Back in the Saddle: Going to California: 2011

[liveforphysics]

Kingfish- I fly out to Germany tomorrow at 6am. I'm back late Tuesday night. I will set you up with Biffs contact info if you're gonna be in town before I get back.

[Green Machine]

Kingfish check out this link...

That guy wasnt kidding there is such a thing as a functional ebike rear propeller.

http://www.ringpen.com/aero/

[edcastrovalley]

Kingfish check out this link...

That guy wasnt kidding there is such a thing as a functional ebike rear propeller.

http://www.ringpen.com/aero/

That thing is cool looking but I'm not sure about the performance. The video says it's "more effective than a wheel based electric bike" but, it looked like the guy was only going about 5mph. Plus how would it be "more effective"? In low traction areas like riding across a frozen lake?

Otoh I would be tempted to add it to my dual hub motor bike.

[Kingfish]

Taking a lunch break in Crescent City after 83 hilly miles. That last hill before CC was huge. Took the scenic parkway alternate route; very nice! I figure it is about 55 more miles / 2 hours to go.

It's overcast here though if high enough or far enough inland then it is nice and sunny.

Well, I hope to see Rassy soon.
Cheers all, KF

[Kingfish]

Taking a lunch break in Crescent City after 83 hilly miles. That last hill before CC was huge. Took the scenic parkway alternate route; very nice! I figure it is about 55 more miles / 2 hours to go.

It's overcast here though if high enough or far enough inland then it is nice and sunny.

Well, I hope to see Rassy soon.
Cheers all, KF

Entering Oregon Country...

[Kingfish]

I have arrived at Gold Beach, Oregon! <yea!>

I left about 9:30 AM from Eureka and got here about 4:30 PM after 140.5 miles. The last 18 miles were a real struggle, particularly after the Pistol River crossing with gusty winds exceeding 30 mph. That cut into my pack hard and I dropped like 2 volts in 8 miles. Glad to be here though; Rassy is an excellent host

If this wind keeps up though I will have to change my route back, and am presently considering heading up the west side of the Willamette Valley.

Weather, other than gusts, has been warm and sunny in Oregon, and the margins have been mostly wide and well-kept.

Speak to you again soon.
Cheers, KF

[mobybike]

If this wind keeps up though I will have to change my route back, and am presently considering heading up the west side of the Willamette Valley.

It's not even the windy season yet
Please do not even consider Bear Camp Road out of Gold Beach to head east over the hill. Terrible road conditions rock strewn unmanaged potholes and more. It would be the worst road you could ever take and steeper than anything else you would consider. If you decide to try it anyway... please post it before you go so I can call search and rescue in a day if you don't make it to the other side. (no joke)

It sounds like you missed out on the fog from Crescent City to Whaleshead Resort however
Shaded areas of the road north of Gold Beach to Bandon now can be mossy, and some places seem to never dry. The wind is typically worse north of Gold Beach too, and usually gets better just after the Bandon Dunes. YMMV
There is a good candy store in Bandon too called Cranberry Sweets and More, down in the Pier area. It's right off the highway within blocks.

Enjoy the fresh sea are through there!

[Rassy]

Nice visit KF. I enjoyed meeting another solid ES'er and super E-Bike enthusiast.

Now you know why most tour bikes go North to South on the coast. These North winds are predominate during the summer months. They usually taper off in the fall, and then often go away during the winter.

Our big winter blows come from the SouthWest, and usually two or three of them exceed 100 MPH on the headlands.

Here's hoping the rest of your ride continues to go great. We all enjoy reading about the adventure.

[dbaker]

Rassy,

Did you hook up KF with a salmon

[Kingfish]

Greetings ye EBikers wherever you are worldwide...

I yam now at Coos Bay, arriving at 11 AM sharp after 80 windy miles. The pack is about 65% spent

Left my great host Rassy about 6:45 AM in a light wind and headed north on US 101. Stopped at Paridise Cafe for ham n eggsand lit out about 9 AM. Made Bandon about an hour later. The road is in superb condion between Bandon and Hwy 42 from recent repaving. Wind has been getting lighter as I head north, though the gusts are about to pick up.

So, The Plan for today is to get to Florence, about 50 miles north and call it a day. If I can make it, then tomorrow head inland and target McMinnville or points farther north if possible.

From there, I have 3 options:
1. Go via Longview-Centralia to Mt. Rianier NP to Enumclaw to Redmond
2. Back the way I came via L-C (booooring)
3. Cross over at Longview and weasel up to the pinninsula and take the ferry across the Sound back to Seattle - thus saving myself a shedload of tedious metro traffic.

Mountains or Sound? After McMinnville, all routes will xtill take 2 more days to complete. Which would you choose and why?

Thank you Subway for having quick bites and shelter from the wind.
And thank you Rassy for the warm sleeping bag

From the Road, KF

[Kingfish]

Made it to Florence about 2:15 PM, and now I'm in my room at the Lighthouse Inn, room 26: If yer nearby bring chips and salsa, it's Friday night, let's par-tee

Stats:
Start V = 63.4, End V = 55.1 (I was quite miserly with the power)
Distance = 129.1, Total Odometer is now 2165 miles.
Regen was 0.4% if you can believe that!
Vmin = 53.5, MaxS = 40.7, AveS = 26.5
Time = 4:51:51

In all, it was a stressful ride due to wind and weekend traffic. No particular aholes today, but just a lot of fast-moving peoples trying to get to their weekend spot.

Lots of jaw-dropping scenery; it was real nice to see this part of the coast under sunny skies instead of overcast. Wish I had more time for exploring

So that's it for now; going to get cleaned up and find a nice place to eat.

Chow'der, KF

[chroot]

Hi Kingfish,

When you visited at SF, I saw you setting up the charger hook up with the batteries. I do not see any sparks. It made me wonder do you have pre-charge built-in? How do you balance your LiPo battery in series (63.5v)? I can't find your thread relate the LiPo set-up, the charger and balancer.

I talked with epbuddy hobby, The owner said not good idea charging the LiPo in series instead recommend charging in completely parallel set-up.

Let me know thanks, I glad you made getting to oregon and I bet it is so beautiful scenic route.

[Hillhater]

for KF's charger set up,..look at the links in his signature.

Im guessing that "epbuddy hobby" .. owner is an RC model guy, ??
He has probably never seen a 20+ Ahr 60v pack...or he would not make such a impractical comment.

[Kingfish]

for KF's charger set up,..look at the links in his signature.

Im guessing that "epbuddy hobby" .. owner is an RC model guy, ??
He has probably never seen a 20+ Ahr 60v pack...or he would not make such a impractical comment.

Yes, that is a good point. I charge in bulk. The trick is to plug in the PSU first to precharge the pcb caps and the plug into the battery mains; no spark that way, else there is a spark cos the batt pack will try to charge those caps...

So again, plug in your charger first then connent to the pack

Balancing: I do not balance regularly. Last time I balanced was 3 weeks ago in Centraliaand I did the poor-man's balancing method which is to use balancing cables instead of a formal BMS. I think this begs a discussion, though let's let this lay til I get back to a real computer

Having a pleasant evening in Florence; the natives are friendly and the food is superb; check out the Old Town district when passing rhrough - no, scratch that... Florence is a destination; one for the Bucket List. Lucky me I stumbled here

Life is short, and then you die. Make the most of every moment! KF

[chroot]

Alrighty, Lets get you home soon!

I am more interested in the pre-charge between controller and battery. By using Kilovac EV200 Series Contactor switch off/on since I see Doctorbass is using them lot. I better save this discuss till you get home.

although, lets blast enjoy view the scenic route. ENJOY!!

[Kingfish]

Greetings wandering electric spirits of the material world!

I am taking my lunch break at Papas Pizza Parlor in Corvallis, Oregon after a mostly uneventful though quite pleasant 90 miles. I left Florence about 7:35 AM heading east on Hwy 126 following an inland river-estuary; that part was mosty damp, overcast, and neary foggy, though completely windless. Eventually I rode out from under this to beautiful blue sky.

The second part of the journey had me following Rassy's good direction by taking Hwy 36 east; very sparse on traffic and enjoyably tranqual ride. The low mountain pass was only 1022 feet high.

Eventually this plays out to the Willamette Valley. I found an unmanned weigh station and on a lark weighed bike-trailer-KF; the resolution was 50 lb.s, so it is not very accurate, but the weight came to 450 lb.s

After that, I headed north on Territorial Rd, through Monroe, and onto Hwy 99W. This is when I hit the headwind. Will poor 'ol KF ever get a break? It's blowin' pretty good, though not as bad as the coast. The heat is picking up from pleasant and now becoming warm.

Not sure how far to McMinnville, but there'a plenty on the pack to carry me 60 more miles. Ahhh - my pizza pie is here; time to scarf!

Cheers, KF

[Kingfish]

I made it to McMinnville. It is OMG-hot! 96°F

Ever since I left Corvallis, the temps just kept climbing, and by the time I got to Monmouth, finding shade for rest stops became a priority. I ended up stopping every 15 miles must to get a break, then it was every 10 miles, and then down to 7 miles. I felt like a melted ice cream sandwich on that hot black asphalt griddle * POP * SIZZLE * FRY !

For whatever reason, the motels (and not inns) are located 2 miles from anything fun.

But I am making use of this heat and I've washed the last round of laundry in the sink and rinsed out my riding gear, then hung them on the fence to dry. It looks pretty hillbilly, but those clothes will be dry in an hour - if I don't get caught It's so hot out there that they arn't dripping

Stats:
Started with 63.4V & ended with 55.8V. I had a headwind tne whole time going north.
Distance = 140.5; Total Odometer = 2305 miles.
MaxS = 40.7, AveS = 25.8 - another pokey day
Time = 5:26:45

Two different people within a couple of blocks of each other in Monmouth stopped me and wanted to know where to buy the ebike

Other than that, most of Hwy 99W had good wide margins north of Corvallis, and traffic was moderate with only 2 dickweeds.

Cooling off and prepping for the shower. I'm at the Motel 6 and they have a pool, so I may go that route. The only place close to eat is Carl's Jr. - doesn't that sound inviting?

[Rassy]

Wow! Only a little over 200 miles to go, for a grand trip total over 2500 miles. That's a lot of miles on a bike saddle.

Sounds like your ride through Oregon went pretty good.

We are completely fogged in here. Went for a trike ride earlier with just a shirt on and was a little on the cool side. We usually have heavy fog when the valley approaches 100F.

[dnmun]

the girls are moving in here tomorrow, but i can find space for you again. stop again if you can, i am in major remodel mode still, but you can chill while we have some warm weather finally.

[deVries]

Hey KF,

I hope you've got some more interesting stories to post for back-fill. I think your expanded posts beyond the daily stats, food, shower, sleep have been excellent. Keep-em coming... the road stories too...

Why did you cut over on 36 instead of continuing north on the coast? Head winds? Or

[Kingfish]

Greetings this fabulous AM!

This post may be fast and cryptic cos my phone had to reboot in the middle of an attempted post - grrr

Dnmun, many thanks, you are a great and kknd host!
DeVries - I shall backfill asap

I left McMinnville at 6:10 AM heading north on Hwy 47 up to Forest Grove, then east on Hwy 8 to Hillsborough, aeriving at 7:30 AM and had a porky breakfast at IHop. From here I'll take Cornelious Pass Road which cuts over to US30 and bypasses most of the PDX metro. The next stop is Longview, and I'll try to check in then. So far there is no wind to speak of, though I expect that will change when I reach the Columbia

On the road again in a moment, KF

[Kingfish]

Washingtonians, I have returned! Lock your doors, pack your bags, hide yer women... Kingfish is on his way home

I took a brief rest at the Pacific Pride depot just next to the Longview Bridge about 10:30 AM for 15 minutes vefore crossing the Columbia; I stopped there before when heading south.

This morning I went 36 miles to Hillsboro, then 48 miles to the foot of the bridge. It's about 11:30 AM and at the 100 mile mark in Castle Rock, WA. I figure there's another 40 miles to bo. Wind is light from the west and it is beginning to heat up.

Watered up and ready to get back at it, KF

[Kingfish]

Punched on through to Centralia, arriving at 1:40 PM after 143 miles.

EndV =55.4
Regen = 2.0%
Vmin = 53.7
MaxS = 42.1
AveS = 27.3
Time = 5:05:44
Total Odometer = 2448

Hmmm, I'll have to make sure to pump out 152+ miles tomorrow

From Castle Rock, the winds and heat and humidity picked up, increasing with each passing moment. I stopped a couple of times to water-up. Rather than take the exact same route back I switched it up and tried the only other rural route north (not I-5) and that was quite pleasant and not too busy; mainly the Jackson Hwy (informal).

The weather in Centralia is winding, with partial high clouds and elevated humidity. I am going to pray to the Unmalted Barleycorn & the Unfiltered Wheatbier for good weather

The pool here looks inviting! I'm also starving; my stomach thinks my thoat has been slit! So much to do, so little time...

Onward, to the shower - KF

[Kingfish]

Come on! Git otta bed and git going; Daylights' burning!

This is the last day. Got up and prepped rhe bike, and am now sittin' down to my breakfast at the Country Cousin.

Last night I put myself to sleep listening to "The Dub Side of the Moon" by the All Stars; a Rastafarian version of the Pink Floyd epic ~ a must-have album for those on the road...

So git up ya lazy bonz! It's still dark, but that's just clouds hiding the morning sun Feels cool, and yet humid like it's going to be another scorcher.

Food is here: Pork chop n eggs. KF

ADDENDUM: 6:30 AM. Fueled-up and fed. Both gerbels look fat dumb and happy; I guess it's time to git movin'

[Kingfish]

Some ideas go well, and some don't work at all.

Left Centralia heading north on Hwy 99SW, then Seargent Rd, and tnen Littleton (?) to Delphi Rd. In this section (Delphi Rd.) the roads are poorly marked; justs names and no destinations with poor cell reception. So threading through these backroads was tedious when not scenic. Wind was light though, and the sky was spitting down a light mist.

Eventually I found Mud Bay Road and I headed west, parallel to US101, & finally jumped onto it good and proper. Made good time, pack was looking good. Just past Shelton though the sky changed to dark, the wind picked up, and then the road became wet, and then there was the midgey-rain. I began to develop alternate plans. The short story is I made a bead across over to Hwy 3 and up the Kitsap Pinninsula to Bremerton, and I am now on the Bremerton-Seattle ferry. I've traveled about 99 miles to get here; ferry miles don't count

Oh gosh, I might as well stop for a bite in town. The shortest path back is over I-90, or I could go over the top of Lake-WA; weather will decide. Got a nice view of Mt. Rainier over the Sound. Seattle is now in view. Ferrys are cool! My bike was free in this direction; can't beat that deal

Lurking for tailwind, KF