Danneaux's Nomad

[Danneaux]

I just thought about you going on your tour and realized that you have not revealed your newly discovered way of generating electricity while sleeping.  I was very interested to see what you have come up with.  Are you going to reveal this prior, during, or after the trip?  I think you were baiting us.  Can't wait!

Hi Tom!

I've been so busy making and testing, I haven't had time to write it up yet! There's something else, too. I don't want to present things as final until I've tested and confirmed they really will work in all circumstances. Otherwise, I label them as development exercises, as I did with my initial post on the trailer. Those were the labeled "goals" and now I've met them.   I also like to do things to a high standard so they look nice and are reliable.

I'll put more detail in the "Charging from a Dynamo" and trailer threads, but for now...there's two methods of charging while I sleep:

1) The Joos Solar charger is now proven for my needs in all trials to date. It has a large accumulator battery that charges during the day. Once the battery is charged to capacity, any excess can pass through direct-to-device or will at least minimize the drain on the storage battery. I've played with it extensively here at home, and found it is ideal for charging things once I get to camp and while I sleep. I just plug in and my gadgets are charged just as they woud be from mains power. My primary use for it will be to recharge the camera batteries, as those are otherwise intended to be charged while residing in the camera, resulting in downtime and greater risk of damage with the camera out of the case. I have a clip-on charger that will work directly on the bare camera batteries, but it would be better to deal with the camera-charging issue overnight in camp. The dynohubs will be used most often to (re)charge the AA cells used by the SteriPen water purifier and the GPS, both of which are high-draw/high-drain devices.

2) The electrification of the Extrawheel trailer so far appears to be a roaring success. I plan to make detachable vanes for the spokes and use the trailer to generate power for me at night when the desert winds are blowing (would work nicely at the coast also). I have the plans all drawn up, and the vane prototypes work perfectly but are not durable enough to take with me on-tour and I don't want them to remain attached while I ride. The material I need for them (a tensioned membrane) is available from a specialty shop outside my immediate area, and I'm not sure I can get the stuff and make the vanes in time before departure. The prototypes worked so well, I will move ahead any case. I really wish I had them in hand now.. No windup...I just want to make sure it works, rather than present a string of things that are half-baked.

Soon, all will be revealed!  I appreciate your interest, Tom, and can't wait to tell all about it and show photos as well.

Best,

Dan. (...who loves being electrically self-sufficient -- except for the netbook. That's next on the list to address)

[moodymac]

Dan,

Thanks for the reply.  Sounds as though you may have a base camp or two in mind?  Not having read of your past tours (are any on line?), I don't really know how you like to tour/camp.  Looks like you have gotten everything going in the right direction.  Can not wait for your (as usual) through report back.

One thing that really peaked my interest was when you stated that the answer was right under your nose.  What was that?

Are you going to post (blog) during the tour, or after?  And where?


Thanks

Tom

[Danneaux]

Sounds as though you may have a base camp or two in mind?  Not having read of your past tours (are any on line?), I don't really know how you like to tour/camp.

Hi Tom! Good questions! No, no base camps...what I usually do is get up at about 04:50AM and try to be on the road by about 05:30, putting in a good 32km/20mi before stopping for breakfast. I ride through the day and usually go to sleep about 21:00/9PM at the latest. Oddly, I sleep far better while on-tour, a marked contrast to my usual 4-6 hours'/night sleep at home. I will be wild/stealth camping for the majority of the trip and may spend 1 night a week in a motel.

I use a 1-person tent and really go inside only to sleep, rather than using it as a layover point. Otherwise, I'm out in all weather, including cooking outside if it is raining.

One thing that really peaked my interest was when you stated that the answer was right under your nose.  What was that?

I'll tell and show you very soon; it is nearly finished. What I meant was, sometimes the answer to a seemingly complex problem is nowhere as complicated as it first appears, it can be just a matter of looking at something the right way and finding the answer was before you all the time. That's when the facepalm moment occurs and a person says, "Duh!" 

This is why it usually takes 6-9 months for any of my new bikes to become setup the way I want them. I have some ideas in mind right away, but it can take awhile -- and getting to know the bike -- before I'll decide how to execute a plan and then do it in a way that pleases me. All part of the fun.

Are you going to post (blog) during the tour, or after?  And where?

Tom, I plan to take my little netbook with me and blog at the end of each day in camp, writing up the day's events, dumping the day's video and photo cards, and downloading my GPS tracks. I'll also do a short video "bedside diary". You can see a couple examples here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISuUrSM74Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLC2_m04vwY
My channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSherpaRider
Because battery charging is no longer a problem, I'll be taking more cameras on this trip: A GoPro HD Hero2 for recording at 1080p, a flip Vimeo that records in 720P, and a Sony DSC-HX20 that shoots in 1080P with geotagging and recordable tracking for stills and video, my usual camera clamp/mini-tripod with deadwood screw, a Tamrac ZipShot tripod, and my GoPro camera extender, chest harness, and helmet mount.

On my return, I'll establish a blog and website with my own domain and update the blog as I would when taking the trip. I'll post the URL to the Forum so you can all follow along After. I can't upload photos and content daily while traveling because I won't have lengthy access to the Internet; I'm keeping communications brief so I can put the miles in.

I will be in regular contact with the Forum and will regularly screen new members from the spam filter and do all the usual background and foreground administrative things, but won't have as active a member presence or contribute as frequently or comprehensively as usual for the duration 'cos I'll be busy riding! 

The netbook has been a bump in the road. I got perhaps the last and most evolved of the breed back in November with an HP Mini 1104, running Win7Pro with 2GB of memory, a true dual-core Atom Cedar Trail processor, and Intel graphics that allow smooth (really!) playback of 1080P video and an accelerometer-protected 320GB hard drive. I had it tri-booting into my own Linux distro and Android with a commonly-accessible data partition. Battery life is rated at 9.5-10.5 hours, and there's where I ran into a snag. There was apparently a short somewhere, and the battery would discharge at the rate of 1%/hour when stored in the unpowered machine. Bluetooth never connected either. After three unsuccessful repairs, the Ultrabook they sent in replacement has a smaller battery and greater power consumption due to its faster, more powerful i3 processor. 2-3 hours' battery life isn't enough for my tour-journaling needs, so I've sourced a refurbed version of the discontinued HP Mini 1104. So far, it is holding a charge in storage, though the Bluetooth still has issues. We'll see how it goes, but early signs are promising. I tried a very nice Samsung 10" Android tablet, but found the voice dictation unreliable and the onscreen keyboard fine for keying in Google search terms but unworkable for production writing and really short of storage -- about half the capacity of one of my camera SD cards.

I really need a keyboard to write and blog on. After a lifetime of over-using my hands, it has caught up with me and I'm just a stone's throw from carpal tunnel syndrome. After some 16 hours holding the handlebars on rough roads, I can't write my own name legibly, so yeah, I've got to go with a keyboard of some sort. The netbook is smaller, lighter, and more compact than a tablet, stand, and separate keyboard.

I am concerned about two things as my departure approaches. First, the weather. At present, it is blistering hot here in the American West, and a few more even hotter days lie ahead. Here in the Willamette Valley, it was 34°C/94°F today and 44°C/112°F in one of the towns I'll be passing through and even hotter in the desert where I'll be on the Eastern side of Steens Mountain, which will serve as a reflector oven. My house is not air-conditioned and the wall thermostat says it is 30.5°C/87°F indoors with the windows open and the fans on as I type this a little after 9PM. Things should cool off some by the time I am due to leave. Second, the fire danger is extreme and could result in re-routing from my planned itinerary. I won't hesitate to eat some cold meals rather than risk a spark from the stove.

More updates as departure nears.

Best,

Dan.

[moodymac]

Thanks Dan, very informative as always.  Checked out your videos, all good.  Must be a book in your head just waiting to bust out.   As far as Duh moments, been there and done that!

Here is wishing you a dry, cool, sand less, bug less, all tailwind, and down hills aplenty tour.


Tom

(and all great meals)

[Danneaux]

Oh! Thanks, Tom! 'Couldn't ask for better travel wishes, and very much appreciated!

This will be a busy week as I try to pull it all together...always so much do to at the "last minute" no matter how long is spent in preparation.

Stellar news: The refurb'd netbook is holding 100% battery charge at the 48-hour mark when stored in the "off" machine, so this example doesn't have the same electrical short as the first one I struggled with since November -- yay!

Must be a book in your head just waiting to bust out.

Yes! Actually, there's all kindsa stuff up there waiting to bust out, and it frightens the neighbors. 

All the best,

Dan. (...who always wonders where the time goes in the run-up to a tour departure)

[jags]

wonder will i get a mention in that book.
Say Dan if its that hot then change your plans no amount of water will save your arse in that kinda heat .
i seen on the news tonight 19 firefighters lost there lives trying to stop a raging fire .

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Tom, I couldn't wait, either, so I posted a YouTube video of the Extrawheel trailer as in-camp windpower generator.

Story and background in the trailer thread here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4953.msg41815;topicseen#msg41815

Direct to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwGvKlMBftc

It works a treat, meeting all expectations at present, though I need to finish the quick-detachable, dynamic-chord vane design.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Yes, jags, I will indeed be careful. The thing that makes this heat "different" for us here is the added humidity that came with it. Usually, out summer heat is pretty dry, but this was different, coming after heavy rains that soaked the soil and also the air mass itself is heavy with water. It is nowhere near the heat/humidity I knew when living for a year in the American South, but bad for here. I will watch it.

Yes, a real tragedy about the loss of those wildland firefighter. We lost a crew of 14 or so some years ago, and it was just terrible. My thoughts are with them and their families.

Hopefully, the temps will have cooled a bit by liftoff time. Today is plenty warm in mid-high 90sF (34.4°C today), but should cool to the upper-80s by Thursday.

Best,

Dan.

[moodymac]

Dan,

Thanks for the early briefing.  That is really cool!  In my minds eye, I could only envision having the trailer on its side.  Unpack, point the bike into the wind, turn trailer over, attach vanes, plug in devise(s), go to tent, try to sleep, get up in ten minutes, look at every thing working, laugh in glee, look around to see if anyone is looking, laugh in glee again, try to sleep.

All kidding aside, it is a very "neat" and ingenious idea come to life.  Was the turning the trailer on its top the Duh moment?


Very impressed, Tom

[Danneaux]

Was the turning the trailer on its top the Duh moment?

Yep. So obvious I'd missed it completely at first.

Unpack, point the bike into the wind, turn trailer over, attach vanes, plug in devise(s), go to tent, try to sleep, get up in ten minutes, look at every thing working, laugh in glee, look around to see if anyone is looking, laugh in glee again, try to sleep.

Scared! Didn't know my webcam was two-way...you've been peeking!   

The nearest alternative also worked surprisingly well: Attaching the flag crosswise to the trailer rack using a couple nitrile o-rings to slip the mast through. It worked fine to hold the inverted trailer upright, but this is easier and even more secure and I don't have to carry the nitrile o-rings.

Thanks again for the kind feedback, Tom. It sure has been a fun project to see toward completion.

All the best,

Dan. (...who usually has several ideas churning around "up there")

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

I'm terribly concerned about the current heat wave affecting the American West and how it will affect my bike-touring travel plans. If all goes well, I would leave at dawn on Tuesday July 8th...but all is not going well in terms of weather. Continued record-high temps dog my entire route now and are predicted to do so for the next 30 days, there is *no* shelter or shade for much of it, and the road surface is even hotter thanks to reflection.

I'm a responsible traveler and risk-averse, so if things don't improve, I'll be postponing the trip. At this point, I could reschedule for September -- August if I can change an appointment. Heat stroke is nothing to make light of, and I want to reassure concerned friends I won't take off merely to satisfy a schedule. The whole point is to go out, have fun, and return so I can take future trips. We'll see how it goes. Never hurts to be ready, and it will happen when it is "supposed" to. Many thanks to those who have PM'd or emailed me in concern.

If the trip doesn't "happen" on time, then I'll use the time to further build my mileage base with loaded and unloaded day rides, finish the windmill vanes on my Extrawheel trailer, test their new q/r-hitches for them, and hopefully meet one of our members if our schedules allow. At the moment, my poor livingroom looks like Expedition Central (see photos below). The observant among you can see my sticky-note reminder system posted in the chair cushion for easy reference. It will look much neater when all is packed and loaded on the bike and trailer.

Right now, I'm taking things day by day and seeing how the weather forecasts go.

Best,

Dan. (...who at the moment really wishes he could control the weather)

[Andybg]

It all looks very organised Dan and sorry to hear the weather may have to change your plans. I am sure when it happens it will be just an adventure to remember.

Andy

PS - if you are planning on taking the tv with you, you might need a bigger trailer.

[Danneaux]

PS - if you are planning on taking the tv with you, you might need a bigger trailer.

Made my day with that comment, Andy, made my day! 

Best,

Dan. (...who needs either at least a bigger dynohub or a longer extension cord)

[Danneaux]

Man! The weather on my touring route has gone mad!

SEL4
  
   URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 664
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
  
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
  
          NORTHERN IDAHO
          CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
          SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON
  
   EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 205 PM UNTIL 900
   PM PDT.
  
   HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
   MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
  
   THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75
   STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES WEST OF BURNS
   OREGON TO 70 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF EPHRATA WASHINGTON.  FOR A
   COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
   UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
  
   REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
   FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
   AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
   THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
   AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
   DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
  
   DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE OVER CENTRAL
   OREGON IN RESPONSE TO DYNAMIC FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT WAVE
   TROUGH MOVING NEWD ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST.  AIR MASS IS
   CONTINUING TO WARM AND DESTABILIZE IN THE WAKE OF EARLIER CONVECTION
   MOVING NEWD ACROSS NERN WA.  DEVELOPMENT OF A DEEP WELL-MIXED
   BOUNDARY LAYER WILL ENHANCE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND
   40-45 KT DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL PROMOTE THREAT FOR SUPERCELLS WITH
   DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.  ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD NEWD TOWARD
   SERN WA AS MID/UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK LIFTS NEWD ACROSS AREA.
  
   AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
   TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
   KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM
   MOTION VECTOR 22030.
  
  
   ...WEISS

It was 38.9°C/102°F in Burns today...and they're expecting 50mm/2in hailstones?!? That's the same diameter as my Duremes. And 112kph/70mph winds?!? And lightning and possible tornado formation?

Yeah, taking it day by day for departure.

Best,

Dan. (...who wonders what's next)

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Getting worse...and bigger. And now, the Owyee is afire -- 10,000 acres are alight and no control, plus two more lightning-sparked fires burning south of Baker City and east of Burns, right smack-dab square on my route. Those 112kph/70mph winds will whip up a firestorm. See the entry for July 2nd here: http://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/ Almost 20,000 acres ablaze at the moment. That's 31.25 sq mi or 81 sq km already...and it is only July 2nd (now the 3rd, I need to go to bed).

Since my last post just a few minutes ago, the affected area has moved to the spine of the Cascade mountains, a 100km day's ride just east of Eugene.

My, my! 'Glad I'm not out in it now....

Best,

Dan. (...who is almost reluctant to check for the next weather update)