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| September 21, 2008. Day 102 - GG - Muncho Lake - Stone Mountain Provincial Park, BC |
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| The cold night froze the solar car cover to the car, it had to be removed
carefully. It was another cold and overcast morning (sun where are you?
we have been looking for you the entire summer). At least we had a warm
place to stay while waiting the batteries to miraculously charge under
the covered sky. At the GG we enjoyed plenty of hot coffee, a hearty breakfast;
bacon, eggs, a very tasty thick toast made with fresh baked bread. Jack's
bread is so good that even a trucker was buying a loaf to take to his mother. During breakfast Mark got engaged in more conversation about politics and Jack's take on making GG run on solar energy. While the government drag its feet, people like Jack are doing their share. So much more could be done if governments provide to alternative energy sector the same financial incentive they give to the oil industry. With elections on the way, hope people will start looking at the long term consequences of the short term solution of recent governments... It's Sunday, the GG is only open until noon. We took the opportunity to get on the road and start our drive. Not much energy stored on the battery only 94 (109 is full). The plan is to arrive at Summit Lake, the highest elevation of the Alaska Highway, lot's of climbing ahead. We got on the road without much hope to arrive at Summit, the terrain is very hilly and the sun is no where to be seeing in the sky. The magnificent landscape keep us distracted from thinking about the lack of sunlight. To console, the car is running extremely well, only encountered two flat tires since we left Whitehorse. A couple of hours at Toad River didn't do much to charge the batteries, the sky was so heavily overcast there was no point into setting up the array in the direction of the sun, we couldn't even tell where it was. As the solar car entered Toad River Lodge parking people were running out with their cameras to capture a glimpse of the car, in seconds there was a small crowd around the solar car, a steady flown of people driving on the highway kept on stopping to check out the solar car. In the mean time, Mark and Lew got busy making a direct connection for the inverter used to power the equipment inside the support vehicle (computer, radios, camera batteries, etc...), Marcelo fixed the cigarette lighter connection being used to power the flasher, rear view trailer camera and monitor. Taro took photos and practiced playing guitar. About two hours later "on the road again". It was fun to drive on the winding and hilly road, made a few stops to film and photograph. The occasional stop gave the batteries a rest .At about 17:00 we arrived at Stone Mountain Provincial Park and called it the night, the batteries were completely empty. The drive took place under the heavily overcast sky. At camp we didn't set up the array, leaving it horizontal to capture whatever light was available. The support crew was driving ahead of the solar car to find a good location to stop, they spotted a small herd of caribou on the road by the time the solar car arrived the herd was gone. The solar car was being driven so slow when it entered the park that Lew was walking faster than the car. Urged to help, the crew offered to push the car to the rest area but Marcelo was adamant not to allow anyone to touch the car or provide any assistance - "it will get there under its own power". So, Lew walked next to the solar car wearing a traffic cone as a hat entertaining Marcelo for the remainder 100 meters drive. It was a long 100 meters! At camp, Mark and Lew ventured into the woods looking for dead fallen trees, to make a fire, Yukon style. In the Yukon apparently, people don't small brunch's and tweaks but rather the whole tree (dead tree). A few minutes later the fire was burning, canned soup was being warmed up, water boiling. Ryutaro (Taro) made tea with fresh ginger and cinnamon. He pulled out a small cutting board and chopped away. Good, spicy tea! Both Taro and Marcelo trying to keep up with Mark and Lew on feeding the fire, went looking for some firewood Yukon style and brought what they could managed to carry. Taro found a huge stump of a tree almost as big and heavy as himself and Marcelo managed to find a dead tree with part of its routes half buried on the ground bring the to camp, it took some effort but he freed the tree and carried to camp. A good work out. As it darkened, Mark felt inspired to sing some folk songs by Stan Rogers but when we got the camera to record, he stopped. Sorry, we can't share that unique privilege with you. Later Taro dictated to Marcelo the words of a Japanese folk song (we didn't know Marcelo could write Japanese) and they both sang. Marcelo trying to keep up with Taro didn't sound very good :( - So, Marcelo don't quick your flight attendant day job ! Mark sang a bit more and catch up on some reading Lew stayed cozy by the fire a little longer, Taro and Marcelo went to catch some z's. Later it started to snow... |
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