The GM people did not pay me to say the Tahoe Hybrid rocks

I haven't been posting or doing much of anything else, as I have gotten the BlogHerBola virus that is going around. In reality, it is the flu - no flesh-eating is involved. If you went and got sick, I am collecting info in a survey for my own amusement: Click Here to take survey. Please pass it along.

I already mentioned that I got to take a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid to BlogHer. If the folks at GM had known me, they would not have picked me for this assignment. I am one of those people who roll my eyes and make nasty comments when a shiny new SUV pulls up next to me at a stoplight.

I say things like "Ooh, don't CARE if your grandchildren have air to breathe?" or "Is that the Ford Valdez you are driving?" Of course I only say these things in the privacy of my own tiny Honda Fit with the windows rolled up, but I am pretty sure the people in the SUV don't think I am singing along to the NPR news when I say it.

Even a hybrid SUV seemed like a fairly stupid idea. Kind of like "Chili Fries Light with Extra Cheese."

But I love free stuff, and GM was providing the Tahoe with a full tank of gas AND paying for parking in SF, a savings of $49 per night. I KNOW I could have gotten a nice hotel in Albuquerque for the same price it takes to park ONE car in downtown San Francisco, as far as I know, Cowgirl Creamery and Acme Bread haven't opened branches in Albuquerque, either, and BlogHer has never seen fit to hold a conference there.

So. Free Car. I had been worrying for a few days because, being a big fat chick, my back was hurting and my sciatic pain (in my left leg) was getting out of control and 7 hours in the car seemed like a bad, bad idea. But BlogHer beckoned with its promise of sisterly love and free drinks a-plenty.

Karoli picked me up on Thursday morning in a gleaming white Tahoe with "HYBRID" written on the side in 8-inch letters and little green "H" logos scattered on every surface.

After exclaiming over the beast's size and shininess, we took some photos (we ARE bloggers after all) and hit the road.

The trip was nothing less than great. Being of a like mind about the environment, Karoli and I decided to eke as much mileage out of the thing as we could, and we ended up with trip mileage of 24mpg, pretty dang good. We drove between 60 and 65.

We put $74 gas in it in San Jose on the way up and still had gas left when we got back to Ventura County.

The best part was that it was deeeeluxe. I'm used to a rattly, tiny car (and I LOVE my tiny car) but the big-ass leather seats with an amazing adjusty thing, backup cam, OnStar, DVD player, XM satellite radio...I am not ashamed to say I liked it. The 8 hour trip did not feel long at all. It felt comfy and fun.

What made the trip even better was the attention we got (we ARE bloggers, after all) everywhere we went. People wanted to know about the Hybrid, pointed, gazed, stared and asked about it. We loved it when people in other giant SUVs pulled up next to us on the highway. We would say "Jealous!" to each other and laugh.

The only moments of terror came when I was trying to manuver it out of the miniature St. Francis parking garage on Sunday morning as half of the world checked out. For the first time, it felt like a BIG car. The other thing was that it was so quiet that the people on the sidewalk outside the hotel didn't realize "Hey! I'm driving here!" but we got out without squishing anyone, thankfully.

I am floored that a company like GM would drive a $53k vehicle up to a stranger's house and drop it off so they and their quite possibly dangerous unseen fellow blogger could drive it across the state.

I gotta give it to the marketing department, though, because they turned me, a total SUV hater, into someone who has real admiration for at least this one product. Miracle of miracles.