Palm Springs City Hall where there were
outlets set up for electric vehicles.  We would meet at lunchtime.  

Walt Laffranchini, a Palm Springs resident and EV1 driver, had arranged
electric access, lunch, and to have the local media meet us for a little
press conference.  It was exciting to see a camera crew when I drove
in.  They got my big smiling face on tape, which would play on the news
that evening in the Cochella Valley.  

We showed up in two waves.  When we all arrived, we got to pose for a
picture or two, including a Palm Springs local who showed up with an
electric car from the turn of the LAST century (a Baker Electric).

The folks that showed up earlier hit the road for the next stop in
Desert Center at an RV park halfway from Palm Springs to Blythe.  The
drive was long and steep.  As the driver with the strongest battery
pack, I called up the folks in the second wave and told them to get as
much charge as they'd be willing to get before leaving.  This became
important advice.

When the last two cars showed up, they were both at minimum charge. 
This turned out to be the defining moment of the journey.  The last two
cars had battery packs with rather small capacity.  The two drivers,
Bill Mason and Bob Hadden were nervous, relieved, and elated at the same
time.  The leg from Palm Springs to Desert Center was also the most
difficult leg of the whole trip.  If they could make that one leg, we'd
all be in good shape for anything else. This was the limit we all wanted
to push.

Dinner at the local cafe in Blythe was a blast.  The food was TERRIBLE,
but it didn't matter.  We all chatted up a storm with our experiences. 
This trip was a milestone for all of us, even Greg.  We all agreed that
we'd do it again in an instant.

Bob Hadden and I were the only ones to pack for camping.  We headed to
an RV park by the river.  It felt like most of the RV park came to greet
us when we plugged our chargers in.  We answered the usual flood of
questions, and handed out GM's FAQ sheet to a dozen or so.  

After about a half an hour of sitting among countless RV generators,
bright lights, and noisy neighbors, Bob and I decided to join our
comrads in town.  Camping wasn't going to be as much fun as we expected,
and $34 for a room at Motel 6 was looking like a pretty good deal.

The next morning we all met again for breakfast.  There would be two
waves again.  This time, the cars with the lower battery capacities
would start off first.  That way, the other cars would catch up with
them along the way.

Greg and I decided to go to downtown Blythe and find some distinguishing
sign along side which we'd take a picture or two.  "Shop Blythe" was on
an island in the middle of the main street.

We all met again at the Desert Center RV park.  This would be the last
time we'd be together until the next EV1 Club meeting.  We snapped lots
more pictures, and waited for the cars to charge.  The mid-morning sun
felt glorious among breaths of the desert air rich with sage.  We all
smiled silently, then silently drove our cars back to the highway.  

We split off in Palm Desert to charge at various public stations.  Greg
and I grabbed lunch near Saturn of Cathedral City.  As we ate, we looked
at the clouds rolling in to threaten us.  When we returned to the cars,
a weather report said that the LA Basin was getting pounded with rain. 
Almost as soon as we got in our cars, it started to sprinkle.

As we headed into the Banning Pass, the sprinkle became torrential
downpour.  In the distance behind us, we saw a familiar light pattern on
a car.  Soon, Greg and I were joined by Bob Hadden.  

Somewhere west of Cabazon, my cellphone rang.  It was Bob.  He was
getting low on charge, and wanted to know where a close charger was that
was on his way.  Greg and I escorted him to the Moreno Valley Mall. When
we showed up, Lisa and Bill Korthof were charging, but were ready to
unplug. Greg and I quickly bid everyone (a wet) adieu and headed to the
Metrolink Station in Riverside.  

After charging for about a half an hour, Greg and I realized we had
plenty enough to get home.  I was amazed how well the EV1 handled in
hard rain on the freeway.  

I pulled in at home at about 6pm on Sunday.  I had yet another grin that
could only be described as an "EV1 Smile", and it lasted for days
without fading.  I could now count myself among the more hardcore EV1
drivers.  I'm smiling as I write this, too.