We're mobile again and pausing in Winslow, Arizona, after fixing our fuel filter problems.

Cody takes a break from road-side repairs.

Here's how we spent Sunday in the fine Arizona community of Kingman working to get our 1978 International Harvester back on track to finish our California-Georgia road trip fueled by biodiesel:

After a late night getting the Scout freed from its confines on the road out of Grand Canyon West, we slept in a little and had a nice big breakfast at Denny's. We then set out on our daily errands and attempted to get the Scout back up to road-trip condition.

Our main task was to get the fuel tank pumped clear of all of the various substances and residues we'd put in it over the past 1,200 miles. We first tried calling various repair shops and truck stops, to no avail. Then we were directed to Great West Truck Center, a large semi truck service shop that was right there in town.

Thanks to the help of Steve and Debbie at Great West, we were able to get the tank pumped with a minimum of hassle. Apparently what was in there smelled a lot like acetone and had a very strange consistency - prime for clogging things!

With that taken care of, we headed across the way to the Flying J to fill up some good old harmless No. 2 diesel, and used their parking lot as a makeshift shop to switch out our tank. After a quick priming of the system, we were up and running comfortably. Success!

Then it was time to clean the two-and-a-half days of desert dust out of the Scout's interior. We also took the opportunity to change the air filter and the oil, which, from the look of its filter, was something we should have done already. Everything went fairly smoothly here, and the Scout seems much happier for it.

We then had some very delicious Mexican food at Alphonso's as a last stop before leaving Kingman and heading to Winslow.

Our original plans were to go to Taos, New Mexico, over the weekend, but due to our unexpected troubles we had to cancel those plans and push it straight to Roswell - voted on by CNN.com users among three other choices (ironically including Winslow). Our stop in Winslow is basically aimed at cutting our drive time into more manageable chunks.

We'll see you Monday at 9:40 a.m. on CNN.com Live, when we'll show you the odd way we rigged the fuel line to get us out of the Grand Canyon.

- Brian

Posted by: Brian Hardy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

The Scout is out! After two days of tinkering, we managed to coax our 1978 International Harvester Scout into making the two-and-a-half hour drive from Grand Canyon West to Kingman, Arizona. Here in Kingman, we have better access to auto parts suppliers and mechanics.

This is the latest development in a fuel-filter saga that started Friday - delaying our attempt to drive the Scout from California to Georgia using only biodiesel fuel.

Here's how we got the vehicle out of "no man's land" at Grand Canyon West: We temporarily bypassed the fuel tank and rigged a new fuel supply line to a fuel can in the back of the Scout.

But we burned through a ton of fuel during the limp to Kingman. And what's worse, before we can continue our biofuel road trip, we have to figure out how to repair the fuel filter clogging problem. We have to find someone to help us clean out the fuel tank - which should be an interesting chore on a Sunday.

Because of this delay our schedule will have to be shuffled. We'll keep you posted on what's going to happen as soon as we know for sure ourselves.

– Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

The old Nissan diesel engine in the Scout had, as of Friday morning,  taken us about 1,200 miles without incident. Unfortunately, the incident we were already wary of happened just as we were attempting to leave the ranch at Grand Canyon West: Our fuel system clogged up.

Our broken down Scout in Grand Canyon West, Arizona.

One of the issues with using biodiesel in high concentrations is its tendency to act as a powerful solvent on the various engine components it touches. This leads to premature breakdown of anything made of rubber, and on top of that, it cleans out your engine and fuel tank of any gunk that might have built up over its life as a diesel.

In our case, we seem to be suffering more from the fact that the previous person to install fuel lines on the Scout decided to use that stretchy surgical plastic tubing, which our biodiesel made short work of. It turned into goo from the inside out, and the goo went straight into our fuel filter.

We thought we were prepared for this. We had enough fuel line of decent quality to replace the surgical tubing. The four spare filters we have with us should have provided an easy way to fix the rest, but we soon found out that they were all the wrong size - much to our chagrin.

Thanks to the extremely helpful staff and maintenance crew (especially Dave), we were able to change the deteriorating fuel lines and do as thorough a cleaning of the fuel filter as we could. Things seemed to be working great. It was time for a big ranch lunch.

After lunch, we set out again to leave, only to make it a few hundred feet before running smack into the same problem. Dave from maintenance towed us to their shop, and we spent another hour or so cleaning the fuel filter and cracking injector lines and wishing and hoping. We left there, fingers crossed, and made it halfway down the road out before the great clog returned again, with a vengeance.

We then rather frantically researched ways to resolve this situation. Our first thought was to join AAA, and we did. As it turns out, they refuse to tow from where we are. A nice waste of time, effort and money that was. The only local wrecker service we could get in touch with demanded $800 in cash. So instead we got a ride with our new buddy Dave, who was going home by way of the nearest city.

Which brings us, eventually, to our current locale: a motel in Kingman, Arizona. We have a new mission now, which is to get the Scout running again ASAP. We desperately need to find a new fuel filter, and we'll probably have to rent a car to do it.

Though this turn of events is unfortunate, I suppose it's a good thing that it didn't happen in the middle of the desert. The road trip must continue!

– Brian

Posted by: Brian Hardy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

I just got off the Grand Canyon West Skywalk and I have to tell you that it's breathtaking and amazing. It's difficult to put into words but it's truly a unique experience. I plan to post a photo later to give you an idea what it's like to walk out on a see-through glass platform that extends 65 feet over a 4,000-plus-foot drop to the canyon floor! Yikes!

The Skywalk hangs out about 65 feet off the canyon rim.

Our 1978 Scout truck is giving us mechanical problems for the first time since we began our journey five days ago. It appears to be a problem with a clogged fuel filter, which is a common glitch when running on biofuel - especially in an older vehicle - as we're doing. Kind maintenance people here at the Skywalk have offered their expertise on the problem.

I wanna give a shout out to a previous poster, Nic "Scoutman" Hawker, who offered us advice on keeping Scout engines cool. Please send us some contact info, Nic. We'll be in touch.

And last night, in another challenging development, we followed some dubious directions en route to the Skywalk. Those directions took us on a two-hour unintentional detour down a 56-mile dirt road. We made it here OK, but as you can imagine, that was, um, fairly interesting.

So far, we've trucked some 1,200 miles and purchased about 40 gallons of biofuel since departing San Francisco toward our final destination in Atlanta.

Internet access via cell is very spotty here. Hope to send more info/pics soon.

Thanks for followin' along with us!

– Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

We bugged out of Hoover Dam to get breakfast, pick up a FedEx package ( more on that later) and arrange our next biofuel fill up. It gets hot here fast.

We filled up at Haycock before heading to Arizona.

Earlier, when we arrived at Hoover Dam at sunrise, it took less than an hour for the sun to reach scorching intensity.

And the next few days don’t look any cooler. My iPhone weather outlook shows triple-digit temperatures through early next week.

Meanwhile, as we attempt to drive from California to Georgia on biodiesel fuel, our 1978 Scout is thirsty, and Haycock Petroleum came through for us. Haycock is a wholesaler to area Sinclair stations, which in turn sell B5 to retail consumers. Although we aren’t a retailer, Haycock let us fill up the Scout and a fuel can with their higher-blend fuel. Maybe this will get us to Grand Canyon.

C ya,

Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

Wow! The Hoover Dam visit was spectacular! During our 9:40 a.m. ET appearance on CNN.com Live, we showed how HUGE this thing is..

Hoover Dam's 726 feet are testing my nerves during the CNN.com broadcast.

According to the dam's Web site, it's constructed with enough concrete to pave a 16-foot wide highway from New York City to San Francisco. We spoke with two professors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tom Piechota and Bill Smith, who explained critical water-conservation issues and whether hydroelectric power can fit into the nation's future energy plans.

Next, we hit the road to Arizona's Grand Canyon, where we plan to check out the skywalk, a glass platform that juts out beyond the canyon rim and hangs about 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. Should be quite a view.

More to come...

– Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

Wednesday was quite the full day for us, as we blogged, broadcasted and outfitted our 1978 Scout while trekking through the desert heat of California and Nevada. (See our "vlog" video blog about it here.)

Yes we're staying in a hotel. It's mercifully close to where our live shot is on Thursday.

In the morning, we drilled holes in the Scout to mount solar panels that will power our gadgets.

Then after lunch (see blog entry below), we picked up a spare tire (don't tell my mom we drove 500 miles without one!) and headed out toward Vegas.

We made it to Barstow, California, before the heat got to us, the Scout and our batteries. My ever-drained, precious iPhone just wouldn't charge.

We took the opportunity to cool the truck off by parking in a lonely spot of shade outside a True Value home center. Several friendly staffers informed us that it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit and that we should be driving at night, when tempuratures are cooler.

After getting the solar panels installed we headed out on the road again. The Scout's temperature gauge occasionally climbed to previously unseen heights. We muddled through and finally arrived at our motel - which is mercifully only minutes away from Hoover Dam.

See ya at the dam!

- Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

It's 12:30 p.m. and we just finished lunch at a Bakersfield, California, favorite called Luigi's Deli. The food and service were outstanding ( especially our sweet waitress ).

Co-pilot Brian and his sis' Amy, who graciously allowed us to crash at her place Tuesday.

After being up since 4 a.m. and having nothing but a few crackers and some sanity-supplying coffee, delicious food and blessed air conditioning was a welcome break. We spent the first part of the day shooting video of a fuel factory and interviewing a doctor who makes his own biodiesel fuel. We also posted a new photo gallery.

Now, we're headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, and nearby Hoover Dam. Along the way we hope to attach a pair of solar panels on the roof of our 30-year-old vehicle (with no a/c) to help keep the gadgets charged. Pretty cool.

See ya at 9:40 a.m. ET on CNN.com Live atop the massive Hoover Dam!

Cody

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

Our search for biodiesel took us through some California back-roads.

"Let me tell you, CA 49 is a little frightening."

Let me tell you, CA 49 is a little frightening. Its narrow path winds and jackknifes through the mountains outside Yosemite National Park – with the smoke of wildfires looming over the horizon.

We then turn off onto a stretch of aged and cracked pavement called Mount Bullion Cutoff, which made up for the lack of stomach-dropping heights with increased narrowness, potholes designed to swallow
lesser cars, and even tighter twists and turns.

Our trek did bear fruit – we managed to squeeze a few gallons of B100 (100 percent biodiesel) from a small cooperative, giving us a roughly 50/50 blend of dino-diesel to bio.

However it did add more than two hours to our trip time. At one point the Garmin Nuvi 880 navigator we're testing reported our average miles per hour (including Monday's drive into Yosemite) at 38.

So far we've purchased 5 gallons of regular diesel and about 13 gallons of biodiesel since leaving the Bay area. We heard there's a pump in Bakersfield where we hope to fill up tonight.

Posted by: Cody McCloy
Filed under: environment • Road trip

It took much longer than we expected to drive our 30-year-old International Harvester Scout from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park. Because we spent a lot of time looking for a spare tire before we hit the road, we didn't get under way until 3:30 p.m. local time.

The park was shrouded in smoke from a nearby wildfire.

The vehicle, which you may recall we purchased sight unseen online, is getting roughly 22 miles per gallon. Sadly, our attempts to find a biodiesel fueling station located in Big Oak Flat, California, fell short. The station we were looking for was closed. As a result we had to put five gallons of regular fuel in the tank, in hopes that we'll find a biofuel station elsewhere.

It was 8 p.m. and the sun was setting when we finally arrived at Yosemite… the park shrouded in a bit of smoke from a nearby wildfire outside the park that has blackened about 29,000 acres and destroyed 25 homes and 27 other buildings.

Today, Kari Cobb of the National Park Service told us that, surprisingly, attendance at Yosemite is remaining the same this year, despite the slow economy and high gas prices because of an influx of more foreign visitors.

More to come...

–Cody

Filed under: environment • Road trip