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.