|
Post by Phoebe on May 1, 2016 20:52:47 GMT 11
Mine does that too!
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 5, 2016 12:32:40 GMT 11
Yikes, how can you be too busy to write up such an adventure when you have to stop 6 hours a day as well as overnight? But I have been busy so this is is a big catchup. Bill (brother) and I left Diane(sister)'s place at Manly at a few minutes to 8 o'clock in the morning to get to NETS headquarters at Westmead Hospital by 10am. It should have been easy as it was less than 40klms. But time anxiety set in pretty quick when we were only 10 minutes into the trip and then joined the car park slowly heading over the Spit bridge and through Mosman to eventually start heading against the traffic around North Sydney. Even so, it was touch and go as to whether we would phone ahead to apologise for being late. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Steve Corney from Tumbi Tyres and More arrived to fit a set of Yokohama Bluearth AE 01 eco frienlier and low rolling resistance tyres. I'll keep records of distances and get a good feeling for the tyres by the times the 15,000klms are over. They are initially filled with air and that will be replaced with nitrogen half way around. After the official waving off, Steve, Bill and I dropped in to Seven Hills for a lunch stop and Steve took Bill back to Tumbi Umbi to get a train home (to Newcastle). I drove on to Claremont Meadows to stay at my daughter Rebecca's place and do a family catch up there. Tomorrow to Picton, Mittagong and Goulburn.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on May 5, 2016 14:03:34 GMT 11
How was Mittagong? I've been wanting to go out there to check out the Chargepoint but wasn't sure what there was to do in the area.
Why did you need to change tyres so soon? Was there something wrong with your originals? I was told new tyres will have a higher rolling resistance until they wear in, so don't be surprised if your efficiency tanks. That's the experience I had when I replaced my tyres late last year.
|
|
|
LE(Oz)AF
May 5, 2016 17:34:18 GMT 11
via mobile
Post by jeffthewalker on May 5, 2016 17:34:18 GMT 11
How was Mittagong? I've been wanting to go out there to check out the Chargepoint but wasn't sure what there was to do in the area. Why did you need to change tyres so soon? Was there something wrong with your originals? I was told new tyres will have a higher rolling resistance until they wear in, so don't be surprised if your efficiency tanks. That's the experience I had when I replaced my tyres late last year. The tyres were offered free. They are new generation low rolling resistance. I have tried to hear tyre noise at 100k/h but can't be sure, even with windows shut to minimise air noise. I will be recording noise for Yokohama to analyse.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on May 5, 2016 18:18:39 GMT 11
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 6, 2016 13:00:46 GMT 11
Picton tourist bureau put me in touch with the council workshop and I was able to sit on a 240V GPO for several hours. The GPOs are inside the yard gates so not generally available for the public. The council is considering support of EVs in the future.
At Mittagong I was able to hook up to their level 2 charger at the rear of the tourist bureau.
Got into Goulburn at 7pm and helped myself to a powered site as arranged. Off for a brisk, cold walk in the morning for a coffee and a hot wrap. I didn't see much of Goulburn having arrived in the dark and left at around 8am.
Canberra was a one-hop-day as I had things to do. I sat in on question time, had a photo op with Sen. Ricky Muir (who had a short drive of the LEAF) and a chat with Bill's Newcastle Sen. Sharon Claydon. Then picked up some Yokohama stickers that Steve arranged and settled into the caravan park for the night.
Thursday morning was on to Yass for a long morning charge at the caravan park (great spot Gayle and Kevin, thanks) and breakfast after yet another Southern Highlands brisk morning walk.
Jugiong Motor Inn (thanks Jenny) (instead of Coolac) was a second stop on Thursday for a bit more charge to get to Tarcutta (instead of Gundagai). Just a couple of changes as I phoned ahead for spots.
Tarcutta Halfway Motor Inn went out of their way to get me to a power point overnight. Dinner in the restaurant was pretty good. I was going to stay for breakfast at 7am but decided to hit the road instead.
Which brings me up to date. I am now at Holbrook caravan park in a nice camp kitchen writing up these notes. But...., my memory is lousy. I can't recall the details clearly of each of the drives and stops. I will have to start taking "paper and pencil" notes.
|
|
ant
EV Enthusiast
2012 Leaf, EV enthusiast, AEVA WA Secretary
Posts: 43
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
|
Post by ant on May 6, 2016 16:13:50 GMT 11
Ahhhh. I will be getting a fair bit of signwriting (I am self financing this trip) but I was considering asking for a sponsor for personalised number plates. I reckon there will be more than a few photos taken and a business name prominently displayed around/under interesting plates could attract a sponsor. But, I just checked out the cost of a plate LEOZAF (that is LEAF around OZ) and it is $2395!!!!!! I couldn't get the link to work www.jeffswalk.com/LEOZAFplate.pdfT $2395 That's huge! I was baulking at $520 here in WA for EVGRIN, reckon I'll just get that now , cheap at the price. Do let me( antony.day@gmail.com) know when you are approaching Perth, we would love to see you at an AEVA meeting or for a beer. Are you sorted for accomodation etc , otherwise we could put out a call when I send out the Perth AEVA minutes and let members know about your journey.
|
|
|
LE(Oz)AF
May 6, 2016 19:56:53 GMT 11
via mobile
Post by jeffthewalker on May 6, 2016 19:56:53 GMT 11
Thanks for the offer ant. I am right for accommodation and will get to at least one left. I will be stationed at Collie but with the WAEH it should be a walk in the park.
|
|
MDK
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 14
LEAF OWNER?: No
|
Post by MDK on May 7, 2016 8:09:33 GMT 11
Hi Jeff
Does your one-day delay mean you'll be in Melbourne on Monday night? If so, it would be fantastic to catch up as we cross paths on our respective journeys.
- Matt
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 7, 2016 11:45:55 GMT 11
Hi Jeff Does your one-day delay mean you'll be in Melbourne on Monday night? If so, it would be fantastic to catch up as we cross paths on our respective journeys. - Matt Not so. Unfortunately. My carefully (snigger:-) mapped out schedule actually had the date correct for a Monday the 2nd start. It was a major brain fade to not consider that it was a Sunday. It looks like I set the date of the 1st to be at my sister's place so the "official" start from NETS, Westmead was always going to be on the 2nd. The problem was that I told NETS and others that it would be the 1st. I hope that makes more sense to you than it does to me:-). Currently I am just slightly ahead of schedule but will be about on time for an arrival in Melbourne late on Sunday 8th May. Once again, I have not figured on the Sunday thing and I will stay in Melbourne on Monday to visit NETS (PERS). I did not plan for a lay day for Melbourne (or Adelaide) but I will only plan 6 day weeks from Perth onwards. Maybe your arrival time in Melbourne could overlap with my departure time. I have allowed a short day into Adelaide so I can catch up my Melbourne "problem" there. Not that my itinerary is locked in to anything resembling "strict" but I would have to redo my spreadsheet:-). Call me on 0447 114 496 anytime.
|
|
|
Post by jake on May 9, 2016 11:04:16 GMT 11
yes it's normal. Surprised me a lot when it first happened. I would prefer it to count down to 0.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 11, 2016 11:47:03 GMT 11
Thanks for the offer ant. I am right for accommodation and will get to at least one left. I will be stationed at Collie but with the WAEH it should be a walk in the park. What'd he say??? I had to read that many times, as well as read ANT's posting over and over. I finally realised just what my brain intended. I will get to at least one meeting while I am in Perth. I have checked with my work commitment boss and I have been given whatever time I need to get to Perth for a meeting (from Collie). On that subject, I met up with Matt (Tesla owner) in Melbourne and he advised me to apply for a ChargeStar card which I did. Hopefully I will get it before arriving at Albany (is there one there yet?). I put in the initial $20 but no extra. Is there a charge to use the network in place? I am happy to pay.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 11, 2016 12:27:00 GMT 11
Arrived in Albury/Wodonga on Friday 6th May. I had not phoned ahead to arrange anything so I basically drove around (in a general Southerly direction) thinking about somewhere to stay (and charge). I checked the map, looking for a friendly caravan park just south of town and found Lake Anderson caravan park. I phoned and decided to stay there. My battery charge was on the limit to go the 32 klms so i pulled into a Wodonga caravan park (not named here) who refused to take the $5 or $10 offered to let me stay for an hour or two for a charge (electricity with about $1). Obviously there is still a long way to go to educate the general population about electric vehicles. There is a first time for everything. As I pulled out onto the highway I noticed that I was right next door to a Nissan dealership. On a whim I called in and told my story to the receptionist and got an immediate positive response. Not only did they sit me on an outdoor 240V power point, but afterwards we positioned the car for a photo opportunity. I forwarded the pictures to Ed Staff of Moorooka Nissan (where I bought the LEAF) who is actively following my trip and even updating Nissan Australia. Thanks McRae Nissan. I was made very welcome at the Lake Anderson caravan park and the night fee was donated. I said I would post a photo of the LEAF at the entrance in the morning light (it was now dark), but I drove off forgetting to do it. So here's a link from their website showing the nice layout of the park. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 11, 2016 15:14:59 GMT 11
Real problems trying to figure out my stops when I have left it for several days to catch up. Saturday 7th I day charged at Benalla and stayed overnight in Seymour. I do remember:-) my Sunday day charge as it was at a housing complex called Trillium Mickleham where they had an L2 charger shown on Plugshare. There was a common (Body Corporate) gym, pool, tennis court, etc., and I was invited in to the kitchen where I was able to make a coffee. It was windy, blistery and cold, but a very nice place to stop for a few hours. That night I stayed in the Rockland caravan park where the overnight charge was quite expensive. I had a very busy Monday visiting Nissan (L2 charger), Yokohama (lots of goodies), Tyres and More (photo opportunity) and PIPER (NETS Vic) where I got a huge welcome. Then back to Nissan to top up the charge and meet with Matt who is traveling from Perth to Brisbane in his Tesla model S. From Nissan, Caroline Springs, where I left at 6pm, I made it to Ballarat Sovereign Hill where I had found an L2 charger. I got there in cold, very blustery conditions and hooked up and settled in for the night. I was drifting in and out of sleep, in the driver's seat, when there was a torch poked in the window. Security. Private property. I am charging. How long for? Several hours. Not camping are you ? Who, me? On Tuesday I did a two day stop strategy, stopping at Beaufort and Stawell then staying overnight at Dadswells Bridge caravan Park. That was last night and I can remember it quite well. I discovered that I had left my tooth brush and paste behind (somewhere) and to top that off and have now discover that I have left my soap and holder back in Dadswells Bridge. I am now in Dimboola being looked after by Russell who has me set up in the camp kitchen. I arrived just after 8am and after booking in (complimentary, thanks Russell), I walked into town for some breakky and a little necessary shopping. Lovely spot (picture below) and I am now up to date. The rain has just started again and now (2pm) I am about to head off to Kaniva for the overnight stay.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 12, 2016 13:41:45 GMT 11
With "only" 80klms to go to get to Kaniva for my overnight stay and with a "full tank", I decided to push the speed up to near the limit, sitting on 90 k/h. Occasionally I brought it up to 100 so as not to slow sown the traffic.
Wow, did my range drop dramatically. Around halfway it was obvious that I would not make the 80klms so I dropped the speed whenever there was no traffic coming up behind me. This fixed the range problem and I eventually arrived with 15klms left to go.
I decided on a very early start today (Thursday) as there is virtually no traffic between 5.30am and 8am. This leg was to be 90klms so I settled on 60k/h with little traffic and long straight stretches so I could monitor traffic coming up behind me. I pulled right off the road, either stopping or crawling and resuming 60k/h after they passed. This was not a burden except for the time and at my rate of driving 90klms then stopping for 5 hours it was even quite pleasant traveling (relatively) slowly.
The range outcome from this 60k/h tactic was huge. My total range (distance traveled plus GOM remaining) was 122. Compare this to yesterday's high(er) speed run where the total range was 95.
Now I am at Keith caravan park and close to charged enough for the run to Coonalpyn. The traffic will be considerable so I won't be able to go so slow. Overnight at Coonalpyn then on to Murray Bridge showgrounds day charge.
Then an afternoon run of 80K into Adelaide where there are several L2 chargers and a DCFC as well.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on May 12, 2016 14:00:52 GMT 11
If you're referring to the DCFC at Mitsubishi you'll need a code to use it. Looks like Matt was able to charge his Model S there so they might be able to help you out.
|
|
|
Post by jake on May 13, 2016 11:55:30 GMT 11
With "only" 80klms to go to get to Kaniva for my overnight stay and with a "full tank", I decided to push the speed up to near the limit, sitting on 90 k/h. Occasionally I brought it up to 100 so as not to slow sown the traffic. Wow, did my range drop dramatically. Around halfway it was obvious that I would not make the 80klms so I dropped the speed whenever there was no traffic coming up behind me. This fixed the range problem and I eventually arrived with 15klms left to go. I decided on a very early start today (Thursday) as there is virtually no traffic between 5.30am and 8am. This leg was to be 90klms so I settled on 60k/h with little traffic and long straight stretches so I could monitor traffic coming up behind me. I pulled right off the road, either stopping or crawling and resuming 60k/h after they passed. This was not a burden except for the time and at my rate of driving 90klms then stopping for 5 hours it was even quite pleasant traveling (relatively) slowly. The range outcome from this 60k/h tactic was huge. My total range (distance traveled plus GOM remaining) was 122. Compare this to yesterday's high(er) speed run where the total range was 95. Now I am at Keith caravan park and close to charged enough for the run to Coonalpyn. The traffic will be considerable so I won't be able to go so slow. Overnight at Coonalpyn then on to Murray Bridge showgrounds day charge. Then an afternoon run of 80K into Adelaide where there are several L2 chargers and a DCFC as well. Finding this so interesting. Yes speed has an incredible effect on range. I had to go to a gig after driving to school and back and had to cover 70k with only 5 bars. It was fine but I had to choose the slowest shortest route and I had to drive slowly. I would have like to take the freeway but that would have eaten 4 bars of my range one way.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
LE(Oz)AF
May 14, 2016 9:50:57 GMT 11
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2016 9:50:57 GMT 11
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 17, 2016 13:49:44 GMT 11
Murray Bridge has a good setup at the showgrounds as noted on Plugshare so I headed straight there on Friday morning and plugged in. I had the Adelaide hills ahead of me then the run down into town so I wanted to stay for a full charge. To fill in the time (after finding a snack) I walked around the showgrounds site and came across a very well setup and run Murraylands Community Men's Shed. It so happens that they have a resident chef (hi Mick) who puts on Friday dinner for 50 or so locals and I was invited to join in for a very reasonable fee. I even transferred the LEAF to a power point in the shed and showed it off and provided a couple for demo drives. I drove off with not quite a full tank and headed "down" to Adelaide. But it was up and down so I stopped at Stirling, about 16km short, at the Organic Cafe where Plugshare said there was an L2 charger. And there was, and good coffee too. I stayed several hours even though I knew it was downhill but I wasn't sure if it was up then down. As it turned out I had no worries and it was pretty well "all downhill from there". I went straight for the DCFC at Mitsubishi even though I did not need it yet. Just wanted to have a go on the only DCFC in South Australia. It worked fine (thanks Mitsubishi). Then, more or less, just round the corner to the Sturt River Caravan Park. Paid up. Drove to the designated spot. But......., No EVSE. Shysen. I pressed the rewind button (in my head) and could just about picture packing up at the men's shed amid lots of hand shaking and good lucks and wrapping up the extension lead and the 15-to-10A adapter and driving off waving. And..., leaving the EVSE on the ground:-(. I phoned Mick (now around 7pm) and he immediately offered to drive the 20 minutes to make sure it was there and pick it up. Which it was and which he did. Whew!! So, here I was, at an expensive powered site and unable to use the socket (and me a such a Scrooge). This added injury to injury. To make the best of a worst situation, I showered, etc., and hauled out all my used clothing and made good use of the laundry. But..., how to drive back 80+ klms uphill(s) without my overnight charge? Thinkin' cap on. Fortunately, this senior lapse did not happen anytime over the last couple of weeks. I could hit the fast charger at Mitsubishi (again) and push in a full charge. Then up the hill (20 km and 450m rise) to Stirling Organic Cafe L2 charger, then on to Murray Bridge to retrieve the EVSE cable. Re-charge all day at the showgrounds and head back to Adelaide. But..., that aint all that far but it is a long time. So, wake up at 2am, DCFC (thanks again Mitsubishi) and head for the hills and sit on the Organic Cafe L2 from 3am to 6am. I arrived at Mick's place at 7.30am and after hugs and handshakes, went and sat on a power point at the showgrounds till 1pm. This left me too late for my Adelaide appointments but I managed to visit the DCFC again, drop in at Nissan Unley for a picture at their L2 and pick up some stickers at Mag Wheel Tyre Centre (Tyres and More). Then I realised that I had not been able to contact the paediatric transport service based in Adelaide. This was important to me. I had tried to send a web contact, an email and a phone call over the last few days but this was not successful. On a last ditch effort, I headed out to the airport where my searching said they had their base for ambulance, helicopter and support office near the RFDS hanger. This worked and I stayed several hours meeting and greeting and picture taking. Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedI headed out of town and landed quite late at the Middle Beach Caravan Park, but that is an entirely different story.
|
|
|
Post by iamlsd on May 17, 2016 14:34:16 GMT 11
Love these updates Jeff and finding the SA leg extra interesting as this is my neck of the woods . I'm guessing Mitsubishi gave you the code to the DC fast charger - they wouldn't let me know it when asked once before - Mitsies only but perhaps I should try again.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 20, 2016 20:08:56 GMT 11
Saturday early evening into Middle Beach. After 8km on a dirt road off the bitumen, I phone ahead to make sure I had not missed the park. "Yep, keep coming". The 'caravan park' looks like it was a very well established park and education establishment with lots of accommodation. But it has slipped some stars over the last few years and the current management has worked valiantly to bring it back up. But they have decided to move on after only a few months into their 2 year intended stay. On Sunday morning I set out early to do a 200+ km day to make up some lost time. I day charged at Snowtown and overnighted at Port Germain. Monday was to be another long day and this would put me back on my original schedule. I pushed past Port Augusta (just an early morning barista Mocha) and stopped at the Nuttbush Retreat where I had phoned ahead for a day charge. This is a very nice place to stop overnight (for others) and has an old woolshed converted to a store and dining room. The next leg to Kimba (overnight) was a bit long so I phoned Iron Knob only to find out that this town had been reduced to 150 locals, no general store, no food and no petrol since BHP moved out in 1999. I would have liked to fill the generator ready for a "too long" leg but no fuel here at Nuttbush Retreat and none at Iron Knob. The Iron Knob folk suggested that I drive there now (I had enough charge) and finish by long day charge there and then do the 90km to Kimba. This worked out well and I spent a pleasant afternoon talking to the locals about how they are keeping the town alive against large odds. Tuesday at Wudinna Hotel where I was made most welcome by Tony. I stayed for a long day charge via an extension lead under a shed door and let myself out when finished as Tony was busy with town duties the whole day. Poochera is another great little town with a big heart. I was looked after there by Jeff and Karen who were recommended by Matt, the Tesla Nullarbor crosser. Daily update on Facebook.com/jeffthewalker with photos. Full photo album unedited
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 22, 2016 12:41:11 GMT 11
Wed 18. I went via Streaky Bay to Ceduna as it was more "scenic". The tourist bureau arranged for me to plug in for the day charge. My laptop computer battery is just about dead and needs power after just 5 minutes. I found an electrician's shop with a small (150W) inverter so now I can run (and charge) my computer from the car's cigarette lighter socket. The proprietor, Trevlyn Smith, was very interesting to chat with. He is well into SES and VMR (Volunteer Marine Rescue). I probably took over an hour of his working day from him. He didn't seem to mind too much:-). The Ceduna Airport caravan Park, which I found with Google, was a delightful change from the "town" park that I have used on previous visits. Thur 19. My GOM told me lies again this morning saying that I could go 172km (enlarge the image to see the numbers). But it was nice to see such big numbers. I was welcomed into the back carport of the general store for my day charge. The obligatory walk around town found a field of historic windmills on display. Lots of serious volunteer work from the locals went goes into this display (more photos Full photo album unedited). Nundroo roadhouse and caravan park saw me settled in for the night. Seriously getting into the "outback" of this great land.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 22, 2016 13:04:37 GMT 11
Fri 20. From Nundroo, I originally planned to stop at the Yalata Roadhouse for a day charge. But early in the planning stage I found that this roadhouse was closed earlier this year due to asbestos found in the roof during inspection of some damage. I had considered phoning into the Yalata community but I heard that the supervisor of the electricity supply was in hospital. I considered that I may be able to do the 144km section to Nullarbor Roadhouse on my overnight charge so I set out with this in mind. It was not to be. I have written this up in response to a post in another thread but I will go through it again here to keep it all in this thread. Got the flashing dash at 8km GOM. Then crawled at 40k/h till the nice lady told me the motor power was now restricted (I thought I would actually see a picture of a turtle:-(. At this stage I had the Nullarbor Roadhouse visual at several hundred meters (measured later by vehicle at 700m). Turtle mode didn't restrict my speed as I was already at 40k/h trying to humour it along. But, turtle then gave out after a few 100 meters by dropping the "gearshift" into 'N'. LEAF Spy told me I had 0.2kWh remaining. My side of the road had a narrow shoulder, just enough to be off the bitumen but I saw a wider bit of shoulder on the right hand side so I crossed over and stopped there. I was in phone range for the first time for a while, so I made some calls and also took some in. An hour went very quickly so I upped anchor with 9km in the tank and strolled easily into the Roadhouse. This is the first time I have used the generator by necessity. And only a few times required for the whole circumnavigation. The image is my LEAF on this morning with the Roadhouse tantalisingly close on the horizon. The second image is the dash display (enlarge to read the numbers). After 143.9km and 300m short of Nullarbor Roadhouse. Note the energy economy of 0.11 kWh/km for this leg. Next leg is 185km where I will definitely need the genny.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 22, 2016 13:56:19 GMT 11
Sat 21. Today is "the big one". The leg from Nullarbor Roadhouse to Border Village is 185km and, with all my planning using maps and Google Earth, I have not found anything resembling civilisation (240V power:-) along this stretch of the Eyre Highway. Although I have prepared for this by bringing the generator along, I still get the shudders considering "what if" the genny is not up to it. I did test run it several times over 6+ hours back on the farm, but these (el cheapo) pieces of equipment can let you down without any notice. And I will be at least 50km for a roadhouse and no phone contact. I did have a plan. Do 100km and then pull into the next rest area (they are in good supply). Then check the consumption in kWh for that 100km and charge enough for the same amount to do the remaining 85km. Off I went. The GOM, as usual, was optimistic and I was only slightly less so. 100km should be a snap. The wind was howling, cold and from the North so not a headwind (or tail). I reached the 100km mark with 32km still in the tank and immediately came across a rest area. Tables with bench seats under cover, rubbish bins and lots of room and all on my own. I carried the genny out the 15m length of the heavy duty extension lead and positioned it behind some low shrubby "trees" (see image). I couldn't hear it in the car, out of the wind, drifting in and out of sleep. With 5kWh left on the LEAF Spy display, I had used 13kWh for that 100km. By charging for 4 hours at 2kW I would get the battery back up to 13kWh so, theoretically, I could do another 100km, more than enough for the 85km remaining. Theoretically. But, Murphy was along for the second part of this leg. I watched the kilometer markers counting down to WA (the next roadhouse was on the border) and compared the distance to go with the ever unreliable GOM. The gap (GOM - DistanceToGo) got less and less. I was constantly monitoring the elevation on the map display (GPS data) and saw that, even though I started at 70m, I was steadily climbing and when I got to 100m and 15km to go, GOM (and the nice lady) told me I was not going to make it by 5km. And I think the wind swung a bit against me too. I was not sweating (only because it was too cold and Genny was in the boot:-) but I sighed with relief when the GPS display slowly showed a drop and GOM-DTG eventually went positive and I arrived with 4km (estimated, blank at 8km) in the tank. I booked into Border Village Caravan Park and gladly paid the overnight powered site charge (others may have considered it expensive:-).
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 23, 2016 23:20:52 GMT 11
Sun 22. I drove out of Border Village real early, 5.30AM according to my camera. But, just thinkin', I have been adjusting clocks because of crossing time zones. Car dash clock, car Nav clock, mobile phone and laptop. The change into SA from Vic is straight forward. But at Border Village and other roadhouses around here there is a confusion of time zones. No prob, just set them all to West Aussie time and don't worry too much about time. But, just now I am trying to recall my movements over the last two days and referenced the date/time stamps on the you beaut Canon 1100D and the mobile phone cameras. Oops, I didn't change the time on the Canon. It only took me an hour or so to wake up to why I could not sync the photos to each other and the facts that I could remember. I'll have to play my senior's card here (75yo and still pedaling) and hope nobody picks up continuity errors. I drove out of Border Village just before sunrise (that'll do:-) and drove the 12kms to Eucla. I wasn't going to stop but figured a bacon and egg toastie and tall mocha coffee would warm me up (6degC). I took a couple of pics (with conflicting date/time stamps) and drove the 66kms to Mundrabilla. Temperature dropped to 1degC for about an hour. The staff here let me charge up in the caravan park for a few hours free of charge (thanks guys). The 115kms to Madura turned into a major challenge. I should have been able to do this distance easily. I saw the GOM being eaten away far to quickly. I had been watching the elevation varying between 70 and 100m but that was not the problem. I dropped the speed to 55k/h and watched the energy economy bar graph come back down to .12-.15kWh/km. This confirmed that the wind was now a full on headwind and very strong. I dropped the speed to 45k/h with 25 km to go and finally saw the GOM tell me that at this rate I would get to Madura with a few clicks left in the tank. Pictures from Eucla, Mundrabilla and Madura.
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 23, 2016 23:50:00 GMT 11
Mon 23. 91km to Cocklebiddy should have been no worry except for the dismal performance for yesterday's run into the wind. As it turned out, the GOM told its usual lies but they were more in keeping with what I am used to. That is, a gradual closing of the gap between GOM and DTG but in such a way that 91km would be easy. On the strength of this I lifted my speed slowly up through 70 and 75k/h and got into Cocklebiddy with 30km to spare. Checking the wind after I arrived, I was pleased to see that it was strong(ish) but from the North so no headwind. I breathed a sigh of relief because doing the rest of the trip with a diminished range was not a pleasant thought. I walked around a fair bit checking out the Nullarbor Links golf hole here at 347m par 5 and also walked part of the bush airstrip. I have noticed a puffyness in my feet and ankles which I am sure is caused by my 'unusual' sleeping arrangements and that even when I am out of the LEAF I am sitting somewhere eating, computing, etc. And my diet aint the best. I am normally in extremely good health and don't want that to change just yet. With only 65km to go to Caiguna for my night charge, I didn't stay long at Cocklebiddy and arrived very early in the afternoon after a speedy (no headwind) pleasant drive. I struck up conversation with a similarly aged couple and discovered that Veronica (72) was walking across Oz. At 40km per day she is walking from North Beach Perth to Bondi Beach Sydney with husband John in the support role with the caravan. We chatted well into the afternoon and later on over coffee as well.
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on May 24, 2016 4:54:32 GMT 11
Love the photos!
|
|
|
Post by rusdy on May 24, 2016 12:12:32 GMT 11
With only 65km to go to Caiguna for my night charge... A friend of mine just spotted you in Caiguna. He was impressed someone crossing Nullarbor with a Leaf! Press on Jeff! I guess someone walk the Nullarbor also impressive...
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 24, 2016 20:39:46 GMT 11
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on May 24, 2016 20:45:51 GMT 11
With only 65km to go to Caiguna for my night charge... A friend of mine just spotted you in Caiguna. He was impressed someone crossing Nullarbor with a Leaf! Press on Jeff! I guess someone walk the Nullarbor also impressive... 8-) Oops. Can't hide anywhere:-). Maybe a car with less signwriting would help. And not telling everyone where I am:-).
|
|