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June 11, 2009

Lima, OH - Monroeville, IN 54.0 miles
By Jamie from Tampa
We woke up to yet another overcast sky. Marcelo uncovered the car and started working on his computer while the rest of us slept in. After waking up, I went in to Wal-mart and got us yogurt and granola for breakfast. We hung out for a few hours and before leaving I went in to All-mart again because McDonald's was calling my name. Man, do I hate both corporate giants but couldn't help myself - I was craving salty fries and sweet fountain coke. After Josh tried to talk me out of it, I hit McDonald's up but not before arguing with a clerk from a so-called "Green" bank located in Wal-mart who claimed they were environmentally friendly for many things that most banks do already, such as on-line banking and check free purchasing (aka debit cards). He tried to tell me that Wal-mart was green and all I could do was go along with it (kind of). Anyway, I used their facilities again before leaving and went back to the car.

A Lima reporter came by and took some photos. Marcelo and Josh were grocery shopping so missed the opportunity to talk to him. We then took off and went as far as we could go on 94.7 volts of battery. It didn't get us very far at all. After almost stopping at several places, we took a turn down the road that divides Indiana and Ohio. We had to stop because the charge was at 90 volts and just happened to stop right in front of the home of some very friendly folks (on the Indiana side of the state line). Since the batteries were drained, Marcelo had the chance to test the battery cells and everything looked good. The people had connections with the local Chamber of Commerce and other locals of Monroeville (population approx 1300), so we were then led to the Monroeville Pavilion which is apparently an infamous stop for bike riders who are going cross country. It also turned out that the local high school was having a cook-out at the Pavilion, so we got a free meal for the night. The food was great and the facilities were even better - they had a t.v., washer/dryer, a.c., shower and we were even allowed to park xof1 inside the building with us. There was also a bicycle rider named Kyle staying there for the night. We exchanged stories with him, did some computer work, had a group meeting, then hit the sack. Another lucky stop for the solar car. Hopefully the sun will be out for us in the morning.

By Josh;
Waking up at Walmart, we waited a good while for some sun. We really didn't see any rays for most of the day, as it was completely overcast. We left the parking lot at 2:30 with only 94 volts! It wasn't looking good for our distance potential today. The crew drove as far as the solar car would go. At least we made it out of Ohio! The solar car battery was depleted about 2 houses west of the state line. I was nervous about parking on just anyone's property, but as usual, anyone who sees the solar car is in such amazement that nothing but positive feedback can emerge. Solar car immunity! As soon as we park, the owners of the farm called in the press, and Marcelo described the car to them. He also removed some of the worn out mylar from the inside, exposing the wires to the solar array. This gave many of us, including our new friends, a glimpse of how the sun travels to the battery. The family directed us to a local pavilion with shower and laundry facilities. It turns out that this small town of Monroeville is actually, a major stop for cross-country bicyclists. The pavilion we pulled into actually allowed us to pull the solar car under the covered patio. There were three or four men on three or four different grills. They were preparing food for a local school baseball banquet, and they invited us to join them. A kind woman named Jennifer showed us around. Apparently the state of Indiana issued a resolution commending the facilities, not only for their assistance with local school programs, but also for their kindness to passing cyclists. It appears that the Monroeville pavilion is the nicest bike stop between Maine and Washington state. They had a kitchen for us to store our groceries from earlier, laundry, shower, a garage for the solar car to fit through in order to get parked inside, and a potluck feast with several different salads and desserts to choose from. The people in this town are so nice, friendly, generous, and supportive of the solar car (even though many of them are into drag racing with not so fuel efficient engines.) We suggested that perhaps drag racing could go solar. With Marcelo's car going 0-50 in 6 seconds, perhaps it could become a popular motor sport. We met a cyclist named Kyle who was my age. He was biking from Maine to Iowa mostly by himself, and with a trailer attached to his bike for luggage. After finishing some food, and introductions, we displayed the solar car for curious locals. This was another great time to get caught up on organizing our footage, and getting some laundry done. We had a solar fellowship meeting, and discussed day-to-day role clarifications. Kyle enjoyed checking out the video footage. We've had some funny moments on tour, and it was hard to keep from laughing at some of our goofier moments. After a hard night's work, we had some ramen noodles ala mozzerella con tomato sauce y fresh garlic. Some moose tracks ice cream also crept its way into our spoons, and into our mouths after a bit. It was great to finally be caught up on laundry, sleep, diet, and video. Monroeville is the best!
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