7.25.13- Guadalupe Mountains / Carlsbad, NM to El Paso, TX

We took Route US Route 180 from Carlsbad, NM to El Paso TX. Beautiful scenery the entire way.


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Overnight the solar cars were impounded at the parking lot of the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts Center. Each team decided on the best location for their vehicle to charge using the early morning sun rays. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photos below it was  overcast. When I got to the parking lot I neglected to put on my hat; there was little sun so I saw no need for it. One of the judges stopped me and penalized our team one mile. All team members and chaperones are to have hats on. There are a lot of rules that we must follow, and most of them concern safety. It is important to have sunglasses and hats on in the baking sun.

Here is view of one side of the parking lot with numerous cars awaiting a break in the clouds. The team in the green t-shirts is from Texas, and finding themselves with some free time they put together a make shift baseball game.

On every morning of a race day there is an 8:00 meeting. There is a roll call, announcements, and presentation of trophies for the previous day's race. Our team received a trophy for most miles covered in our division. Myles is the team captain and proudly received the trophy. 

The New Mexico State Highway Patrol presented  each participant with a non texting phone case, an air pressure guage, and a keychain. 

With the car canopy propped on its side to catch the morning rays, the team lined up behind it displaying their trophy. Left to right: Tyler Wenzel, Chris Reffelt, Joe Cramer, Nick Mastorano, Myles Harris, Brittany Fatum

Wherever we are, people approach us and ask us about the car. 

Mr. Harris is shown checking one of the python boxes. As I understand it, the python boxes gather energy from the solar cells and distributes it to the batteries. It was discovered that one of the boxes was broken. The broken box gets the power from one of the array areas of solar cells.  An electrical consultant who travels with the Solar Car Challenge offered his thoughts on the situation. It was decided to run parallel with a working python box. 

While the wires were being adjusted, Brittany washed the windows on the trailer. Clean windows may help to absorb sun rays while trailered. Joe drilled extra holes for zip ties which are used to join the upper and lower body of the solar car.

The open land around the parking lot looks sparse, but only a few feet away are numerous plants. I saw several colonies of ants that did not make hills, but had entrances in the ground or under small rocks. Dozens at a time could be seen both entering and exiting their underground burrows. I believe they are known as red harvester ants.  In the image below, you can see the ants moving under the largest white stone.

Once the rewiring was completed, we were ready to hit the road. We started at 10:36 AM, a little more than an hour late. Myles drove the first leg on the race.

Some interesting sights along the way.

At one of our stops it was discovered that one of the cables was disconnected from a battery terminal; foam padding was added between the batteries and their surrounding boxes in an effort to stabilize them.

The judge traveling with us was so impressed with Nick's flagging technique that he took a video of him to use for training.

These tiny yellow flowers grow in clusters in gullies. There is a discoloration in the clay soil so you can see they cling to areas that offer moisture.

Here is a photo of the Guadalupe mountains. The second peak on the left (triangular in shape) is Guadalupe Peak, the highest peak in Texas. The road we were on would lead us through passes on the edge of the range.

This is a spot where several teams unloaded after trailering their cars over long inclines. You can see that we are nearer to the Guadalupe range.

 

At a required 30 minute stop, it was decided to share a watermelon Joe had bought in a parking lot the previous day. Mr. Smith did the carving and it was enjoyed by all.

An abandoned gas station was the perfect spot to pull over and take the car off the trailer after a steady incline. Once off, it was decided to let it catch some sun rays to bring the batteries to their fullest charge. The group shot below includes our judge for the day who rode with Mr. Harris. He kept a record of how many miles the car was on the road and whether or not we were following race regulations.

A bit of horseplay while awaiting the batteries to charge. 

It wasn't long before the Liberty Christian team from Argyle, Texas arrived to recharge. 

Tyler took over the wheel and drove through flat land and a salt flat. 

At one of the places we stopped for recharging, Tyler spritzed water and gently wiped the solar cells. Water helps to cool the cells which helps to increase the flow of electricity.

Here is a video of the Guadalupe Mountains and the salt flat.

Tyler talks about his experience driving the solar car.






We arrive in El Paso.

After so many hours on the road, it was necessary to burn off a little energy. Here is another team jump roping.