Map: Amtrak Sacramento to Klamath Falls
About 8 AM – Started charging the batteries. Awake since 5 AM, sometime after leaving Redding, we were heading out of the valley and up the mountains, passing Dunsmuir before daybreak and took about an hour to maneuver around Mount Shasta; truly appreciated all three sides of the view except west.
Charging is going slow. The CA had previously reported that the batteries recovered to about 45.1 Volts but you can’t go more than a block or two with that charge.
As the day wore on, people seated around me became interested in what I was doing. Most were headed to Portland so we had a lot of time to share stories. It was a crackin’ day for traveling; blue skies, through a wide variety of terrain: Desert, high volcanic plains, piney woods, lush rain forest, vast tracts of farmland, and marine biosphere.
Small notes: Walking the length of the train to fetch either food, snack, or view is a lot like being on an old World War II Destroyer running hard through the chop; you need to be nimble, quick on your feet, and go with the flow. I didn’t have any problems; just like being at sea, and those legs came right back to me. Other people were not nearly so fortunate. Also, some Amtrak staff are indeed very courteous, while others - particularly in the food-service-sector have their heads in their trousers stitched way up past their ears. Food bought here is spendy, portions are small, and almost frivolous; bring your own if you can. Water and toilets are free. The average rider is more sophisticated than a bus rider, but less than an airline passenger; many are smokers: I give credit to Amtrak staff for being pretty good about matching seats with smokers and non. Every rider seemed genuinely friendly, sharing fate in the same rattle-trap.
Map: Amtrak Klamath Falls to Seattle
4:30PM - After Portland I was mostly alone; all the acquaintances I had made departed.
8:05 PM – Arrived in Seattle.
8:45 PM – Bike is assembled, leaving Amtrak. Stats: 62.8V, 210.3 Ah, 458.0 mi.
9:45 PM – Arrived home to my secret cave in Redmond. Upon leaving Seattle I poured it on WOT to race the sun; it was still daylight when I left, but dimly so when I arrived. No need for Visor-Light. Certainly no need for ZOMBIES !
Final Stats:
- 547 miles total (counting false starts/missed trains)
- 256 Ah total, 12798 Watt-Hrs, 26.4 Watt/mi
- 1.8% Regen, with 4.111 Regen Ah, -13.6 Amin, 32.3 Amax
- 45.0 MaxS, AveS is bugged (says 290), and Time is bugged (says 1:38:21).
Map of the entire route traveled by ebike, sans Seattle-to-Redmond et al.
Next year I’m taking the 2WD - with hundreds of candlepower! And a watch. And a GPS.
You have now arrived at the end of this report of my strange odyssey.
Cheers! Thanks ES for all the help in making this event happen, and for listening! KF
PS - On a somber note: It was brought to my attention late last night that our Old Dog mentioned in this story was put to sleep yesterday; she was over 100 years old in dog-years and had quite the personality. We likes creatures of all sorts - except mosquitoes. From me to you: Hugs to all yer pets.
