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| August 12, 2008. Day 62 - Wilderness Lodge, (28 miles out of Tok, AK) - Tok - 68 Miles outside of Tok |
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| The Log Cabin Wilderness Lodge serves complimentary breakfast and John
had given us the heads up that with 40 hungry cyclists fuelling up for
the day it would be best for us to get to the table early . . . we're glad
we did. It was the best morning repast we'd all had in a long time and
the cyclists saved some food for us :) Taking into consideration all the new solar-related contacts in Fairbanks, the sunny weather, the fine and flat roads to and from the city; it was without much hesitation that Fairbanks was named as the XOF1's next destination. Marcelo called as many contacts as he could before a quickly diminishing phone card balance disappeared. We made the plan to drive ahead in the van and call from Tok with a new card. We did so and were able to get hold of Greg from Remote Power. He seemed quite happy to hear that we were heading to Fairbanks and let us know that phone calls were being made and arrangements being arranged in advance of our visit. The weather was good, the road conditions excellent and the vistas glorious. Marcelo was torn with stopping to charge or continuing to drive in the good weather. Eating some sustenance and getting good film shots were issues too so when we came across a pulloff with a parked helicopter, Marcelo decided to pause here and try the chances at getting the pilot to take some aerial footage of the car. No dice. But since we were there anyway, we stopped to charge and eat. It wasn't too long before the clouds moved in and we began to pack it in for the road. With all the helping hands putting the array back in place an essential detail was overlooked - the pin in the rear support was left in while the array was being lifted back into place and it cracked - rendering a very important part of the car useless. Not good. Not good at all . . . . The whole array had to be disengaged from the car and moved to remove the broken rod. Marcelo, Alex - a welder by trade, the broken piece and Carrie (to call ahead to Fairbanks) headed to Delta Junction - the closest town at just over 40 miles to the north at just after 16:00. Luckily after talking to people who directed us from place to place, Marcelo was able to locate a welder who works with aluminum. We followed his directions and got ourselves to Custom Steel - Sam Porter's home based professional welding business. He was great - understood our problem immediately and without hesitation began to explain the steps needed to remedy our situation. Equipped with safety goggles and gloves, Alex got in there and sparks were flyin'. Together, with some assistance from Marcelo too, the piece was straightened and strengthened with two steel brackets in no time. While we waited for the weld to cool, Sam shared his concerns about the unnecessary waste and pollution from some commercial vehicles in winter conditions. He mentioned several different innovations that would do much to conserve fuel and reduce emissions. He also told us about the generator he purchased that was able to keep his engine warm; removing the need to destroy the engine and burn fuel from idling. Sam refused any sort of payment and went so far as to invite us to stay on his property for the night if need be. He introduced us to his lovely family - Nicole, Kirsten and Peyton (we met his super friendly son the following day). We bid him adieu and promised to return later that night or in the morning if night fell before we were road ready. We returned to the breakdown spot around 21:00. The hospitality and generosity of Alaskans is amazing - another welder drove by the breakdown spot, returned 15 minutes later - apologizing that he would've come back sooner but he couldn't find a place to turn around. He offered his service in Fairbanks if we were unable to find anyone closer able to do the work. Replacing the array and installing the reinforced piece took until after dark to complete. Mo, Michael, Lucian and Alex were human saw horses for over an hour while Marcelo and Morgan coaxed the finicky parts back into place. We reattached the trailer, covered up the restored solar car, brushed our teeth and crawled tired, but relieved, into our sleeping bags....to an overcast sky. |
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