Sol Reicarnated, what Khanh, Creator, hath wrought.

"Never manage anything you don't love." An anonymous quote I saw decades ago in a cubicle in a large high-tech Corporation where I was working. If Khanh Dam didn't love this project, then I have no clue what was going on here. If he didn't have some love for this mission, then I have no clue what's going on here, and it's entirely possible that I don't have a clue what's going on here, but maybe I do.

I was ready to roll on weeks ago. Khanh wouldn't have it. It wasn't right yet. It wasn't what he wanted it to be yet. Maybe it's not what he wanted the mission to have yet. It's still isn't, another day or so, but oh my goodness what loving brilliant Relentless creation.

And I know I, and I think we both, wanted to do our part of helping people see, better than they might already, the possibilities of extremely sustainable, relatively low cost of build, replicable, prototype, of a way of moving, of being, and in James Case, of living as this is his 365 day, near all terrain, all but the most extreme climates, home, again. We're now starting toward our mile 37000  approximately.  One and a half times around the earth so far, as  Justin, the founder and  CEO and chief technologist at grin Technologies in Vancouver told me not long ago. And such an example was the original Sol, created by Rex Litwiller, not to forget the founding role of Rob Cotter with his Visionary, inspirational, World informing elf.

In no particular

36000 miles James has been cycling an impossible vehicle.

 No discredit to Saul and maybe notice credit to James.

Imagine a conventional racing bicycle two wheels and everything is normal except for one thing. Instead of the seat being on a rigid bracket with no movement instead it is on a relatively fluid ball joint such that unless at every moment of the cycle the body's muscles are used to create what they fixed seat was able to create by way of stability oh, well, that's where James has been. But his wounded left leg forced him to find something different and no credit to him he found it today

Some time ago maybe Colorado or into Utah the notion of the pretty mm fighting such a planted position that it seemed that it was on a bicycle seat was helpful but not sufficiently helpful and after

E-bike 24 hours a day in the cold.

 Roughly one week's worth of experience this now and fairly encouraging.

About 3000 watts of electrical energy are being applied each day. Roughly 1,000 Watts from the short solar days low on the horizon, which means 2000 Watts out of and through the batteries.

The batteries are in a soft sided thermal cooler of decent quality. 8 days worth of cycling has them at about 80° in this sealed soft-sided cooler. That surprised me. But there it is. A red cooler.

Last evening at 9 it was 36 degrees outside, quickly dropping 230 and below all night. This morning inside that cooler it was 40°. Safe for the batteries. Had I flipped on the $30 Walmart heating pad that snake through the batteries probably it would have been 60 degrees not 40 degrees inside this morning. Had I flipped it on for only a couple of hours. Or, had I filled the two hot water bottles with very hot water it would have been probably 70°.

Also, Oh my goodness a 15 or 20 mile-an-hour Tailwind reduces energy requirement by 50% and a headwind increases it by 50%.

Apparently I'm not supposed to die yet, mission is not supposed to end yet. Why do I say this....?

 

Apparently I'm not supposed to die yet, mission is not supposed to end yet. Why do I say this.... , because by every right it should have ended early yesterday evening. I did everything possible to destroy Sol and myself in the process. Oh I'm doing my best, but the degree of difficulty is extraordinarily high. Not knowing if and when the severe pain in my mouth will shut me down I've doubled my mileage each day trying to get to Lansing my destination. It's very cold. So stopping to run the generator is not a desirable thing. So very carefully, very carefully, very carefully, I thought, I decided to run the generator while I was traveling with the back gate propped open about 7 in so the exhaust to go out. It was a very long day, about a marathon and a qtr worth of human energy. Probably 9 hours of travel. So yes very carefully, except I turned it the wrong way so that the very hot exhaust was exactly on the stack of plastic boxes and it turns out a brand new lithium-ion battery sitting there awaiting the power cord that the ebike place forgot to send me. After half an hour I begin to smell something but I thought that can't be me. Finally the generator stopped because it had overheated itself. Plastic boxes and one end of the new battery that by rights should have exploded , were totally melted, a melted Mass. I slept all night in those fumes. I'm not feeling terribly well right now. But under the circumstances the entire vehicle should have been destroyed with that battery blowing up, and my laptop should have been destroyed which was in one of the boxes, and the generator, and the inverter. But as it stands everything's working except for the battery, and maybe even that, but I've got to find a totally open non-flammable field where I can test the battery in case it blows up. And maybe my lungs. Time will tell.

Mayday? Are James and Saul in serious trouble? Don't know. Putting it out there.

 

Are James and Saul in serious trouble? Don't know. Putting it out there.

What if this pain in James jaw becomes debilitating? What happens to Sol?

James is not concerned with himself or Sol per se, but with whatever value in Sol that otherwise might get to the mom in Michigan heroically raising two special-needs kids, that otherwise would be the destination for the value of Sol?

The pain in the jaw on the left hand side is generalized. Can't tell where the hell it's coming from. It was a two on a scale of 1 to 10 several days ago and is now up in the 7 range. James is currently 800 miles from where that Mom is and where he's headed. 10 miles an hour is the maximum speed.

And the weather is turning extremely adverse.

He has been doing 50 miles a day. Personally providing about a marathons worth of energy per day. Tomorrow he's likely to begin to try and double that, not the personal expenditure but figuring out how to recharge the batteries multiple times during the day.

Maybe the pain will go away. But 600mg of ibuprofen is barely touching it these last three hours. What if he becomes debilitated?

But he figures the closer he gets to Lansing the better the chances that someone could retrieve the vehicle. It is so vulnerable.

Design considerations for human assisted electric vehicle.

 Detailed musings here

Punishing pace

 Not complaining. James body is performing very well, Sol is performing very well, the weather is cooperating. But everything here is 50 miles apart in terms of reasonable stopping places and 40 miles a day is about the maximum of what this old body likes to do. We're tired, and sore. A marathon consumes 2400 calories as I understand it.

Sol getting new graphics next week.

 

James was asked, is the generator working out? His reply: It's....

James was asked, is the generator working out? His reply: It's.... a game changer. Many weeks I won't use it at all maybe many months, but when weather is really bad or long distance is required it is a tremendous asset. Also horribly heavy and I damaged my back this morning but maybe it was a warning in time.... and without it, and they're does not really seem to be a suitable

Major update. Assuming that the generator Works which will be known within the next hour or so, will very shortly....

Major update. Assuming that the generator Works which will be known within the next hour or so, will very shortly.... find out if we can handle a covid 19, climate destroyed, world. We might be too heavy. We might be way too heavy now with the generator and several gallons of gasoline oh, and four gallons of water which is a lot of additional weight. But with the miraculous help provided by Phyllis Ann Salomone Collins and Alan McCormick, and some other Strokes of luck, the trailer is physically fortified, the axle assembly repaired and fortified, The Hub Motors are now carrying most of that trailer weight and the vehicle there for is infinitely less fragile than it was. Countless countless unimaginable hours of work going into upgrading the vehicles Electronics, wiring, waterproofing, Etc over recent months. If we'll ever be ready to handle this decreased Sun because of climate destruction, and non availability of convenient plug in power sources, fast food restaurants, we're about to find out. I am not pessimistic, but what will be will be. Oh, and self-sufficiency food-wise in terms of preparation. Between the instapot which is tremendously energy efficient for preparing meals, and a small collapsible kettle which is even more efficient for preparing breakfast including tea infuser, not only are meal expenses cut, quality of food somewhat increased, but also packaging dramatically reduced.  And animal kill dramatically reduced, largely vegan now but I can control what food is available to me. The road ahead. The mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway expected to be beautiful but challenging, and Skyline Drive, are the next leg toward the southern tip of Maine, then if weather and time permits we'll sweep West for the remaining States hoping to pick up California for the winter, Lone Pine would be nice, particularly if I can find some remote long-term place where it is legal for me to stay more than a couple of weeks. 46 States is now the plan, it is not expected that the effort will be made to pick up Delaware and Rhode Island. Practical we are, purists we are not. The purpose remains to be what you said we can in terms of Awakening souls in the occasional encounter through the country. If we think of a more intense way of possibly doing that will do that. This being the alternative my soul gave me two going right away to one of the camps where we nice white Christian Americans are torturing and destroying thousands of children desperate for safety from countries we've destroyed, by burning myself alive at one of them too express my infinite grief, and rage.. That may eventually happen, or not, but certainly this attempt to complete 46 States comes first.

Thousand percent better day than yesterday.

Yesterday was really really tough. Sol desperately ill with no diagnosis or certainty of rolling again.

The crashing in of the horror of trump and this virus and the world going to hell.
But slow and steady internal and external work, the vehicle is rolling again, not at full health but rolling and that's huge. And some help from the factory in Canada and maybe even a positive resolution on a new motor that has gone bad. For the photograph above those are magnets they should be in a straight line instead they have migrated into this wave Arrangement, faulty glue apparently.
And with a lot of internal work and mustering all of my resources and knowledge I'm climbing out of the abyss and back into attempting to be a contributing soul in the world.

Let me put the Target on my chest more clearly. Seriously. I have gotten very few serious thoughts plus or minus....

Let me put the Target on my chest more clearly. Seriously. I have gotten very few serious thoughts plus or minus.... tho I've been asking multiple ways multiple days. My treasured friend was extremely upset by a chart I posted earlier regarding perspective of the number of coronavirus deaths versus other causes of death in the United States. This wonderful Soul found my raising this issue extremely unhelpful, extremely troubling. This was my reply: my friend, in all honesty, I don't think you're asking me, I think you're telling me, and I take no offense, and I do not ask you to read any further. Yet you did pose a question about which I have very strong thoughts tho not yet resolved. About which I have been writing for quite a few days now and continuing to ponder. In no particular order: item. anyone that knows me should know that I do not take pulse as an important measure of life. Item. Nothing happens in a vacuum, to respond fully to the virus has collateral consequences. Fact. Item. The economic shutdown will be devastating for the poor. How many will die as a consequence? Item. The economic shutdown which will likely cause a multi-year depression, maybe a tremendous Boon to Future Generations. Item. Our species was not designed to have such a large population, a large population at all, of people my age and older. We are parasites on the Young by any and every objective measure. What we consume. How we vote. Our disproportionate weight on the political process. Our essential role in obstructing the youth in dealing with climate change. It is not simple. It is morally and intellectually bankrupt to view this situation as simply a matter of whether people die immediately of the virus or not. There are many populations at risk here current and future Generations. Hugs. James

So far this is not what I expected.

Six months ago in Colorado similar symptoms on a identical motor, upon opening the motor all sorts of water poured out and all sorts of corrosion were in evidence. But not this time. However it still seems that the problem must be magnets, epoxy tint place around the inside of this metal rim, have come loose. But there are further risks in removing centerpiece with all the copper wire so I am hoping to hear from the factory before proceeding. If the motor is even the problem, which seems 99% likely, then what to do? One, repair it if possible. Under $100 and many many many hours of Labor? 2, replace it with a like motor if that can be secured, $900. Replace it with the proper solution which is two additional Motors one each in the front wheels of the trike. 3, $2,000, but then this vehicle, James home for as many years as he can proceed, is the vehicle it should have been all along.

With friends in Asheville North Carolina until spokes arrive mid next week. Then heading north toward Maine 30 days away. the...

With friends in Asheville North Carolina until spokes arrive mid next week. Then heading north toward Maine 30 days away. the.... time between now and when the spokes arrive hopefully from San Jose California will be spent on big and small projects fortifying Sol the wonderful vehicle. Including a trial run hopefully to complete tomorrow on testing my ability to totally rebuild a wheel. And a long punch list of other items. 

Not that it matters but this is I think the 4th night since departing California last July that James is inside . Interesting. These folks here an Asheville are so kind to me. It's very nice to be with Them although I am as much fun as a root canal, keeping my focus on what I can do to help the world which doesn't help them very much. 

 Didn't get much sleep last night because every little sinus drip or Body impulse made me wonder if I had dragged the virus in here to these folk. I suspect a lot of people are having such hypochondria. I don't much find myself minding the idea of getting the virus regardless of the consequences to me but giving it to these folks, I'd rather die. 

Cycling. Four years of failure? Trying to solve the wrong problem almost all this time?

That's how it seems. And my concern is anyone that I have led down the wrong path. I've had it all wrong I think. almost certain. 

 Maybe in some cycling one gages off of how the powae 1 Provides moves the object to be moved. In this case Sol obviously.  so when a motion of the body creates a clear forward movement that is to be repeated, correct? It just doesn't work with saul and James. And for almost 3 years with one or maybe 2 exceptions that is what James has been trying to do, the problem he has been trying to solve, How to launch saul forward with his help 

 Iowa may have been exception 

 The Times out of grand Junction Colorado may have been an exception. There was a time going South in Oregon or Washington when pumping energy out of the ground concept. Perenium eggbeater…. 

These just mentioned may have been and probably were exceptions to a degree What the intuitive Desire of the body to figure out how to launch sol forward and to minimize exertion have been the dominant. 

 Yesterday an impossibly long difficult ride on top of several prior After an hour or so something different took place . Don't try to launch forward James in fact savor every delay as an additional instant where you can inject energy into the ride, not the movement, into the journey. It caused a change in orientation, Rather than the body trying to launch energy forward it intuitively moved to the direction Downward. It just happened. from maybe 70ﾟ forward to 45ﾟ Down. 

A complementary Notion had occurred prior then that was a notion of different gear levels for James' body but not gears but felt level of Energy contribution tactile at the knees. And radiation such as 05/10/15 20  pounds have been discussed. 

Wow, guess who's back. The emphasis on the up rising leg. But different. Attempting to maintain a felt 0.1 pound of pressure against the top every centimeter of travel along the road. The lower leg takes care of itself. 

Savoring weightlessness of the upper leg. 100% of the time. lower leg delivering that weightlessness. 

Saver continuous weightlessness 100 of the of the time, an uprising leg seems to be an ideal timing and synchronization device. At least for the last 45 minutes everything else takes care of itself. 

Sol has been trying to kill me this past week. Maybe today we came to terms. Mechanical week from hell.

So very exhausting it has been with the vehicle sounding like it tear apart. 6 hours repair work today and roughly two hours each day for the last three or four, but the time today finally it sounds like a healthy vehicle again. I don't assume we're out of the woods but we might be. Bicycle and E bike parts for a vehicle that weighs one quarter of this.

2.18.20 Cycling. A new friend with echoes from the past . Move weight onto the back off the feet empowering the knees .

No change in direction at all from logs of the last month. But a nice consolidation show up today. A good ride 2 days ago but some skeletal strain began to show in the hips . Not the fault of earlier techniques but still sent James searching. 

 .... Anyway, As with all blogs in the last months Getting in touch with the circular things that the roiling knees are is extremely helpful, central time a constant velocity stair step. 

This really promising addition today helps implement and reinforce and protect that period 

Today is a fairly intense travel day, James carrying himself plus 700 pounds Chris 

 And this at for miles an hour. And in no circumstances when the grade increases even a little bit that loss of momentum is felt and the impulse of James' body is to likely lean forward and pressed forward with the like. 

 this new friend,  mentioned in the headline, Are a much healthier response to that with everything gained and nothing lost. Transfer body weight to James back and lower upper shoulders off of feet all weight transferred that way. And people knees roiling at a very fast jogging katel spirit Wonderful output wonderful sustainability No seeming the scriptural press . A routine the James' very much hope C remembers.

2.16.20 Iowa. A final piece of the riddle. Maintaining vehicle momentum, to minimize electrical input.

 Without the miracle of momentum idea the miracle of Iowa would not have happened. James and sol had not a fraction of the battery or motor capacity that we now have, less than half. Nor the wall outlet AC recharge ability nor technique and comfort and strategy. So everything leading up to Iowa and after was a zealous and enjoyable fascinatione and attempt to maximize miles per electrical watthr and because of this it was realized that , And realized after a year or more of moving the vehicle, it was realized that to optimize efficiency meant minimize even the smallest loss of momentum because regaining physical momentum and the vehicle is extremely costly. Even then we were probably a 800 pounds total. 

So the notion of momentum was extremely real in that sense Find a wonderful natural motivator of James once it became clear in the final day I think leading up to Iowa Where he wanted the veh and himself to show well as an honest means of transportation in 

 It may or may not be that in this log James recalls what yesterday and today rocket back. I just might not remember. What it came back It came back. And for the last hour and a 1/2 or 2 James has explored Having that idea of maintaining the minute momentum, inertia , of sol At all times. And it has when it so today at least a wonderful natural intuitive motivator and informer of the body. So many of the goals spoken out in recent weeks and months and years are just naturally harnessed by this so Chris lock today and the experience today does not supplant anything of the logs in recent weeks there is no. It affirms them and it adds alongside them a wonderful means, a simple idea, but does so much to make Because so much to make all those wonderful conceptions naturally happen.

1.14.20 A tough, important, experience last night. Failure and learning opportunity.

Notice. Thru an oversight James thinks he did not post this when three or four days ago it occurred. This was a really important experience for him and it has helped spark considerable growth since.

 On this peaceful remote Mississippi shoreline about a mile and a 1/2 from the casino is a well paved pull out where multiple times now saw and I have spent the night. And as is not atypical the silence is sometimes broken, sometimes all night long, by someone in a car also in the area pull out with their radio going . Last night was such a thing. James had attempted to go to sleep a little earlier than normal And the music which it turns out was somewhat funneled by the shape of James vehicle and roof, was driving him nuts.  and nothing in his mind that he tried to distract himself was working. He thought he knew who it was, a fela in a older truck that lives out of his truck. And finally, James quite unhappy with himself, he decided to speak to the individual. When he poked his head out he saw it was not that vehicle it was someone else entirely and he decided not to speak to the individual. It seems unlikely that the vehicle saw James but within 10 minutes or so it was gone. 

This was fairly substantial for James. To realize that in some circumstances he was unable to stay with soul in charge that his Flesh could be so empowered, maybe the mind so empowered that they Hi Jack James and drove him nuts. What if James winds up in a torture cell sometime? He frequently thinks for this and tries to be prepared. Such a silly little thing last night showed him he is far from prepared. 

This after yesterday writing at some length his dismay at least with the amount of time that Sorokin has spent in the ways and power of love talking about the would be experts of the sole doing all sorts of atrocities to themselves to free themselves from the tyrany of head and Flash. Upon reflecting on James failure last night he gained some sympathy for their efforts.

Cycling, a revolution for James? Savoring the small round object with the knees.

only day 3 or 4 this is inconclusive. But likely to be sustained. 

 Detail may come in days forward if it continues to be so outstanding. 

Item. Not intuitive, counter intuitive. But now discovered and understood brilliant. Makes perfect sense. The machine can operate smoothly if the joints at the knees remains in Near perfect Timing,