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July 6, 2009

Fort Nelson, BC - No Driving



By Willy Wanka
With the batteries almost charged from yesterday everybody slept in until 08.00am. We left to the Fort Nelson museum where the car stayed overnight. Sue arranged to be on a radio show this morning and she gave notice to the city that the car would be exposed at the museum around 09.00am. A couple of people showed up and Marcelo showed them around. After staying a little bit we said our goodbyes to Marl and the other people working at the museum. We went back to the hotel and did some computer. Poor Laura wasn’t feeling very well, so we decided to bring her to a local clinic. I went with her and the doctor gave her some medication. Hopefully she will be better soon! We agreed on staying another night thanks to Jim of the Ramada Inn. Marcelo and Josh where still focusing on the twenty-twenty footage and they even did a special interview for them. Unfortunately it didn’t work out the way Marcelo wanted it to be. It had been a long couple of days for all of us so we went to bed fairly early. Tomorrow we could worry again about all the stuff that needed to be done. Good night, Buenos nachos WITH CHEESE !





By Laura
My eyes open but I wish I could return to sleep right away... so stiff I feel like a wooden sculpture. I am weak and tired, my head throbs and I can’t even turn my neck. Maybe my lymph nodes are so swollen that they are restricting my movement and causing pain. I spend the day in bed...videos are still being uploaded for the 20/20 special. Between naps and small bites of garlic and quinoa I look up meningitis online. A potentialy fatal disease if it’s bacterial, but if it’s viral it should clear up in a week or so. Just in case I should die, please cover my body with peacock feathers, lay me on a wooden raft and set me a blaze on the water. Tonight is a full moon eclipse, should make for a good fire water death ceremony. The crew takes too good a care of me. Josh pours me a big glass of orange juice, and we end up swimming in it in the bed. Claire brings me water and tells me to ring the imaginary bell if I need anything. Willy makes me soup and accompanies me at my clinic visit. Marcelo is gone for most of the day filming 20/20 scenes and everyone works on the computers while I lull myself to sleep with music. I remind myself this pain is an illusion, this body is just a material cage for this soul. My soul is unaffected by this pain and suffering. My soul is eternal and pure. This pain is an illusion...




By Josh
We stayed in Fort Nelson for the day today. We were given a free breakfast thanks to Jim and Laurie. Jim and Laurie work at the Ramada Inn in Fort Nelson, and they put us up for a couple of nights. The team went to the museum to get the solar car from Marl's garage. I talked for a while with Marl, a veteran of the Canadian Army, and owner of the Fort Nelson Heritage museum. I gave his wacky rear steering bike another try, and actually made a lap around the museum. Sue, a Fort Nelson teacher and resident, contacted the radio about the solar car. A few people heard the news and come by to check out the car around 9:00 AM. Later on, we met up with Sue at the hotel, who is driving Earl Brown's old car. Earl is actually Marl's son, and was on the solar car tour a year ago. I went with Sue to upload some videos through another internet connection at Earl's house. After getting some footage uploaded, I went with Sue back to the Ramada, where she showed off some ukulele skills, and Claire and I prepared some pasta. Hearing that Laura was sick, Sue and I took Laura with Willy to the clinic in town. While we waited for them, we got some more videos uploaded. After getting one started, we picked up Laura and Willy, and got a prescription filled for Laura, who has unfortunately been running a high fever. Getting back to the Ramada, Sue and I pick up Marcelo to film his interview for 2020. Racing against sunset, battling swarms of mosquitoes, and trying to get just the right frame took the cameras to the ends of their batteries, and our day to a close. On the way back, we picked up some pizza, and came to the Ramada with food for everyone. Marcelo and I, despite our immense load of work ahead of us, were far to exhausted to continue working, and we both opted for some much needed rest. Tomorrow, we may drive bright and early depending on Laura's health, our progress on the internet, and the weather.



By Claire
The most "normal" day yet...heavily influenced by the fact that we stayed put for a whole day. We started the day with a smile-filled breakfast, compliments of Ramada Inn, before heading to the Fort Nelson Museum where the car stayed overnight. Sue had the radio station announce that the solar car was at the museum and that anyone could stop by before it's departure. In the meantime, we walked around exploring the place and I took some pictures to show my mom, like a brightly painted BBQ lid attached upside down on a metal work bench..., a new flower bed, of course. Every patch of land was adorned with some massive, recycled and repainted would-be piece of junk. Just throw a couple dozen creepy gnomes in there and you've got my sisters future yard.

Back at the hotel, Marcelo decided that we really needed to finish uploading footage to send to 20/20 and to find a faster way if possible since it had already been uploading for eight hours with no end in sight. I made my new home the picnic table accross from the solar car, just outside the lobby door. I was there for a good number of hours. I talked to anyone who had interest in the car, organized and backed up all my photos (finally), and got started on an excel master contact sheet. It was a good time above it all. It was just as if I was hanging out on my stoop for the day, observing the day's activities, talking to everyone, meeting more and more wonderful people. I think I should outright acknowledge and start anticipating the scorces of wonderful people existing all about instead of getting surprised each time one of them pops up. But without expectations, I wont get disappointed...so I guess I will just go on with these unforeseen but inevitable surprise meetings.

I didn’t really know the status of our departure, until the late afternoon when I found there wouldn’t be one. Laura still was not feeling well after a couple sleep plagued days, so Sue, Michael, and Josh took her to the local clinic. I stayed outside with the car, the computer, and my new transient friends. Once they got back and Laura was in bed, Josh and I put together some lunch. Today’s edible delight: linguine with sauce, sautéed garlic, spinach, and peppers, and a side dish of nachos and guacamole. I went back out to the picnic table with Willy until the sun dropped behind the hotel, not a minute too soon for Jim to get his wooden refuge back. A little more work and and slice of pizza later, I was down and out. PEACE.



By Marcelo




Watching the news about the solar car in Winnipeg!
Marcelo and Willy together at the log cabin.
One of Marl's antique cars.
The Fort Nelson Heritage Museum
The solar car stored in the museum.
Property of the Fort Nelson Historical Society, for today.
Quite the cool bike.
Marl and Willy moving a workbench/barbeque grill turned into a flower pot.
Willy tries to ride the wacky rear hinged bicycle.
Look at him go!
Marcelo seeing Josh drive the funky fresh bike from Marl.
Whoooo is driving with only solar powe? Marcelo!!
Solar car sold!! No, just kidding, it's priceless.
No one trespasses on Xof1 property.
The Xof1 in front of the museum.
Willy helps Marcelo get in.
It's Sue! Thanks for joining the team for the day!
Driving in backwoods Fort Nelson.
A Fort Nelson community forest.
Marcelo posing with the Xof1.
Thanks Mike for having the solar car for the night!
A fire station patch.
Mike was very kind to let us keep the solar car at the firehouse.