Greetngs from South Dakota! Our team is in Sioux Falls for the night, but our car still has a little ways to go before we clock in there. We put in a pretty decent day today, if I do say so myself, and seem to be getting closer to eliminating the greater electrical gremlins.
We still have many minor electrical gremlins, as evidenced by our observer recording forty electrical problems since leaving Omaha, Nebraska this morning. The nice thing was, however, that one of these recurring bugs involved the array putting so much energy into the batteries that the power trackers got tricked into thinking they were running over and shutting off, which we solved by driving faster! Best... Solution... EVER!
Anyhow, we ended up putting in a decent day despite an overcast and slightly rainy morning between our stopover near Nebraska City, and our checkpoint in Omaha. Late morning and afternoon brought some gorgeous clear skies that powered us pretty well, leaving us just shy of our stage stop in Sioux Falls. We should be able to get charged and roll into the stop first thing tomorrow morning, giving us another day like the one in Neosho, where we can hopefully re-tune electrical systems and get a little rest before we head out to Winnipeg.
I just have to say, I am super excited about the Iron Man Challenge which is supposed to take place at this stop (after being postponed in Texas and in Neosho); about finally getting to go to Canada and breaking an international boundary with a new generation of Minnesota solar cars, and just basically to be a part of our amazing team. It's been really fun getting to know the guys and girl on the team, especially the ones from different design teams that I don't always get a chance to talk to in the shop back at home. Altogether, they're some of the hardest working and most dedicated students I could ever hope to work on a project with, and they're funny to boot. Like, riot funny. My quotebook has grown by leaps and bounds, and I have two notebooks standing by as I near the last pages of the one I started the rayce with.
Speaking of, here are a few gems from the day before I crash for a few hours before a 5:15am departure to get on the road.
"It's like Jurassic Park - when it rains, all the electrons escape, and everyone dies."
-Konrad (Strategy; Aero Team)
"I've lost a couple set screws on this trip... I'm a few set screws short of a full array stand."
-Tyler (Strategy; Aero Team)
"You need to find some lazy farmer to build your array stand. It'll be light, easy to use, cheap as hell... and probably made of chicken wire and manure."
-Luke (Iowa State University)
"As far as Iron Range accents go, I'm about in Brainerd."
-Towey (Crew Chief; Aero Team)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Quote Post 1
And some quotes, after which this blog is named, and which have been plentiful over the past week.
"It makes me feel less lonely, when I'm yelling at things, to think that they're sad that I'm yelling at them."
-Ryan
"Just imagine the solar car looking like it's wearing an Elvis costume."
-Konrad
"Who wants to go on an array shading binge?!"
-Nick
"We should call Adem and tell him we have his phone."
-Ryan
"Why is the white bread all smashed up?" / "Because the brown bread was beating it up."
-Becky / Brandon
"Elevator etiquette is low on the totem pole... I mean, keeping my pants on is enough."
-Sam
"Try to get at least one decent meal before the rayce. It cuts down on fatalities by at least 50%."
-Towey
"Hi Taylor... I'm not going to hurt you; it's Tristan that I'm after."
-Ryan
"Copy that, we will not be making any more jokes about leaving the observer behind."
-Towey
"Fortunately, we're not a big enough organization to be called a debaucle."
-Towey
"It makes me feel less lonely, when I'm yelling at things, to think that they're sad that I'm yelling at them."
-Ryan
"Just imagine the solar car looking like it's wearing an Elvis costume."
-Konrad
"Who wants to go on an array shading binge?!"
-Nick
"We should call Adem and tell him we have his phone."
-Ryan
"Why is the white bread all smashed up?" / "Because the brown bread was beating it up."
-Becky / Brandon
"Elevator etiquette is low on the totem pole... I mean, keeping my pants on is enough."
-Sam
"Try to get at least one decent meal before the rayce. It cuts down on fatalities by at least 50%."
-Towey
"Hi Taylor... I'm not going to hurt you; it's Tristan that I'm after."
-Ryan
"Copy that, we will not be making any more jokes about leaving the observer behind."
-Towey
"Fortunately, we're not a big enough organization to be called a debaucle."
-Towey
Neosho
Finally, a chance to update. It's been a busy few days as we completed the qualifier and headed out to Plano, Texas, for the official start of the rayce. We ended up qualifying in second place behind Michigan, after putting in a solid two days on the track despite some electrical and mechanical happenings.
In Plano, they handed out some awards for the qualifier, and we discovered that we had posted the fastest lap time of 2:14, and that we also got best figure 8, and best prepared team. We were pretty pleased with these accomplishments, especially the fastest lap which we actually thought was a mistake at first (though the official GPS data shows we did it early in the morning on the first day... no wonder we got so much tire scrub at first!)
Anyhow, we rolled out of Plano exactly one minute behind Michigan, and passed them within ten minutes. The day was cloudy with a bit of rain, but we rolled into our checkpoint at McAlester, OK, having put in a solid morning on the road. We left McAlester under blue skies, but since we had to put new power trackers on the car at the very last minute (many thanks to Principia and Arizona for their help in that matter!), we didn't have enough power to quite make it to the stage stop in Neosho, MO. We were going slow at the end there, and eventually had to stop ten miles away from the stop.
However, we got our evening charge in , along with lots of tire change practice for the pit challenge tonight, and then packed into our hotel, got a little shut eye, and headed back to our stop point early this morning to charge again and finish the stage. We ended up being third to the stop after Michigan and Principia, followed by Bochum (the German team), and Missouri S&T (Rolla). We set up the car and let EE team get to work. Since there's not a lot for other teams to work on right now, at least without getting in the way of Electrical, some of us are back at the hotel catching up on lost sleep or email or what not. We also got a chance to stop by Walmart and the dollar store, which was fun.
Anyhow, we have the day to work on the car, including a morning and evening stage charge (which we did this morning without an array stand by having several members of the team lay under the side of the shell, holding it vertical to get the most power from the solar array - the pictures are hilarious, when I can get ahold of one). After that, and the pit challenge, we leave in the morning for our next checkpoint, Topeka.
As the Beatles would put it;
Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
In Plano, they handed out some awards for the qualifier, and we discovered that we had posted the fastest lap time of 2:14, and that we also got best figure 8, and best prepared team. We were pretty pleased with these accomplishments, especially the fastest lap which we actually thought was a mistake at first (though the official GPS data shows we did it early in the morning on the first day... no wonder we got so much tire scrub at first!)
Anyhow, we rolled out of Plano exactly one minute behind Michigan, and passed them within ten minutes. The day was cloudy with a bit of rain, but we rolled into our checkpoint at McAlester, OK, having put in a solid morning on the road. We left McAlester under blue skies, but since we had to put new power trackers on the car at the very last minute (many thanks to Principia and Arizona for their help in that matter!), we didn't have enough power to quite make it to the stage stop in Neosho, MO. We were going slow at the end there, and eventually had to stop ten miles away from the stop.
However, we got our evening charge in , along with lots of tire change practice for the pit challenge tonight, and then packed into our hotel, got a little shut eye, and headed back to our stop point early this morning to charge again and finish the stage. We ended up being third to the stop after Michigan and Principia, followed by Bochum (the German team), and Missouri S&T (Rolla). We set up the car and let EE team get to work. Since there's not a lot for other teams to work on right now, at least without getting in the way of Electrical, some of us are back at the hotel catching up on lost sleep or email or what not. We also got a chance to stop by Walmart and the dollar store, which was fun.
Anyhow, we have the day to work on the car, including a morning and evening stage charge (which we did this morning without an array stand by having several members of the team lay under the side of the shell, holding it vertical to get the most power from the solar array - the pictures are hilarious, when I can get ahold of one). After that, and the pit challenge, we leave in the morning for our next checkpoint, Topeka.
As the Beatles would put it;
Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
I Wanna Know...
...Have you ever seen the rain, coming down a sunny day? I have.
Anyhow, we had a first-aid refresher first thing this morning. That was somewhat entertaining...
It was followed by a trip out for some hair cuts and hardware. EE team needed more LEDs for some manufacturing tasks they're up to, and Aero team needed some supplies to make a newer, louder horn for the car. I needed a new notebook because my quotebook is growing quite rapidly. And, the Texas weather had some of the guys desperate to get cooler hairstyles. Which wasn't entirely necessary, at least for today, because we got a little relief from the heat via some unexpected rain. The first burst lasted for all of three minutes, in full sun, just as we pulled back up to base camp and realized we were getting wet. The second burst was a more imposing black cloud on our weather radar, and as we got back from watching the German team, Bochum, go through dynamics, all of the teams were packing their stuff into trailers and running to tell other teams about the storm.
Then the rain came. We just put the grill on the other side of the trailer and hung out. Some of the team got in the vans to wait it out, because it got pretty intense for a few minutes, but some of us got out a frisbee (because all the solar cars were trailered, so it was okay to play) and had a game with some of the guys from Oregon State. The wind was fierce, though, so anyone throwing against the wind usually had the frisbee returned to them boomerang style. Then Konrad started running around doing power slides on the wet asphalt with his sneakers, like a human brake test. The rain and evening combo really cooled it down outside. It was nice, even though I got thoroughly soaked, shoes especially.
We got back and stopped by Sonic for shakes and slushies, had our room invaded by the guys while we sorted out the laundry fiasco which occurred earlier today, and now I'm updating this, going to update my quote book, and go to bed.
And, my quotebook is in my hotel room, and I currently am not, so I'll do a double update tomorrow.
Anyhow, we had a first-aid refresher first thing this morning. That was somewhat entertaining...
It was followed by a trip out for some hair cuts and hardware. EE team needed more LEDs for some manufacturing tasks they're up to, and Aero team needed some supplies to make a newer, louder horn for the car. I needed a new notebook because my quotebook is growing quite rapidly. And, the Texas weather had some of the guys desperate to get cooler hairstyles. Which wasn't entirely necessary, at least for today, because we got a little relief from the heat via some unexpected rain. The first burst lasted for all of three minutes, in full sun, just as we pulled back up to base camp and realized we were getting wet. The second burst was a more imposing black cloud on our weather radar, and as we got back from watching the German team, Bochum, go through dynamics, all of the teams were packing their stuff into trailers and running to tell other teams about the storm.
Then the rain came. We just put the grill on the other side of the trailer and hung out. Some of the team got in the vans to wait it out, because it got pretty intense for a few minutes, but some of us got out a frisbee (because all the solar cars were trailered, so it was okay to play) and had a game with some of the guys from Oregon State. The wind was fierce, though, so anyone throwing against the wind usually had the frisbee returned to them boomerang style. Then Konrad started running around doing power slides on the wet asphalt with his sneakers, like a human brake test. The rain and evening combo really cooled it down outside. It was nice, even though I got thoroughly soaked, shoes especially.
We got back and stopped by Sonic for shakes and slushies, had our room invaded by the guys while we sorted out the laundry fiasco which occurred earlier today, and now I'm updating this, going to update my quote book, and go to bed.
And, my quotebook is in my hotel room, and I currently am not, so I'll do a double update tomorrow.
Maroon and Gold is all Green!
None of the guys are up yet, so I'm going to take a minute to update:
Minnesota was the first team to finish scrutineering yesterday (in fact, I think the only team). We got all greens at 3:54pm, and the first green given out for the mechanical station all day.
This means that our car is approved to race, and that we get pole position for the qualifier. Getting to go first at the qualifier should give us a better chance of getting pole position for the race, which is really important so we can get out in front and stay out in front.
As we left the track yesterday, having finished the Support Vehicle station in one go, Michigan was on their third try. Booyah.
Anyhow, my priorities as of right now go: breakfast, solar car... so I'm out.
Minnesota was the first team to finish scrutineering yesterday (in fact, I think the only team). We got all greens at 3:54pm, and the first green given out for the mechanical station all day.
This means that our car is approved to race, and that we get pole position for the qualifier. Getting to go first at the qualifier should give us a better chance of getting pole position for the race, which is really important so we can get out in front and stay out in front.
As we left the track yesterday, having finished the Support Vehicle station in one go, Michigan was on their third try. Booyah.
Anyhow, my priorities as of right now go: breakfast, solar car... so I'm out.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Texas
We made it to Cresson, Texas without much ado. Besides, of course, having all of our preconceived notions about Texas confirmed. (Swass!)
Anyhow, we pulled our caravan into the parking lot of the Texas Motorsports Ranch (after a detour through a trailer park / neighborhood which was pretty interesting). We were greeted by the imposing sight of Michigan's absurdedly huge semi-trailer and cadre of matching black hybrid Tahoes (which are as yet publicly unavailable, I hear). It reminded me of those guys from Twister, the ones with all the funding, who ended up getting a radio tower driven through their windshield and sucked into an F5.
But honestly, Michigan seems nice. We still plan on owning the heck out of them in the race, however.
We parked next to Principia, but haven't really seen anything from them yet (they've got a tarp with a generator, but no car to speak of). On the other side is Oregon State. Their car is interesting as heck; they have carpet and some rainbow padding in their driver compartment. We checked in right before Calgary, who were sporting matching white cowboy hats. And the German team has matching shorts... way too organized for solar car.
We busted out Centaurus and got right to work. One of our tasks before scrutineering is making sure we can safely store Jeff's massive ballast bag, as it probably weighs more than he does. Adem, however, got a slick 1 kilo. And the rest of us got cute little NASC pins, and name tags to wear - pardon my French, but the name tages were my official "this shit just got REAL" moment. You know, when you realize suddenly that you're on the other side of the country, about to embark on two weeks of hardcore, ready-for-anything, road warrior solar car that will sum up the work of our team over what, for some, has been more than two years.
Well, I could say more, but we have to be back to the track at 8am (it seems we're one of very few teams who are not actually camping at the track; we've seen lots of tents and even some sleeping cupboards in a trailer).
Quotes:
-About Jeff's ballast bag:
"I feel bad for the mother who would be birthing that child."
"Especially if she looked like Jeff."
-Morgan / Sam
"Let me figure out the probability... yeah, there's a 66% chance of shenanigans."
-Adem
Anyhow, we pulled our caravan into the parking lot of the Texas Motorsports Ranch (after a detour through a trailer park / neighborhood which was pretty interesting). We were greeted by the imposing sight of Michigan's absurdedly huge semi-trailer and cadre of matching black hybrid Tahoes (which are as yet publicly unavailable, I hear). It reminded me of those guys from Twister, the ones with all the funding, who ended up getting a radio tower driven through their windshield and sucked into an F5.
But honestly, Michigan seems nice. We still plan on owning the heck out of them in the race, however.
We parked next to Principia, but haven't really seen anything from them yet (they've got a tarp with a generator, but no car to speak of). On the other side is Oregon State. Their car is interesting as heck; they have carpet and some rainbow padding in their driver compartment. We checked in right before Calgary, who were sporting matching white cowboy hats. And the German team has matching shorts... way too organized for solar car.
We busted out Centaurus and got right to work. One of our tasks before scrutineering is making sure we can safely store Jeff's massive ballast bag, as it probably weighs more than he does. Adem, however, got a slick 1 kilo. And the rest of us got cute little NASC pins, and name tags to wear - pardon my French, but the name tages were my official "this shit just got REAL" moment. You know, when you realize suddenly that you're on the other side of the country, about to embark on two weeks of hardcore, ready-for-anything, road warrior solar car that will sum up the work of our team over what, for some, has been more than two years.
Well, I could say more, but we have to be back to the track at 8am (it seems we're one of very few teams who are not actually camping at the track; we've seen lots of tents and even some sleeping cupboards in a trailer).
Quotes:
-About Jeff's ballast bag:
"I feel bad for the mother who would be birthing that child."
"Especially if she looked like Jeff."
-Morgan / Sam
"Let me figure out the probability... yeah, there's a 66% chance of shenanigans."
-Adem
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Oklahoma!
We reached our first stop, Tulsa, tonight after a long day on the road, with minor adventures.
Being that we left a day later than originally planned, I had pushed our hotel dates in Tulsa and Granbury (Texas), only to find out as we packed into vans that we were going to arrive in Tulsa on schedule. So I quickly grabbed my laptop from the scout van and spent the first twenty minutes of the trip rearranging hotel reservations, seven confirmation numbers at a time. Throughout the trip, I also had to pull out the computer to verify addresses for the TomTom vs. Garmin GPS war. So yeah, now I have officially been one of those people who sits in a solar car support vehicle with laptop at the ready, a sort of mobile desk rabbit.
Anyhow, after hotel shenanigans got resolved, we were well on our way...
However, immediately upon reaching I-35, our light bar fell off our chase van, causing an emergency stop. Safety vests were speedily strewn around necks as team members removed the light bar to be fixed later.
The remainder of the ride was uneventful, as far as disasters and such were concerned. The quotebook is off to a healthy start, and we as a team are getting closer everyday to equal barbecue chip rights for all members. After our first crew change, I spent most of the day as lead navigator, which is my favorite rayce role so far, especially when we have tricky downtown bypass exits to explore.
Well, we're getting up at 6:30 so we can be packed, fed, showered, and on the road by 8:00am for our drive to Texas. So, I'm going to bed.
But first, let me note that I have crossed two more states off my list today, for a total of 23 states visited (and by visited, I mean performed some necessary physical function: eating, sleeping, or peeing). Almost halfway there!
Quote(s) of the Day:
"Lead van is nice and quiet; you can watch the EE team cuddle."
-Towey (trying to recruit chase passengers/drivers to switch vehicles; and, I do indeed have pictures of EE team cuddling)
"Did you just say 'left hand loin change'?!"
-Brandon (to me; I had been trying to request a lane change while eating beef jerky)
Being that we left a day later than originally planned, I had pushed our hotel dates in Tulsa and Granbury (Texas), only to find out as we packed into vans that we were going to arrive in Tulsa on schedule. So I quickly grabbed my laptop from the scout van and spent the first twenty minutes of the trip rearranging hotel reservations, seven confirmation numbers at a time. Throughout the trip, I also had to pull out the computer to verify addresses for the TomTom vs. Garmin GPS war. So yeah, now I have officially been one of those people who sits in a solar car support vehicle with laptop at the ready, a sort of mobile desk rabbit.
Anyhow, after hotel shenanigans got resolved, we were well on our way...
However, immediately upon reaching I-35, our light bar fell off our chase van, causing an emergency stop. Safety vests were speedily strewn around necks as team members removed the light bar to be fixed later.
The remainder of the ride was uneventful, as far as disasters and such were concerned. The quotebook is off to a healthy start, and we as a team are getting closer everyday to equal barbecue chip rights for all members. After our first crew change, I spent most of the day as lead navigator, which is my favorite rayce role so far, especially when we have tricky downtown bypass exits to explore.
Well, we're getting up at 6:30 so we can be packed, fed, showered, and on the road by 8:00am for our drive to Texas. So, I'm going to bed.
But first, let me note that I have crossed two more states off my list today, for a total of 23 states visited (and by visited, I mean performed some necessary physical function: eating, sleeping, or peeing). Almost halfway there!
Quote(s) of the Day:
"Lead van is nice and quiet; you can watch the EE team cuddle."
-Towey (trying to recruit chase passengers/drivers to switch vehicles; and, I do indeed have pictures of EE team cuddling)
"Did you just say 'left hand loin change'?!"
-Brandon (to me; I had been trying to request a lane change while eating beef jerky)
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