After a strenuous first week back on the road, the Tater Team got to breath a little easier after a tame second week, free of hiccups! There were no long and seemingly endless drive days. No fighting the streets of downtown chaos. No mornings that start before sun rise. No festivals or celebrations. Ok… let’s be honest, by “tame” I just mean straight boring! It’s all that commotion that keeps things exciting for the spud trio! As I’m sure everyone can figure out, a boring week leads to somewhat of a boring blog. So for the sake of the amusement and pleasure of our wide spread family of Spud Nation, I will give them the most exciting blog to date!! I don’t think the fans of our six ton potato deserve the agony of reading through a dull jumble of script! So here is the “juiced up” version of the Tater Team’s week!
(P.S This (*) is the small indication in front of the areas that have been tweeked)
The team jump started their week off at a Walmartin Oakland, CA. The crowd’s excitement was contagious as cameras and smiles were coming from every direction! The crew made sure every person had their share of coupons, postcards, and spud bags so no one left empty-handed. * An especially cheerful elder woman approached the team, eager to find out more about the over grown tater. Kaiti shared with her the purpose of their journey and the many stories they have had along the way. Kaiti and Ellis were enjoying her company when faster than either of them could say potato, a large man dressed in dark clothing ripped by the elderly woman, tearing her purse right off her shoulder! The woman screamed in a panic, but the two crew members had already taken off in pursuit. The criminal sprinted through the parking lot but Kaiti and Ellis were hot on his tail! Although the two were pumping their legs as fast as their bodies would allow, Kaiti knew she had to think of something quick if she was going to catch him. Ellis began to taper behind when out of the corner of her eye, Kaiti spotted a vacant bicycle. She veered to the right and jumped on, wasting only a moment of time! Although the bike was made for an eight year old, it would get the job done. Kaiti willed her legs to pump the bike pedals even faster though her muscles screamed in protest. She was only a few feet behind the hooded man and she could tell his burning lungs were getting the better of him. Inches behind! She leaped off the bike in one last burst of energy and tackled the thief to the ground. He willingly gave up the purse out of exhaustion and Kaiti returned it to it’s rightful owner. The woman was so thankful and appreciative that she vowed to only eat potatoes grown in Idaho for the rest of her days. Once the frenzy cooled down, the team packed up and hit the road for San Jose!
On Tuesday, the crew got in touch with their hispanic roots as they made stops at two Mi Pueblos. The stores were filled with authentic mexicans foods, treats, and customs. To top it all off, they were giving away free potatoes! A free ten pound bag to anyone that walked in the store! The shoppers of Mi Pueblo were incredibly welcoming and thrilled with Ellis’s spanish speaking fluency. *When a Mariachi band began blasting their infectious tunes outside the store, all of Ellis’s admires wanted to get him in on all the fun. After much convincing, Ellis was set up with an oversized hat and a guitar! He humored the band and shoppers by playing along and getting the passing folks involved. The event zoomed by with Ellis acting as a Mariachi player and Kaiti interacting with the delighted shoppers. After two quick hours, they fired up the truck and headed to their next destination!
Wednesday called for a quick trip into Salinas to stop by another Walmart, then continue on to San Luis Obispo! The drives were quick trips with each town being just a stone’s throw away. * While trekking to San Luis Obispo, Kaiti was awakened by the sound of Ellis and Paul shouting in astonishment. She could see their wide eyes locked onto something outside of the truck and out of her view. Kaiti followed their gazes outside the window as her eyes slowly focused to the bright sunlight beaming in. As what took place outside the truck unfolded in front of her, she joined in on the gasps of bewilderment. A herd of at least one hundred deer were sprinting and bounding along side the giant spud! The truck was fast but the large assembly had no problem keeping up. The thudding of hundreds of hooves slamming the ground echoed through the air. It was a rare sight that was over too quickly. With one swift movement the racing herd turned and disappeared into the foliage. The team didn’t know where the mass came from or where they were going, but they were baffled by the unique experience.
After a relaxing and rainy day in San Luis Obispo, they hit the road again Friday morning and drove along the breathtaking highway of the 101. Shortly after take off, they rolled into the sunny beach town of Santa Barbara for the weekend. Kaiti and Ellis whipped out the long boards and swim suits to explore the town and blend in with the locals. Albertsons was eagerly awaiting the spud truck’s arrival Saturday morning! The front of the store was decorated with red and yellow balloons, flyers, and a banner. The store manager wanted to make sure all the shoppers had a fun and memorable experience with the 12,000 lb spud! While the Tater Team was working to charm the fans outside, the Albertsons crew was working on them inside! Once they event started, the store was giving away a bag of potato chips for the first hundred shoppers to walk in the door! But thats not all, there were also Hot Potato games for the children, Idaho potato trivia for the adults, and prize bags full of groceries for the winners! Albertsons could not have made the team feel more welcome. The parking lot buzzed with excitement throughout the whole event. (There was no tweeking needed for this paragraph)
As many as you know by now, Sunday equals fun-day! Kaiti and Ellis headed back to the sandy beaches equipped with their longboards, swimsuits, sunscreen, and a volleyball! *The duo even wanted to try their hand at shark wrestling. Sadly, after hours of hunting, no sharks were found to challenge. The two finally called it a day when the sun set and topped their active day off with a sweet fro yo!
Another week gone by and time for another week to begin!
