Sweatin' the pipes

The other morning I awoke to a growling stomach and thoughts of fry bread. As my brain wandered through semi-lucid thoughts I remembered that Carl had passes around some photos from the installation at Jim and Selma's. 

I'm hungry right now and in similar semi-lucid fashion just remembered to post them.

Final-ly!

We are screaming through finals and have wrapped up classes. Just finished my last written exam, I have a paper to turn in, and tomorrow I have to take a hands on tools, circuits, and conduit exam. 

The neighbor kids were waiting for the bus when I left this morning, which is common. Each day they stare in disbelief as I load up on the bike, wearing a screaming-yellow-glow-in-the-dark jacket and head off to school with backpack strapped onto the rack. (I am not sure if they stare because of fashion issues or just looking at the local oddity that rides a bike in oil-and-gas town.)

THis morning, one of the girls says, "Dude - Don't you get cold riding your bike every day?" It's below freezing out in the morning, and sometimes all day lately.
When you are my age, if a teen does not call you "Sir" or "Old Guy" or some other pejorative term, it's a compliment. It was a good omen to start the day, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Then the girl next to her holds her hand up to shield it from me, but speaks loud enough for me to hear, and says to her friend, "What's up with his jacket?! Ugggg-Ly." 

Balance is restored.

Wind Turbine R&D Update

Our local mad scientist has come up with an innovative wind turbine. It is still in development, and until he hits production, I can't divulge specifics on power generation or output characteristics, but I can tell you that it looks really cool, and moves aggressively in a strong breeze. It swims like a dolphin in the air and what nimby neighbor could object to dolphins?

(Nimby = not in my backyard, those that will complain about any change including that its too sunny today because pollution levels are lower than normal, etc.)

Photos copyright TMunson.MD.PhD.etc.

Ute Mountain

Ute Mountain. 4 Corners Area. The San Juan Basin. 

Land. Space. Desert. Mountains. Snow.

 

Troughing

I am so concerned for the execs that have run the car companies into the ground that I thought maybe I could my little part to help out. I mean, what can I do, other than giving them my tax dollars for executive bonuses that surely must be based on performance, right, I mean these guys are capitalists, right?

Anyhow, my concern is so large that I have coined a new use for the word "troughing". They should not have to explain how exhausting it must be to fly in your private jet to Washington to deal with some piss-ant politicians. I mean the job of a politician is to hand out money at the trough, not to question these giants of industry.

Here's the new use, much better than a descriptive term for a conveyor belt. 

"I was so tired after a week of troughing in DC, that I took the jet to my favorite spa in Nice. After a day there, I had a luncheon meeting (9 courses) in LA. Off I go in the jet. Whew, then I have to be back in Detroit to yell at my assistant. How long can it take someone to put a powerpoint slide together to impress some politicians with My Vision? Next week I go back to DC for more troughing. I put in so many hours at the trough. Running this company takes a lot of troughing time." 

How's that? Think of it as my gift to the auto execs. May they use it in good health and at new jobs where they are paid for performance. There's the door.

New Roof Please

In order to learn how to install solar panels on a roof, you need to get on a roof and practice. Since the program is growing, and since it is a small state school, if you want a second practice roof, you build it yourself. Tom got some students together to build a new roof. We'll put it on the ground in our yard, so it is easy to get up and down, and the potential fall off it is less severe. 

Since Tom is an engineer, he has a complex set of plans, and some scheme to "flip the roof" after a few years of service, once too many holes have been punched in it by different groups of students and multiple sets of panels. Before getting started I verified that any "flip the roof" occurrence would happen well after I'm gone. ("Flip the roof" sounds too much like "Drop the roof" for me!)

Install on the Rez

Carl and Tom rallied the troops (RE students) to head out to the Navajo Reservation to do a one day major upgrade to Jim and Selma's off grid systems. They don't pay The Man for their electricity, they make their own. 

Jim has several separate systems that have grown over time. Friday we installed a solar thermal hot water system. This simple low maintenance system should provide all the heat needed for their hot water supply. The panel gets hauled onto the roof. Water is heated in the panel during daylight hours by the sun, and that water is sent to their hot water tank where it used as the heat source instead of gas or oil. If the sun doesn't produce enough heat then the heater can be assisted by gas or oil.

We also reconfigured some solar PV arays, added some new panels to the main house system, and upgraded the major components, inverter, charge controller, etc. We rewired the battery bank to push higher voltage for the new components. 

They've got a beautiful spot, they live independently on Selma's family land (Selma's 85 year old mother lives in a hogan on the property, but she was off to sheep camp for the week so we didn't get to meet her.) 

Selma cooked us mutton stew and Navajo fry bread for lunch! I stopped at 4 gigantic delicious wonderful pieces of fry bread, just moments before I would have exploded. The others, though they have youth on their side, couldn't rally past 2 single pieces. Mutton stew with dumplings. Bring it on!!

If you cook Navajo fry bread and mutton stew, I'll be there! 

Rule 1: Let the owner cut the holes in the roof.

Tom and Carl, the RE Gurus try to rein in the group.

Mesa Verde

Pueblo People know how to pick a good spot. 

Autumn Cold Snap

In a house at 5600' feet of elevation, you can expect some cold days. In a rental with no insulation, you can expect to either waste a lot of heat and money, or turn the thermostat down. 

I think Kurt may have had enough after needing a down coat and wool cap just for tooth brushing. 

Belgian Fun

Now that is a bike race. Sven wins again

P.S. Vote Today!!!

My self imposed ban on blog entries is over. I did not want to turn my blog into a political rant, and bore us all to death, but in the election season, everything I wrote came out politics. So I just stopped.

Bob sent me
this as a reminder.

It was personalized for me, but I'm willing to share. Thanks Bob!

Vote Vote Vote and Vote some more

This is pretty good. I'm living in a swing state, so my vote counts more than usual. I'm also in a state that lets you vote early. Typically I am the biggest critic of all things government. But whenever I get to vote, I feel really good about the system. It's just good to cast a ballot! I got to the polls Friday and I got to cast away. That glow doesn't last long, so I want to enjoy the moment. It's good stuff.

I don't have to deal with election day lines, or trying to figure out if I would get screwed by the system and have to cast a "provisional ballot" on election day. I'm all done. It feels good.

So get out there. Vote Early. Vote Often. Vote for me. (Just kidding unless you were thinking of voting for McCain.)

Yellow Ribbons

I was out on a run recently and some redneck-looking guy in a 1980’s era pickup buzzed right by me. He missed my shoulder by just inches. I was watching him closely as he came at me, ready to drop out of the way of the side view mirrors or if he started to veer at me.

I could smell his breath, yes it really was that bad, and he didn’t bother to put down his Big Mac, stop slurping on the Big Gulp, toss the cigarette aside, or put the cell phone down. Just as he got passed me, I stopped and turned, and perhaps I hollered something at him, and it is even possible that I waved at him with one of my fingers higher than the others.

And then I saw them. Those yellow ribbons. “Support the Troops” they say. Here’s another sanctimonious wanker driving a gas guzzler down the road and the only support he gives the troops is to buy an imported sticker so he can give the impression that he bothers to support the troops.

No way dude. Get off the road. You want to support the troops? That doesn’t cut it.

About 25% of the homeless people in the US are veterans. That is not ok.

But since this blog is a not a negative rant or my soapbox, here’s some positive steps he can take instead of a bumper sticker.

Contact someone in Congressman today. Tell them you want Line Item 1 of the Federal Budget to speak directly to veteran’s benefits. And they better be really, really, extremely good benefits. Nothing else comes first.

That would be a start and hell of a lot better than a sanctimonious yellow ribbon.

Here’s a couple of web sites for that dude in the pickup truck.
Any Soldier
roosevelt institute
homes for our troops
troop support
Reps: House of Reps
Senate: Senate

Unlike my PV panels, you can put your yellow ribbons where the sun don’t shine.

A whole lotta hot air

The ABQ Hot Air Balloon Festival. Almost 700 hot air balloons and a sunrise mass ascension (non religious). 

There were so many balloons they bounce off each other as they fill up. Spectators get to walk around the fields and get up close and personal with them. 

Darth Vader, of course, stole the show. Oh yeah, only US $10 for a ticket and a bus ride to the show. No charge for sunrise over the mountains.

Coincidence??

Within 72 hours of posting an entry about Dave's hydrolyzer, he was the victim of a it and run. The mad-scientist-chemist mechanic was luckily uninjured but his car is a mess. 

The driver of the hit and run got away.

I know, I know, you're thinking that the Feds, or was it Big Oil?, came to town to take him down. Once some threat to status quo hits the internet, they can't let it stand. 

I know, I know, I too feel like I'm in an X-Files episode suddenly. David Byrne was just in ABQ playing Talking Heads songs, Dave's car is impounded to a lot in Roswell and never seen again. Definitely getting strange here in Farm Town. And the paranoia seems to be building as we scream towards midterms.

You may also be thinking, 72 hours, why 72 hours? 

Guess what - They privatized that too! The old response time of 24 hours is gone, and it's been privatized into a 72 window. You just can't count on anything anymore. 

Hydroxy for your car

Reason number 2385 to fire all the American Car company execs. Dave from the RE program decided to enhance his car's fuel efficiency and lower his emissions. Dave is not an auto mechanic, although he is mechanically adept. He bought a Hydrolyzer kit on the internet, and improved his mileage by 15%. 

How it works:

The car's electricity is used to run a small current through distilled water and electrolyte, potassium hydroxide. (I know! Big words for this blog, but stay with me, I don't understand 'em either). The water (H2O in metric) is charged up, and this splits the hydrogen and the oxygen into hydroxy gas. This is then funneled into the intake manifold. The car's oxygen sensor knows that enhanced amounts of oxygen are present, and lowers the amount of fuel burned in the mixture. The oxygen and hydrogen are burned hotter than plain air mix, so the car burns the fuels more completely and cleanly. 

That's it. The hydrolyzer doesn't run while the car is off, so you aren't dealing with stored hydrogen.  The device has a bubbler unit that passes the gas to the intake manifold. This also prevents a potential backfire from getting to the source hydroxy and causing an issue like an explosion. 

No it's not some form of free energy, but the small amount of electricity used up is easily made up for by the fuel in the hydrogen and clean burning of the oxygen. I've seen it and it actually works.  

Doin' Time in the Yard

The RE program includes lot's of class time on the NEC, lecture time, electric lab time, homework of course, and then doin' time in the yard with the crew.  Here we are testing off on wire splicing, terminal crimping, and other tools-use exercises, all chomping at the bit to start throwing panels up, but we gotta start at the beginning and work our way there.

Here is some of the crew that is signed up for the RE program. They let me in even though I don't have long hair and am not currently sporting any facial hair. 

The program doesn't have budget money for an actual yard building, so we work in the weather. Right now it is sunny sunny sunny, which is great, but even here they have bad weather from time to time, or so I have heard. It is high desert, so the temperatures will swing 50 degrees F (10 C) between night low and day high. Which means in the winter we'll be getting subfreezing temperatures during the night, making working with tools and metal a bit slower. And do not stick your tongue on the aluminum frame. 

Solar Fiesta, Cha Cha Cha

I've been heads down for a month trying to keep up with my 5 classes. It's a skill I never really had, and what little of it I had, I seemed to have lost along the way. However, the "shut up and study" school of homework has been working for me. 

I got caught up this week, and even got a couple of days ahead so I could take most of Friday and Saturday off to attend the Solar Fiesta in Albuquerque (to be called ABQ from now on).

The first photo is the San Juan College Solar Roller.

The Solar Roller is a complete mobile Renewable Energy package, featuring solar PV panels on the roof and battery bank inside. A wind turbine on a pole mount can be tucked inside for travel, and a small scale closed-loop Solar Domestic Hot Water set up complete with hot water tank. Don't forget the solar oven. The UNM booth next to us borrowed power from our battery bank to run their booth. In their defense they are a brand new program and haven't had time to get their own van together yet.  

(Since I know someone will ask... No, I have not tried driving down the highway with the turbine facing forward to see how much power I can generate. I'm not saying I won't try it, I just haven't had the chance.)

A bunch of students joined the professors at the San Juan College booth to talk to people that stopped by. It was cool to see people stopping by to say "I want solar hot water. How do I get it? Who do I pay?" The public here is using renewable energy and seeing the payback. Since we are a school and not in business, we could give an impartial opinion. 

I also met some graduates of the program I am in. They are busy making a living, and have more work regionally than they can handle. A guy I met when he was a student last year, came over and was talking the talk like a well seasoned pro. 

 

Carl and Tom, our Renewable Gurus. Carl is an engineering professor at San Juan that started the RE program. Once Carl had grown the program enough, Tom left his solar installation company and joined the RE program. (Carl and Tom - you can forget that comment I made about driving down the highway with the wind turbine facing forward.)

Stephen and Daniel playing nice with the electric bike - a brand called the Ego. Zips along at 25 mph, and comes with two key switch settings "Go Far" or "Go Fast". 

In session, Fall 08!

Finally the fall semester is here. There I was all summer taking pre-requisite classes just itching to get the real program started. Things have started fast, and I’m already behind. How does that happen? I’ll be caught up again by Sunday night. I gotta sit up and pay attention!

I’m in 5 classes.
Renewable Energy Installation – hands on installation and design work. Great stuff.
Renewable Energy Applications – look at how energy is produced and consumed in the US. Come up with ideas to do it right.
AC Electricity – lecture, computer learning in electricity lab, hands on lab work.
Renewable Energy Instrumentation – how to know what the system is doing, and how to track it
The NEC (National Electric Code) – ok this one is brutal. 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM two nights a week.

here's a sample from the NEC:
Document Scope: 90.2 Scope. (A) Covered. This Code covers the installation of electrical conductors, equipment, and raceways; signaling and communications conductors, equipment, and raceways; and optical fiber cables and raceways for the following: (1) Public and private premises, including buildings, structures, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and floating buildings... try reading that for 2000 pages. Zzzzz...

The driest material on the planet. The instructor is older than Moses and unfortunately challenged by it. Did I mention deaf yet?

Here is a typical Q&A session:
Old teacher: "What?"
college student: "Well, uhh, what if, like you know, what if you like needed, like, more current?"
Old teacher: "Need more what?"
college student: "Current"
Old Teacher: "Yes, 2008. You need to use the current 2008 regulations."
college student: "No, like you know, more amplitude."
Old Teacher: "No you don't study amplifiers."
college student: "Huh?"
Old teacher: "What?"

I can tell already, I won’t have time to audit a Spanish class or get into welding, diesel engine classes, or take advantage of a giant lathe in a woodworking shop. I am hoping that they will have a weekend crane operator workshop again.

And I know, 4 excellent classes out of 5 is pretty good. And I am psyched, to, you know, be like, Dude, studying again.

NM half marathon

Ed and Rachel flew in from Washington DC and Laurie and Roy (Laurie, Ed and Rachel went to college together) flew in from Reno to run the NM half marathon. The day before the race we met in Albuquerque, and took it easy for the day, riding a tram up Sandia Peak, 10,000+ feet (3050 m). Taking a page from high alpine training manual, we went up to higher altitude to help them acclimatize to the somewhat rarified air at 5600 feet (1700 m). I know it kicked my ass when I got to NM in May, so I knew it would be hard for anyone flying in from sea level. At the peak, we did a mellow 3 mile walk with lot's of sweet vistas.  

At the race, Rachel and Laurie sped off from the start and had good times. Ed and Brad ran together for a few miles, mocking each other, and entertaining those who were unable to run faster and get away from them. Ed took several minutes off the half he ran last month. Everyone is returning from some injury or another, and all finished unscathed (except Ed's ego), so that was great.  

The view from Sandia peak was outstanding. If you find yourself in ABQ, ride the tram. And don't forget to chow on mas tamales at the Church St Cafe!

 

So long Aztec, Hello Farm Town

Carl and Angie have returned from their summer travels, and too bad for me, they want their house back. Since they own the house I've been living in, it was time for me to go.

Rental housing in Farmington is pretty grim.

One place was 300 square feet (90 sq m) and cost $650 / month. No yard, gravel parking spot in front of the unit. That's like Manhattan prices in the middle of nowhere. (I know not quite Manhattan, but ridiculous for outside of a major city.) Most places I did not want to approach or go in. I would think, "you know, I wouldn't live here for free. There is no negotiable price I would pay to stay here."

So I kept looking.

One place I looked at was like a John Waters movie. (I don't know if I have seen one, but I've seen previews) Anyhow, "Ruth" is looking for someone to rent a room from her. She is in a trailer village on the edge of town. I didn't even know this area exists, until I needed to find it. Row upon row of trailers. Entire neighborhoods. Trashed cars, trash all over, etc.

When I get there, I find this poor woman is hooked up to an oxygen tank, with a 30' cord so she can get to both ends of the trailer. She has the requisite little white yapping dog, a rotund putrid chiahua, and a barrel shaped skanky cat. I don't know if the urine stench was human, cat, or dog, or some mixture of them, but it was unbearable.

And yet, I had to go in and look it. It was just too weird.

So I stepped inside. She can't leave without the oxygen tank, so I am sure she doesn't leave often. She sits all day and knits dresses for these little platsic dolls. The dolls have an opening so you can slide an air freshener up inside it. I imagine the dolls are made by whatever hellish corporation makes "Renuzit" and you can buy them from a flyer in the Sunday paper. All of the walls, from the floor to the ceiling, have shelves about 12" apart, with doll after doll after doll, hundreds of them all identical except the dresses she knits, throughout the living room, dining room, and all these little freaky plastic eyes staring at you.

Hoping I would not be snared by a trap door or some other bad deal, I ran away.

Eventually I found a decent place just a few miles from school. Before I bought a futon to sleep on, I bought a new grill. I am having to do the roommate thing again, which is not preferred, but we have worked things out just fine to this point.

On my second morning I wheeled my bike outside to get in an early ride. Pumped up the tires. Rain drops on my back? Cold rain comes down for a few minutes. I decide to wait it out and am rewarded with a double rainbow in the desert over Farmington. Not a bad way to start a damp ride.

Another reason to like Silverton, CO

On my way through Silverton I stopped at the Forest Service office to pick their brains on good places to camp and maybe some road riding suggestions. 

As it turns out, Everett watched me pull up in my hatchback. He is a roadie in a land of mountain bikers, and he liked that I did not have a bigass SUV to put my bike in, but instead my more manly yet refined Civic.

I had noticed when I put my bike on the rack that there was a slight hitch in the rear wheel. This gets more noticeable, like when descending a mountain pass at 40 mph (65 kph). I mentioned it, and asked if there was a bike shop in town. Nope, but there's a young couple, Lynn and Eric, that bought the local coffee shop, Mobius, and renamed it Steam in Steel Coffee. Eric is an avid biker and had lot's of tools and would probably be willing to spend some time taking a look.

I tracked down Eric at the coffee shop, he did indeed have the right spoke wrench, but it was at home, so Lynn took the opportunity to take a break from the shop and headed home to get the spoke wrench. When she returned we were ready to do some straightening. 

I mentioned I was living in Farmington these days. Eric kind of turned up his nose at that. He figured I was there to work oil and gas, or coal, and had made it all the way here from Boston to come and help pollute his beautiful Colorado. 

Later I made sure he knew I was out there to work on stopping the oil and gas and coal destruction.

In between though, he took time out of work, and time out of his day, to get my wheel straightened out, even though he thought at that point I was cashing in on the pollution of the area. And then he wouldn't take any money for it. 

I like it when good stuff like that happens. Thank you again Eric and Lynn!

Camping near Silverton, CO

Got away last week for 5 days of car camping so I could ride some high mountain passes and get in a little running and hiking. Found a sweet spot a couple miles down a hard pack gravel road, and then a short clip on a 4 wheel drive only to get to a spot by a creek. (My Honda civic does not have 4 wheel drive, but it gets me there.)

Camped outside Silverton, CO. Very nice.

First day I rode to Ouray, 25 miles or so (40K) one way. Top of red mountain pass is 11,018 feet (3400 m). At the top they are doing construction, and holding traffic to one lane only. The dude with the radio makes me stop, then while he smokes a cigarette tells me he rode up hauling a 75 lb trailer up over the top, so he is sure I can make it the rest of the way. 

From the radio  I hear "Jim, you got anyone waiting yet?"

Jim replies "Just one lone cyclist."

Radio: "Well I'm not stopping traffic for one lone cyclist on this end."

"Oh yes you are" Jim replies and gives me a big smile. 

Radio - "OK, white chevy pickup is the last one through"

The construction crew all heard the exchange, and took a break to raz me as I continued on over the top.

I was hurting but it was great. My first opportunity to ride a high mountain pass since I got out west.