Peak your Interest

by BEN THUNDERCLOUD

There��s nothing I can do about it; I��m a little bit unstable when it comes to metal in motion. If it��s got wheels, it��s my special friend and I��ll be as loyal as the day is long. Trucks, cars, motorcycles and me �C we forge a special bond that��s both noble and noisy. To add fuel to the fire, if you��ll excuse the expression, I��m also a bit of a whack job when it comes to the environment. I know, I know �C how can I worship the internal combustion engine and yet maintain a strong commitment to downsizing my carbon footprint? As Walt Whitman put it, ��Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)��

I live with my new Chevy Avalanche LTZ in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we spend a fair amount of quality time together, driving the back roads looking for adventure and generally enjoying the outdoor life. In order to strike a balance between my lust for power and my concern about the environment, I specifically chose the Avalanche because its Vortec 5.3L V8 runs on either gasoline or E85 �C a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 is a cleaner-burning, mostly renewable fuel source made primarily from locally-grown biomaterial. Hey, it helps alleviate my conscience.

HR at work was pressuring me to take some time off, so I decided to stretch the Avalanche a little and take a road trip to Colorado Springs in Southern Colorado. I say Colorado Springs, but the real destination was nearby Pikes Peak, one of the most famous mountains in American. At 14,115 feet Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 54 mountains that exceed 14-thousand feet. It��s also the Mecca of uphill racing for a special breed of drivers who race up the mountain in a famous annual race called the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. But more about that later.

Early Friday morning on the 20th of July 2007, I gunned the engine of my Chevy Avalanche into life and we pulled out of the driveway with 250 miles of glorious blacktop between us and Colorado Springs. The drive was perfect �C spectacular scenery, foot-thumping rock and roll on the exquisite Bose? seven-speaker system, and horsepower to spare.

At over a mile high, Colorado Springs is breathtaking in more ways than one. The rugged Southern Colorado geology is spectacular and serves as a reminder of why it��s so important to protect our wide open spaces. After checking in at my motel I made a point of visiting Garden of the Gods, a public park in Colorado Springs containing the most amazing rock formations I��ve ever seen. While I was in the park, the clouds cleared and I got my first glimpse of magnificent Pikes Peak sitting sentinel over a valley of wonders.

The following morning I was up before dawn and on my way in my Avalanche to watch the Race to the Clouds. This is the world's highest auto race and one of the most grueling events in all of motor racing. The start line is at 9,400 feet, and the climb along 156 death-defying curves to the 14,110 foot finish punishes drivers and their vehicles. As the thin air slows reflexes and saps muscle strength, it also robs engines of 30% of their power. Competitors and vehicles must be in top shape simply to finish, let alone win. And what a thrill it was to be there in person to witness Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima from Japan clocking a record-breaking time of 10:01.408. So inspiring in fact, that I��ve started working on a plan to be in Southern Colorado next year as a competitor. Katharine Lee Bates was moved to write the words to the song "America the Beautiful" after having traveled to the top of Pikes Peak on a carriage ride in 1893. Who knows, perhaps I��m also destined to take on the mountain and come out on top in my trusty Chevy Avalanche. Author Bio: When not in his Chevy Avalanche enjoying the great outdoors, Ben Thundercloud spends time reading and contributing to sites targeted at car and truck enthusiasts. Ben is impatiently waiting for someone to develop a high-performance electric truck. For information on the Avalanche, visit coloradochevy.com.