Drop of the hat and it's already started
Just like that and the deed is done
What I'd give for that hat to be medicine
The time is now to be on the run.
-- Son Volt
We made it to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where multiple native Indian tribes used to gather for meetings. Maybe they still do. Somebody's actually playing "99 Red Balloons" really loud in the parking lot here, over and over, probably out of respect to the Germans. Solar Miner VI ran about 200 miles from the eastern outskirts of Regina to the middle of nowhere today -- and then they trailered the rest of the way to Medicine Hat in order to reach the final checkpoint/stage stop before Calgary.
We finally reached the Canadian West today, lots of arid western features and scrub brush. It's hot.
Michigan (obviously), Waterloo, Germany, Minnesota, Calgary and Iowa State have reached Medicine Hat under their own solar power. Principia is still out on the road, we think. They hit a big pot hole late yesterday and have been having some problems out there, according to sources.
Most everybody (we think) is sick of "competing" against Michigan. It's one Big Market team versus lots of Small Market teams, which is no fun. Having said that, we may be biased about these kinds of things based on our (my) allegiances to the Kansas City Royals.
Also: Our team is having a rough go of it, which is making us punchy.
Tomorrow we hit Calgary! No more of this trailer business, if the team can help it. They plan to drive Solar Miner VI across the finish line. Then we'll ALL have something to celebrate. It will be a great achievement for our intrepid band of S&T solar car brothers, which has battled through electrical problems, a house fire, stubborn clouds, slaughterhouse stench, at least one sketchy motel and miles and miles of tedious landscape.
Calgary is actually not far from here. Can you believe it?
WSC is the same way. Dang Nuon and their...money.... Let someone else have a shot, eh?
Well, Michigan barely won in '05 and didn't even qualify in '03 (Solar Miner IV ftw) so they are vulnerable. Everything really just worked for them this year.
You have all put in a valiant effort. Be proud of yourselves! Good luck tomorrow and have a safe trip back to Rolla.
won't be long and you can ALL celebrate your journey with a steak dinner, cold beer, showers, & comfy beds!!
Great effort gang - now stretch it out and zoom towards the finish!
ps - I am going to miss the daily wit and humor after you've packed up and headed home ;)
Everything has just 'worked' for michigan four times before. This will be their 5th win of this race counting back to its inception as Sunrayce. Let's not be bitter..let's be respectful and give them all the congrats they deserve without whining or making excuses, then..lets build a car that will kick their collective ass next time. I know they have a lot more money and industry help, but they are not perfect. So it's possible to whip them with superior design and the underdog spirit that any MST Miner must possess just to stay sane. We've won twice before. Let's learn from this and do it again. Maybe then someone will step up and pay for us to go to Australia.
Having said that, I'm proud that we are even in this race. How many engineering schools are there in the US?...and 15 are competing, and we are one. Go Miners.