Hot Rod Power Tour Day 5!

Imagine sleeping soundly and awaking to the sound of running water and your 3 year old son saying "waterfall mommie, waterfall!" That is what woke us up yesterday.

I sprung into action very quickly to see that my son had turned on the sink water and the plug was in the drain. One thing to know about an RV's bathroom sink is there is no overflow drain... so the water just runs over... There was a little bit of water on the floor that I quickly mopped up with my towel.

So now that the adrenaline is pumping, we got ready for the day and headed into Ames, IA. When we left our campground just outside of Des Moins and were driving in, it was storming and very rainy, and the overall forecast looked like it was going to be a generally miserable day - but not this day! My prayer for today was that the clouds part and the storm rolls back for the show, and then it can come back when we are done. And that is EXACTLY what it did, God is faithful, and when we pray and ask and have faith (believe that He will do it) - it will happen!

The day was a bit windy, but we kept everything from flying away by keeping the tents secured down with ratchet straps - we had pounded stakes into the asphalt. As the road crew was setting up - there were already people there and one guy was invited into the trailer during the rain. He was so thankful to have been invited in out of the rain that he came back later and thanked us not only for the hospitailty, but also for what we were here for - the message of salvation both on our DRIVEN1 business cards and the flyers we are handing out.

Several of the people that showed up today were curious not only about the car, but about what we do as the AV company. There were at least 6 people that I talked to personally who stopped by to ask a question about the car which then transitioned into talking about AVE and what we do. It is definately unconventional marketing, but it is reaching people we would have never otherwise reached. Some of these people are in the market now for some products, some are looking to build a new building... so we have been keepin track to follow up with them.

My boys are doing well - Eli has been out checking out all the hot rods and talking all about daddy's work... and Malachi, well he's just plain old happy...

I have to say the entire family is doing very well and I'd say for living in a motorhome for 2 weeks we are having a great time. I'm sure once we get home we will think that it's sooo big compared to a motorhome. I do have to say it is really my preferred way to travel with a family.

So what's next you ask? Well first off there is a pretty major detour in getting from Albert Lea to Rochester - as it was raining again like cats and dogs on our way into the KOA kampground. Having no windshield wipers on the GTO makes it for an interesting time - I had applied another fresh coat of Rain-X just before we left Ames last night and I have to say that stuff works wonders. So today is Rochester, MN and I'm expecting a beautiful day and a great turnout at our booth. We have Nick back at the AVE office calling around inviting people out to our booth and following up on all the leads we are getting on the power tour.

The GTO has been running well - a few bugs here and there we have been working out with the TCI transmission guys, the Air Ride suspension guys, and a few others. Overall the car is actually getting really good fuel economy seeing how big/heavy/powerful it is. I'm by no means driving it to achieve great MPG's but last night driving to MN I got over 20 MPG... Once we have the overdrive in it and get it all tuned to the max I'm sure high 20's to lower 30MPG will be realistic with the car. The funny thing about it is that this car other than my wifes diesel car (VW Passat TDI) it's the most fuel efficent car I own. My Volvo station wagon barely gets 20 MPG, and my truck also is not that good... but it sure can tow!

Ok, so what's the bottom line? We are out here on this mission to cure the world of bad audio and to let them know about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. All the printed materials for DRIVEN1 have the salvation message straight from the word of God. There have been numerous people that have walked up thanking us for doing it, as well as people that want to know the story... and what I mean by the story is what does a car and an AV company have in common and why are we here? Well at risk of repeating myself - it's really two things...

- to meet new people and open up opportunities for business

- to let people know about the saving grace of Jesus

A simple mission... now let's get out there and do it!

-till tomorrow!