"Jim and Cris packed up early in the morning and headed out to the Train from Durango to Silverton. Relying on Greta (our Garmin GPS lady), we arrived at the station, rifled through the putty provisions, selected some samples then escorted all five feet of Aaron to the ticket counter. As we moved around the station, and got ready to board our assigned car, the ticket staff on the ramp joked about a ticket for Aaron. Had they pressed the matter, I was ready to reply, “Certainly, Aaron’s standard currency is putty, here’s a can.”
Shortly before 9 a.m., we boarded the train and located Aaron at the front of the railcar where he could keep a close eye on all passengers.
After the train departed, we chatted with another couple on the train who wanted to know the story of Aaron. We filled them in on the details and provided them with a sample can of putty. They were thrilled to receive the item. Several of the children around us received temporary Aaron tattoos. They very politely accepted the gift and said thank you.
We arrived in Silverton to a rainy, bleak day. Fortunately, Aaron is laminated and resists rain. We moved to the front of the train where we took several photos.
Heading down the road, looking for somewhere to eat, we settled on the Bent Elbow Saloon. We propped Aaron up beside our table and ordered food. One of the waitresses came over to ask what was going on with Aaron. We filled her in and provided a putty sample. Later we found out she was also one of the town EMTs and the Coroner. Hopefully she was good at one of those professions.
Moving up and down the streets, between the raindrops, of Silverton we stopped to take photos of Aaron and handed out putty samples to several store clerks.
Waiting at the station to board the train we met an English woman currently living in Texas. She also was fascinated and entertained by the whole Aaron experience. As she looked like she was “fixin’” to have fun, we provided her with a putty sample.
Back on train, and the brakeman who visited our car asked “Whose sign is this?” Once we explained our idea of introducing Aaron to the southwest, and providing putty samples, everyone on the car wanted to know what’s going on. Mind you, at this point, they had sat on train for four hours with Aaron already!
During the discussions, a doctor and his wife indicated that they would like the cutout of Aaron dropped off in Santa Fe when we were done with him. We provided a putty sample and collected the telephone number for the drop off. This was the last sample we carried onto the train. A family from Sydney, Australia wanted to know more about the product so we provided some marketing literature and extolled the virtues of putty. Not too long after that the doctor swapped his putty for the marketing material. The mother from Sydney was astounded that this simple item could keep two children entirely occupied for over two hours.
Arriving at the Durango station we gathered up Crazy Aaron and escorted him to the Jeep. A quick stop at Taco Bell, where of course the drive through clerk received a sample of putty, and we headed back to our cabin for the night.
more later ... "
Giveaways
October 07, 2008
Roadtrip Update 2
"We worked our way down to the lobby with Aaron (our crazy Aaron cutout) and set him up against a wall while we selected some nourishment. Our first encounter was with a hotel staff person who was inquiring if this was a new feature. Another hotel staff person indicated Aaron was with us. We took her photo with Aaron and provided some putty along with news about our trip. The second person was quite wary of the whole idea but we forced her to take some putty. She wandered off uncertain of what to think. The third person, who we met in the elevator, was a little girl with her dad. They loved the idea and gladly accepted the putty sample. As we worked our way to and fro through the hotel with Aaron, all acknowledged us and many chuckled.
Packed up, we hit the road after after stopping at Starbucks, and off course, you guessed it, handing out another putty sample. The barista accepted a tip and the putty, and as we were leaving we could see him raise his hand over his head saying “hey, look what I’ve got” with a big smile on his face.
After a couple of hundred miles, not far from Center, Colorado, we stopped at a Shamrock station for gas. We couldn’t resist giving the attendant her own can of putty. The wide smile and laugh that came from her was heartwarming. Onto Lobo lookout point, 11,768 ft (according to our Garmin GPS, which we now refer to as Greta) where we took a picture of Aaron and Jim. It had just started to snow and was quite cold. Making our way back to the main highway required travel on a 3 ft wide road. Well, maybe it was a bit wider, but looking over the edge, Cris kept insisting that Jim move the vehicle over to the side of the road furthest from the edge. Luckily, we made it down. Stopping in Pagosa Springs we had some green chili, picked up a T-shirt, and again provided a putty peace offering."
October 06, 2008
RoadTrip Update 1
Here is the first trip update from Jim and Cris:
"The first night, we met up with Tillman, a high school friend of Jim’s, and his friend, Suzanne. They graciously had accepted the role of receiving the shipment from Crazy Aaron. As part of the unpacking effort we fortified his (Crazy Aaron’s not Tillman’s) neck with a piece of trimming lumber so that it wouldn’t be blown off by the wind on the trip. Tillman, Suzanne, Bree, and an unnamed marketing person were the first recipients of their very own tins of putty, the universal gift.
He fit well into Jeep we rented. Off to the hotel for the night in preparation for the trip to Durango."
October 05, 2008
Crazy Aaron Roadtrip
Thinking Putty enthusiasts Jim Merchant and Cris Hay-Merchant approached me with an interesting idea:
"We have been evangelizing the benefits of Aaron’s stellar products in the Omaha area over the past year. During this time we have shared portions of putty with our favorite baristas, friends, co-workers, and even parking garage attendants. As a result we have heard that some of our friends have even taken it upon themselves to submit orders as well.
It’s been loads of fun to unleash Aaron’s products on this wider audience. Now is the time to extend our and your horizons, spreading putty into the southwest stratosphere. Cris and I are headed to the southwest October 3rd, departing Denver on a driving tour and would like to introduce unsuspecting tourists to the delights and wonder of an American treasure – Crazy Aaron and his Thinking Putty. "
What a great idea! After further discussion, I agreed to send a boatload of Thinking Putty samples and a life-size cardboard Crazy Aaron cutout to follow along in the car-ride for photo-ops and other fun.
"We will escort Aaron (i.e., acting as his ‘putty pals’) to a variety of tourist destinations. We plan ride the Silverton Train in Durango, explore the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, view Monument Valley, hike in the Grand Canyon, stay at an honest to goodness Wigwam motel in Arizona, see the early morning takeoff the final day of the balloon festival in Albuquerque, and finish up the trip with a stop in Taos on the way back to Denver. At each stop, we’d record the adventures of Aaron with a digital camera."
Well,the trip has begun. I got word on Friday night that massive Crazy Aaron cutout man arrived in Colorado safely. Stay posted to the blog for regular trip updates!!
And, if you have your own crazy ideas that involve Thinking Putty, why not send them to me? I just might be able to make it happen!
