Colleges and Cows

Flight to the East Photographer's Journal

As the rumor goes, I met Ethan and Alan in the famous Tree Nine in beautiful Santa Cruz. Besides our affinity to climb trees, the BioTour boys and I shared a love for the Earth and a desire to protect it. They told me about the big blue bus and thier need for a photojournalist to document thier incredible journey across country advocating sustainability and healthy democracy.

The nearly 2000 mile-drive from California to Iowa took an exhausting, drive-thru-the-night 48 hours. In Iowa, BioTour visited three Universities and one amazing eco-village, where we spread our message while learning new practices in renewable energy. To read more about Fairfield, please see our Vagabond Journal.

St Benedict and St John's is set in a beautiful setting of trees and lakes. We spoke to interested students at the bus and over pizza later in the evening. The environmental group, Campus Greens, invited us into thier shared house for a big breakfast and discussion of what's happening on campus, where their frustrations lie and what they hope for the future of thier campus.

See photos of environmental student awareness in St. Benedicts and St. Johns University and Preparatory in Saint Paul MN

Our Wisconsin experience started with a visit to the University of Wisconsin at Steven's Point. We parked in the middle of the campus sundial with Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man sitting on a wall behind us. Students flocked to the bus; activists, environmentalists, even a Marine recently returned from the front lines of Iraq stopped to chat and check out our ride. I enjoyed some organic freetrade coffee while speaking to students and the media what I had learned so far on my BioTour peak-oil, alternative energy crash course. I think I did pretty good considering.

See photos at University of Wisconsin's satellite campus, Steven's Point WI

We went out with the environmental crew later that night, rode the bus and chatted about politics and the environment, went to a house to play some music, and got a general tour of Saint Stevens, WI. After a couple days, we took off for an anticipated visit to the annual Holstein Breeder's Breakfast in Barron, WI. We arrived to farm, miles from from pretty much everything, in time to be introduced to some true farmers. Before breakfast, which was at noon and really just a barbeque, I met Luke who works for PrarieFire and donated the Elsbett veggie kit to our bus. He had helped convert the farm's vehicles, both tractors and semi's, to run on vegetable oil made from the rape seed grown at the same farm. Even the husks went to good use feeding the dairy cows in the form of little hamster pellets.

See photos of a heifer of a good time at the Holstein Breeders BBQ in Barron WI

"Seeing and meeting the people of America,” was included the perks of the job description, and this certainly rang true in Barron.* I got to pet prize heffiers, costing up to $50,000, meet the man who breeds them and learn how he does it. We enjoyed a lunch of bbq pig, potato salad, cheese and beer and were fortunate to sit through the prize heiffer competition. While one had "solid shoulders," the winner had "well positioned teets placed well above hocks." Why is no one else giggling?

Madison, Wisconsin is an awesome city with plenty to do. We spent our days in a lakeside house, doing work and watching documentaries. We met a couple doing a similar project as BioTour, called the Live Lightly Tour, only a bit more stylishly. The couple bought an RV and converted it to run on vegetable oil so they could travel cross-country with their three-year-old daughter, Bella. Their mission is the same, but their demographic different: When we go to schools and businesses they stop by co-ops and small family communities to show people they can make a difference. We also met up with our sponsor Taavi McMahon* and had several dinners with his family and dog, Toro, as well as Hannah*, a jazz musician and former Black Panther who had a lot to say about the troubled youth of today.

We were also able to attend a Michael Franti concert and I was introduced to a very chill Australian band called Blue King Brown, who will be featured on BioTour's upcoming benefit album.

See photos of our comfortable stay with friends in Madison WI