Day 5. Orem, Utah to Bonneville Salt Flats to San Francisco, CA. 774 miles

Once Mack and I got everything put away and ready for the day I went into Ready Gunner and just fell in love! I walked in and saw guns, a shooting range, and coffee… I’m not sure if I cried or not, probably had some lip quivering and watery eyes, but I felt so at home and American. I hung out and talked about guns and coffee for about 1 hour. This was so wonderful! We need more coffee / gun stores!

After having my first cup of Black Rifle Coffee Company coffee I knew this company was the real deal. I never support companies unless I believe in them. This company is amazing and has American values and ideals at the forefront of every action. I can always find ways to support these kinds of companies compared to the huge, main-stream anti-American companies operating all over this country.

Upon leaving Ready Gunner I set out to visit Black Rifle Coffee Company in Salt Lake City, UT. They are affiliated and work together as some of the owners are part of both companies. This combination of patriotism and quality products / services is top notch and should be looked at as way to do business in America moving forward. They have unity, a mission, and a purpose people can believe in as I do.

I met Jeff Kirkham and he graciously gave me a tour of the facility and several goodies! Everything at Black Rifle Coffee Company is done in-house and their coffee experts travel the world for the best coffee beans possible. They are such a great group of people creating the best coffee and camaraderie despite all the madness out in the world today. These people give me hope. They also gave me a ton of coffee! Throughout the trip I would be giving these bags away to special people as token of appreciation.

After my stop in Salt Lake City I needed to get on the road again making mileage. I mapped out the route which would take me to Interstate 80 heading west to San Francisco. This was the last day of the trip so I had to make it to the bridge. I had enough coffee at this point to stay up for 2 days!

Little did I know that I would be passing by BONNEVILLE! The Bonneville salt flats is where land speed records are set for vehicles. The salt is flat, long, and provides a perfect racing surface for race at high speeds. I just had to stop in and experience it myself! We turned and in just a few miles the Blazer of Glory was setting a new world speed record for the 5 fueled truck at a whopping 35 miles per hour. There was no sense in blasting the salt for speed since the blazer is computer controlled to 96 mph and the salt would eat away at the blazer anyway. Maybe next year I’ll prepare for speed week to see what we can stir up!

We drove all day and made our fuel stops as needed. The Rocky Mountains provide so much to look at. It was hot, dry, and largely uneventful. My next goal was to wake up and see the Golden Gate Bridge on the day we were to fly the flag. With the GPS set to San Francisco we pressed on and on. Finally at 11:58 pm we saw the bridge! After finding a parking spot right on the ocean, I shut the motor off and was calmed by the waves of the ocean. San Francisco is a cold, and windy city. Being right on the ocean with a cold Pacific breeze at night is something special. The fog was heavy and the bridge had a slightly cold and eerie presence with its yellow lights and red paint. The last thing to do was wake up the next day, walk the folded American flag to the center of the bridge, unfold it, and let it freely fly for the Fallen 5.

Thank you to our sponsors and contributors for making this mission possible!

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Joshua Kapellusch

Day 5, 2018

Day 4. Colorado Springs to Pikes Peak to Orem, UT. 614 miles

Waking up on day 4 was amazing. Mack and I survived the cold wind and rain and I felt refreshed. Honestly, I believe the good sleep was from not getting any the night before. Also, seeing the Rocky Mountains is very reviving in the morning. After taking some pictures and saying our goodbyes, we departed for the nearest coffee shop to wake up more and get some internet. 

As I sat there staring out at the mountains I couldn’t help but think about which one was Pikes Peak. I then researched it, mapped out the distance, calculated my fuel loads, time for the day’s travel, and calculated the risk of climbing Pikes Peak in the World’s First 5 fueled truck! The fastest Pikes Peak climb record in a vehicle was reset in 2018 so I figured I’d make another record in 2018. The difference between me and Volkswagen is that I set a world record in a vehicle that was self-built from a passion for doing good for others with essentially no media coverage and very small funds…and I’m just one American dude who designed and built the World’s first 5 fueled truck to make a statement and hopefully an impact?

Anyway, despite the risks of breaking down, starting on fire, driving off the mountain, and the lost time from the drive up the mountain, I decided to do it! I made sure my fuel tanks were about half full for natural gas and propane. I only put 10 gallons of gasoline in the Blazer of Glory back in Chattanooga, so I didn’t really need any gasoline. I knew going up I would use natural gas as far as I could, then switch to propane when it started losing power or running rough. As we ascended in elevation I kept a close eye on all my computers and fuel trims. I knew that this would be the most challenging tune of my life driving up Pikes Peak.

Somewhere about halfway up, the natural gas was not happy. It needed more air per fuel ratio and as we drove up there was less air, less power, and the engine was not performing at 100%. I could have kept tuning on natural gas, but I switched to propane and restarted our journey to the top. Once on propane the truck was much happier although I would continue tuning the whole drive up, leaning out the fuel mixture to make sure the engine was running great!

As I climbed higher and higher it got colder and windier. I ended up wearing all my coats and hats to keep warm as it was in the 70’s just a few moments earlier. This is why Pikes Peak is so challenging – the vast change in climate and elevation makes it very difficult to get a car perfectly tuned to race up. As I tuned I drove and that’s when I saw them: 2 Ford Model T’s driving up Pikes Peak together! It was an amazing moment for me as these trucks were innovative for their time, are convertibles like mine, and were still driving so well they could climb Pikes Peak. I felt the importance of the mission and my purpose for the truck. I am taking the memory of the Fallen 5 with me wherever I go and I feel they and God are watching over me on the trip especially when things go wrong. They also seem to create moments such as following these 1925 Ford Model T’s up Pikes Peak, then to park right next to them and compare almost 100 years of automotive technology. How amazing!

After getting too cold and excited it was time to head back down! For this decent Mack and I enjoyed ourselves on the mountain taking in the views, the moment, and capturing photos/video to share. We stopped 2 times to cool our brakes, raised the solar panel to become an aero-brake, drove through a snow-storm, and ate a bit of lunch about ½ way down. After finally getting off the mountain and back on the road it was already 4:00 pm – much later than I anticipated.

As the sun was setting we drove through the Rocky Mountains at almost the same time as last year. Some places were cooler than others we experienced in the openness of the truck. At this point the changes in elevation, temperature, or weather seem to have little affect on my comfort. Mack and I were used to being outside on our 4th day.

After calculating my mileages, fuel loads, fuel stations, and time I set a destination of Salt Lake City, UT. Driving into the night is unpredictable since you don’t actually know how far you can mentally or physically make it. Setting goals and making the mileage no matter the hour is vital to this mission’s success. Sometime after driving countless miles I began thinking about companies and other stops I could make to have a greater impact on others and to honor the Fallen 5.

I researched Ready Gunner in Orem, UT and Black Rifle Coffee Company in Salt Lake City, UT to plan where I would wake up. I chose to sleep at Ready Gunner since I love guns and coffee so what better than to wake up at a coffee / gun shop owned by veterans! The only problem was that I hadn’t had a shower in 4/5 days and I drove so long that when I got to Orem, UT the sun was coming up. I quickly stopped in a Flying J to take my much needed first shower of the trip before arriving at Ready Gunner.

Mack and I were quite tired so I made some shade from one of our American flags and tucked into my sleeping bag. I woke up maybe 2 hours later as the sun rose over the Utah mountains! It was epic! And so calming.

Joshua Kapellusch