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They shut down all the downhill ski areas in Alaska due to the virus, so I dragged out my old cross-country skis and I'm going out cruising on the university trail network once a day. Our temps are up in the 20s now, and its very sunny and pleasant to go gliding down the slopes and climbing up the hills......and its a great work-out.

AND the university is closed and the trails are just about empty, so keeping social distancing is easy. For some reason the university staff just set new track and I had a world class XC skiing course just about to myself this morning.



Cheers!

Happy 1st of May comrades.

No work today and for many many many no work yesterday or tomorrow either.

Anarchists rejoice.

Ibon wrote:Happy 1st of May comrades.

No work today and for many many many no work yesterday or tomorrow either.

Anarchists rejoice.

Not much has changed for me. The chores go on as usual. Animals and plants don't observe shutdowns. I do respect the fact that the only reason I can do what I do is becuase the world you describe as being shut down allows it. So, in that respect everything has changed if we are heading for a bust. I am not making a living off my cattle and goats but it is going to hurt if the price I get is dirt and I still need to buy groceries at greatly inflated prices. This may be the year I butcher a steer.

I am rejoicing in nature. Spring is here after a cold, wet, and grey March and April!

REAL Green wrote: I am not making a living off my cattle and goats but it is going to hurt if the price I get is dirt and I still need to buy groceries at greatly inflated prices. This may be the year I butcher a steer.

I am rejoicing in nature. Spring is here after a cold, wet, and grey March and April!

There is not a day that goes by that I do not stop and rejoice over the beauty of our mother earth. She entertains better than any Netflix movie. We live in a pristine place surrounded by hundreds of thousands of hectars of protected highland wilderness. But you don't need this kind of space. Hedgerows, empty lots, back yards landscaped with natives, bird feeders, local protected areas within 1km of most folks suburban or urban environments have opportunities if one is so attuned.

Yesterday at lunch we spent a moment marveling at all the produce we were consuming from our land or that we made from store bought essentials.

Steak (a cow we had to slaughter 2 weeks ago that was pushed over an embankment by a bull that roamed onto our property)
Heirloom tomatoes
Hot sauce made from our own chilis
potatoes
Lettuce with blanched snowpeas
strawberries
coffee
Home made nan bread from sour dough cultivar we started on our own (wheat was store bought)
home made humus (garbanzo and tahini store bought)

Our jersey cow is going to give birth any day now. There is yoghurt and queso fresco (white farmers cheese) and ice cream on our short term horizon.

We have been making oat milk and having strawberry smoothies every day.

If I put salt in front of our game cameras within a week I get about 30 collared peccaries coming in. This is one mammal with a fast reproduction rate that could be sustainably hunted on our reserve which to date we have not done and do not intend to unless circumstances required.

We broke down after 2 months up here when I went shopping the other day and I bought a 6 pack of coca cola and and a small bag of mini snickers bar chocolates. 3 of us are sharing one can a coke and we have a routine per day of one mini snickers bar.

Simple pleasures

Yes. Every once in a while I get a McDonalds burger. Not often I get the chance.

It’s amazing how bloated it can make you feel.

Hard to control my weight back in the states. The food is just so different.

Ibon wrote:Yesterday at lunch we spent a moment marveling at all the produce we were consuming from our land or that we made from store bought essentials.

Simple pleasures

Ibon, I have enjoyed your comments and have googled the area you are in. It must be paradise. Life is tougher around here but it is a good place to rear cow calves and goat kids. We are blessed with what we have. I was on the Pacific side of Costa Rica 15 years ago and love the place and the people. All the power to you for finding such a great place to call home!

It sunny and 60° in central Alaska and our state is opening up. The parks dept. took the locks off the outdoors pickleball courts and the parks dept put up pickleball nets.

So we all went and played pickleball. There were about 20 of us friends, all out together again and playing pickleball in the sun. I counted 18 wearing face masks (although most people let theirs slip down while actually playing so we could breathe). We sat 6 feet apart when we weren't playing but it was great to see all my friends again.

And then, near the end of our two hour session, there was a F-35 flyover. There were three F-35s in a triangular formation, with one F-17 flying beside them.


I was there for the F-35 Flyover to salute the pickleball players

It was a grand morning.

Plantagenet wrote:It sunny and 60° in central Alaska and our state is opening up. The parks dept. took the locks off the outdoors pickleball courts and the parks dept put up pickleball nets.

So we all went and played pickleball. There were about 20 of us friends, all out together again and playing pickleball in the sun. I counted 18 wearing face masks (although most people let theirs slip down while actually playing so we could breathe). We sat 6 feet apart when we weren't playing but it was great to see all my friends again.

And then, near the end of our two hour session, there was a F-35 flyover. There were three F-35s in a triangular formation, with one F-17 flying beside them.


I was there for the F-35 Flyover to salute the pickleball players

It was a grand morning.

What the H3LL is pickleball?

C8 wrote:What the H3LL is pickleball?

Think of it as senior tennis.

Pickleball is played on a smaller court than tennis, and you use a wiffleball and paddles instead of rackets, but the general principles are the same.

Anyway I had another fantastic day today.

Our restaurants started opening up a couple of days ago and I went to the local burger dive for lunch.

You had to sign in at the door (so they could trace you if somebody went there who had the virus) and my pretty waitress was wearing a face mask and vinyl gloves. Every other table had a big "X" taped on it to block it off so there was lots of space between tables.

It was my first meal in a restaurant in two months....AND it was sooooooooo good.


I had a cheeseburger and fries and a coke and I was in heaven.

I'm really appreciating the simple things in life now.....

Plantagenet wrote:I had a cheeseburger and fries and a coke and I was in heaven. I'm really appreciating the simple things in life now.....

Life has changed only a little for me because I only go to town once a week and if I can once every two weeks. Less people to bother me on the farm so I can get work done has been great. I do miss my Dolsot Bibimbap and miso soup at the local Korean restaurant. Cheeseburgers are nice too but I can get them at a drive through. I try to avoid them becuase they pollute my body. I have taken my boys a couple of times to Steak n Shake.

REAL Green wrote:Cheeseburgers ... pollute my body.

You have my deepest sympathies.

REAL Green wrote: I have taken my boys a couple of times to Steak n Shake.

Sorry...We don't have those here so I don't know what that is.

Is that the restaurant where the sexy waitresses shake their abundant décolletage?

Cheers!

Plantagenet wrote:

REAL Green wrote:Cheeseburgers ... pollute my body.

You have my deepest sympathies.

REAL Green wrote: I have taken my boys a couple of times to Steak n Shake.

Sorry...We don't have those here so I don't know what that is.

Is that the restaurant where the sexy waitresses shake their abundant décolletage? Cheers!

Plant, I make a big effort to eat healthy these days. Since this world is full of so much tasty unhealthy foods this means a balance. I restrict delicious steak burgers from Steak n Shake to twice a month.
https://www.restaurantnews.com/steak-n- ... nt-chains/

I grew up on Stean N Shake.

REAL Green wrote: I restrict delicious steak burgers from Steak n Shake to twice a month.....I grew up on Stean N Shake.

Sounds great but .....Sorry....I've never heard of it.

I travel quite a bit (or at least I used to) but I've never been to one of those or even seen an ad for one.

Hopefully I'll get to check one out someday when we get past this pandemic.

Cheers!

This is my covid-19 passion. It has been quite satisfying and keeps me happy. Almost have the irrigation system complete. Your looking down a 14% slope, with 17 terraces (Thanks to the excavator). This will be the best year yet.

I got the new body shell mounted on my trike. Here's a pic of me riding it in a friend's yard while wearing my plague doctor mask and cloak:



I still am not using a motor. 100% pedal powered at this time. Cruising speed is now around 23-24 mph on the flat, but I can sprint to 37 mph, and have been 50+ mph downhill more than a few times. It tracks straight and rides smooth even at 50+ mph. I still have a lot to do to it before it's finished. The front wheels are getting full fairings, and I still need to install a windshield and roof, along with other odds and ends. There still remain lots of sources of drag to cut. It will eventually get a paint job too.

Most of the EV components have arrived. I'm still waiting on the controller(it will be shipped when workers are allowed back in the factory in China, it was already made in January), BMS, and various other pieces needed to build my battery pack out of some A123 cells(I picked up 792 Wh worth for $100, all cells tested within 1/10th of a volt of each other). I'm going to wait before ordering any pricier batteries, although the eventual goal is to use some Model 3 cells and build up a 1.5-2 kWh pack that will weigh less than the one I am building. I'm also going to be putting 100W of solar panels on it as well as an inverter to run my laptop and other electronics.

Once converted to electric with the body shell finished, I'm looking at the possibility of 0-30 mph around 4 seconds, top speed of 60 mph, 70-100 miles range at 30-40 mph with pedaling accounting for 1/3 of the motive force and the motor doing the rest, ~10 Wh/mile energy consumption riding it around town, and the ability to turn the motor off and retain a 20+ mph rolling average and sprint to 40 mph just pedaling it. Vehicle weight will be around 100 lbs. A 1.5-2 kWh pack of Panasonic 2170 cells from a Model 3 will roughly double that range if I gt around to building that up, but money is scarce at this time.

I'm also working on the 2nd design iteration of this vehicle. So far it's just drawings and notes in a book. THAT one is being designed for either hub motors in both front wheels or perhaps even in all three wheels with the bicycle drivetrain powering the rear wheel for all wheel drive, 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, a top speed of 100+ mph, a 200+ mile range at 30 mph, an 80-100 mile range at 60 mph, a roll cage, and will have DOT tires/wheels/brakes all around. This one will have room for 200-400W of solar panels. The goal is to keep it under 120 lbs, and get better aerodynamics than the one pictured above, in order to retain the ability to operate it with the motor disabled if desired in spite of what will be heavier wheels/tires and additional motor cogging losses, so with the motor disabled, perhaps a 20+ mph rolling average and the ability to sprint to 40 mph. It is looking like I will be able to build this 2nd design for around $3,000, which I will have as long as I can remain employed(if I find another engineering job, money will be a non-issue with my student loans gone).

The idea behind this is the ultimate SHTF vehicle. You'll be able to take it where cars can't go due to its size, and it will be both durable enough to traverse bad roads and versatile enough to remain operational in even the worst possible DOOM scenarios. You'll even be able to pedal it faster than a normal bicycle if the solar panels fail and you can't get electricity for whatever reason, but when everything is working, you'll have a long range electric sports car that can go hundreds of miles for less than $0.25 of electricity in any BAU situation, but in any SHTF situation will always have fuel wherever there is sunlight and/or food. The 16" motorcycle rims I plan to use will be able to fit Mitas MC2 low rolling resistance moped tires rated for 62 mph and meant for much heavier vehicles(so they will last probably for tens of thousands of miles on this), but if for whatever reason replacements can't be found, they will be able to fit 20" bicycle tires in a pinch which are perhaps the most ubiquitous and very plentiful tire of any kind in existence.

Good to hear you're still around tc.

Very impressive!

How does it perform in high side winds?

dohboi wrote:How does it perform in high side winds?

I don't even notice them. It's stable going down the street at 25 mph even during the high winds experienced before a thunderstorm begins. I do notice headwinds a bit, as well as tailwinds, which slow down or speed up the vehicle accordingly. I didn't have either a wind tunnel or access to CFD software when I designed this. I hope the next one is a lot more slippery to the air, because it is going to have a little more mass and a lot more rolling losses and inertia losses, so I'm probably going to need to access some CFD software at some point and make a model of it to test.

careinke wrote:This is my covid-19 passion. It has been quite satisfying and keeps me happy. Almost have the irrigation system complete. Your looking down a 14% slope, with 17 terraces (Thanks to the excavator). This will be the best year yet.

Careinke, you have the gravity. what is your source of water?

Ibon wrote:

careinke wrote:This is my covid-19 passion. It has been quite satisfying and keeps me happy. Almost have the irrigation system complete. Your looking down a 14% slope, with 17 terraces (Thanks to the excavator). This will be the best year yet.

Careinke, you have the gravity. what is your source of water?

That's a great question, I wish I had a great answer. We are sort of in the experimental stage. The house is on a well and the pressure is not very high at the top of my pipe. Our first attempt, with about three beds turned on, and some funky hose connections from the house, made the water pump throw a circuit breaker.

Our next attempt will be with new hoses, a backflow stopper at the apex, and a booster pump at the house. We will only turn on one bed at a time. (We just had a pump and pipe replaced at the beach place and it cost 2.5K, I'd rather not do that here.)

the other option we are looking at is using the low water table just above the garden. The soil is very sandy loam and the water table is about three feet down. We have wasabi growing on the intermittent stream flowing down the side of the garden. My son took the excavator on the road he made behind the garden, dug a hole and volla, we have a pond four feet below the height of the main pipe.........with no electricity.

Got a rental car yesterday to provision for our trip. Plan today was to sight see and get a nice meal.

Just tooling down the Windward highway about 11am. Completely blindsided WHAM I had hit a curb on a one lane bridge. I THINK what happened was I hit the curb, pulled out the half shaft, and the left wheel tried to pull me left. 3 seconds of panic trying to fight the car right until we skidded to a stop. I’m pretty sure I never hit the breaks, maybe a good thing.

I knew we were hanging over and my Wife was out there. I opened door and stood on the sill until she got out. Probably not needed but I didn’t know that.

Those 3 seconds were characterized by stunned confusion and terror.

I either didn’t see the bridge curb or miss judged where the curb was. Ego saving excuses include dirty windows, glare, strong sun/shadow contrast, etc. Bottom line is I screwed up. The more I think of it I don’t think I saw the bridge at all. No signs, markings, etc. Guard rail on both sides down in the stream, torn off by prior incidents.

We are fine, no physical injuries what-so-ever. My ego and wallet took sever hits though. My first accident is a very long time, a doozie.

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