Here We Are Tour Diary: Wheels Down
Detroit Rock City
Landing in Detroit, brimming with anticipation, I admire the rebirth of a city once forgotten. Underdogs. I can relate.
Detroit holds a special place in my heart. It’s the birthplace of my maternal grandfather, a prominent mentor during my adolescence. Wandering the streets, I imagine my grandfather hanging in the green room of a smoky, dimly lit jazz club interviewing Duke Ellington for his high school newspaper.
Afterwards, he’s sitting in an ice cream parlor, gazing out the window savoring a Sanders hot fudge sundae while pondering his future. Little did he know, his grandson would be exploring his stomping grounds en route to pick up an electric RV to drive across the country. Little do we all know.
Dragging my bags into the hotel room, I slink down into a typical faux bougie loveseat. I can’t stop staring at my bags. Snap out if it. Meditate. Pick up the phone. Text Sam. What’s next? One step at a time. I should check out the RV before pick up tomorrow morning and finally face my destiny.
Rolling up to Grounded RV’s HQ, I pass Newlab and the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. I reminisce on the start-up showcase and happy hour we co-hosted there only a few months ago. I also got to record a podcast episode with Bloom’s Justin Kosmides.
The electric RV tour wasn’t even a thought then. Oh how much can change in such little time.
Nothing but goosebumps as we approach Grounded’s dock bay door. There it is, in all its beauty. The vehicle wrap design looked awesome on a computer monitor, but IRL...wow…The CTC neon yellow pops like a highlighter. I couldn’t wait for the words “climate tech” to stand out like a sore thumb in the Midwest.
While admiring The Beast, something is clearly amiss…a window. Why in the world is a plastic bag covering the passenger side window? This can’t be good…
Turns out the environmental non-profit that just returned the vehicle used the bag as a window after it was smashed during a break-in. “Wait…so y’all want me to drive through the Northeast and Canada in September…with a plastic bag as a window?” I ask the team. At a loss for words and processing, they shrug.
Deeply concerned, “where the heck is Sam?” I implore. Sam appears from his office. Fresh off a flight from a trip, Sam was also inspecting the RV for the first time. Alright, deep breath. Crisis mode, where I excel. We’ve got this.
I huddle with the Grounded team as they brainstorm ideas. It’s 4pm. Options are limited. The RV windows are irregularly shaped and need to be ordered directly from the manufacturer. The only solution seems to be shaping a piece of plexiglass as a temporary substitute.
The engineering team resists and begins listing off excuses…it’s almost 5pm…we’ll have to completely remove the door…we need a machine to cut the plexiglass…on and on. This is GOING to happen, I keep telling myself.
“Have you seen Apollo 13?” I ask the group. “They had something we don’t have,” an engineer responds. “What’s that?” I retort. “Time,” he says.
“Well, you all have something they didn’t have,” I shoot back. “And what’s that?” he digs in. “Gravity.” He chuckles, loosening up. “Not to mention tools and a reliable oxygen supply. All they had was cardboard and freakin’ duct tape,” I continue, “I believe in you all. You can do this.” Everybody sighs and nods. Phew…they’re bought in. My job’s done here. There’s nothing more I can do.
I leave the Grounded team to pull off a small miracle and grab a pint and some Detroit style deep dish. I earned it. Sipping a local ale to wash down a bite of Detroit’s cheesy goodness, I remind myself how grateful I am to be right here, right now, and to have this opportunity. What can go wrong will go wrong. What matters most is how I respond.
I walk back to the hotel to clear my head, passing by a bright green billboard with huge white bold font reading: WITNESS A CHAMPION RISE. Word.
Waking up to a brisk, sunny morning I’m eager to get on the road while wondering whether the RV has a passenger side window or not. Pulling up to Grounded’s HQ, this time with luggage and equipment in tow, I leap out of the Uber and jog towards The Beast. Yes!! Two windows!! We’re golden.
Turning on the car for the first time when starting a road trip can have an incredibly surreal feel to it. IYKYK. I crank some Zeppelin and hit the…gas? Driving down the highway, I pass exit signs for Ann Arbor, where my mother was born.
Now I’m reborn, turning the page to a new chapter of my life.
What an intro.
Chicago, here we come!
