Rocketing Across America: On the Road with Amanda Congdon

After a falling out with her Rocketboom co-founder Andrew Baron earlier this year, web-caster Amanda Congdon is back in the Internet limelight with "Amanda Across America," a daily vlog chronicling her trip across the U.S. in a Ford Escape Hybrid ("averaging around 36mpg").

Funded by Environmental Countdown and hopscotching from New York eventually to Los Angeles, Congdon's journey frequently has an environmentalist bent. Just check out the Hudson Riverkeeper's anti-pollution exploits (Day 5) or Good Magazine launchparty in New York, where Condon discovers a water bottle made of "corn plastic" (Day 11), or the wonders of the National Biodiesel Board, based in Jefferson City, Missouri (Day 19).

But Congdon also sits down with influential bloggers and liberal activists, creating a virtual map of leftist havens across the nation. (Yes, Democrats, the political map looks mostly red, but Condon reveals there's plenty of pockets of true blue.) Along the way, there's also a fair amount of silliness (what's with the fountain fascination?) and long, contemplative shots of driving (duly noted, in case you're easily bored).

Having just spent Day 33 in Memphis, Congdon and her crew have covered much of the East Coast and are beginning to hit pockets of the Midwest. While not all of the vlogs are illuminating snapshots of America, Congdon's interviews with influential bloggers – in real human form – are the series' highlights. She sits down with new media blogger and Entertainment Weekly founder Jeff Jarvis (buzzmachine.com) in central New Jersey (Day 7) and talks politics with liberal blogger Duncan Black a.k.a Atrios (atrios.blogspot.com) in Philadelphia (Day 9).

She also speaks with Andy Carvin (andycarvin.com) in Washington D.C. (Day 10) about the digital divide and Ed Cone i(edcone.com) in Greensborough, North Carolina about writing in 3-D, that is, via the depth of hyperlinking (Day 14). It's Cone who perhaps best reflects the new 21st century ethos of blogging. "It's like starting to do crack," he says. "You can't quit."