Daily Summary:
Stuck at Meziadin Lake waiting for a new charger to be delivered to Stewart, BC Post Office.
Odometer: 3,156 – 3,206 miles on Day 67 only. (3,219 when leave Meziadin Lake on Day 77)
Climb: 2,379 ft. — Descend: 2,755 ft.
45-70° F : Cloudy and Rainy every day. A few cold nights.
Battery Performance:
Note: All charging and range data after the World Record Day will be published in Excel format at a later date.
— 67 thru 75 —
Day 67 was the First day my A/C charger died.
As you know from the previous post, I spent last night at the Bonus Lake Mosquitoe Buffet. This morning I stayed in the hammock until compelled to exit for an 11 AM potty break.
Around 1PM two gentlemen showed up out of the blue to have lunch and perchance do a bit of fishing.
On a whim, half joking, I inquired as to whether either one had a generator.
Imagine my surprise when Anthony DID!
He also had a full tank of fuel to easily keep it running for up to 12 hours.
He and Brad were a Godsend.
After 3 hours at 8 amps I had very near a full charge, and the two of them managed to consume a large steak and a nice-sized rack of lamb ribs, AND to catch three fish!
Life was good, and I was heading towards my next stop, Meziadin Lake Provincial Campground, around 5 PM.
At 7:30 PM I passed my First Grizzly Bear foraging on the roadside. I wish you all could have seen his face as he actually did a double-take as I casually hummed by him on the opposite side of the road.
Just like the numerous cows and horses that I’ve passed over the past two months he had never seen anything like me before and he just didn’t know how to take it in.
Sometimes it’s funny to realize that you’re actually the very first sighting of something in your–and their– life.
I know that those farm animals and that Grizzly ain’t NEVER seen anything like me on that scooter, and that’s pretty neat when I think about it.
I’m very thankful to be just a little “different,” at least when it comes to a few four-legged friends.
So I arrived at a very nice hammock site in Meziadin Lake anticipating a nice overnight trickle charge on the battery before heading into Hyder Alaska on Day 68 to view the glaciers and complete Segment 1 of my Journey.
But, alas, it was not to be.
Around 9 PM I discovered the charger was not working.
The next day, I foolishly changed the scooter fuses, AGAIN (see previous post from Crawford Bay to see what this entails), but then discovered it was NOT the scooter fuses.
During the fuse replacement the rear charging port broke a lead AGAIN because it is too close to the rear motor cable and there is very little room in the battery compartment for all the wires and connectors.
I was deflated.
Fortunately, the sun began to peek through the clouds and that’s when I remembered that I had solar panels!
I quickly plugged both panels in, and that’s when I confirmed that the A/C charger was fried and only one scooter plug worked.
I immediately reconfigured the solar panels to be wired in series, and low and behold I was charging at very nearly the same rate as the two standard chargers that came with the scooter!
About that time I saw my First Bald Eagle dip into the lake and catch a fish! Nice!
Then the clouds returned and it’s been rain and clouds ever since.
Each day I get just enough sunshine to charge the scooter a volt or two which gets me up to the restaurant and store about 1.5 miles up the road. It doesn’t take too much power to coast back down to my campsite.
So here I wait, but:
There are WAY LESS mosquitoes than at Bonus Lake.
There is a ready source of good-tasting drinking water.
There are very clean and spacious pit toilets (nice for changing clothes when all you have is a hammock for shelter).
There are many nicely groomed grassy areas and a much bigger lake to explore.
There is also WIFI so I’m able to keep in touch with my daughter and blog a little.
And there are some very nice people that pass through each day that I can converse and share experiences with.
And, there IS A VERY NICE WOOD STOVE in the COVERED picnic area less than 50 meters from my hammock.
Besides all that, I have ready access to food and a hot shower even if I do have to walk 3 miles to get to it.
I ordered a new charger on Day 70. Hopefully it will be delivered to Stewart in a few days so I can recharge and ride the last 40 miles or so to Hyder, Alaska.
In the meanwhile, I am still waiting, but these days I’m waiting in Heaven compared to the mosquitoe-hell I was in just 50 miles before arriving here.
God IS Good ALL the time!
I AM so very thankful!…
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So far it’s true. Were in jade city and away from you. There’s no rain … Thanks for taking the rain w you, rich
Thanks, Rainy. It was a pleasure meeting you. I did manage to see a few hours of sunshine this weekend to charge up a few volts, but still not enough to get to Stewart. Hopefully this week I’ll be back on the road again. Safe journey!
Hi Rich…. I was happy and relieved to hear that you came out the other side of the unknown blackout zone. In reading your posts I can feel your perseverance as well as your gratitude. You are an amazingly committed individual as you continue to push through and highlight the greatness while accepting the setbacks along the way. I’m thinking that the “Sasquatch” will become much more than a sticker in the PEV marketplace. Sending happy and safe trail vibes your way.
Thank you, Ed. Hopefully in few days I will FINALLY get to Alaska!