Yeah, it seems like availability is pretty limited, but itās showing some through late June. The math Iām gonna have to do is making my head spin alreadyā¦ This is going to be an extremely complex itinerary haha. Between hostel bookings, the trains themselves, and attractions, Iām gonna need a binder. Hopefully I can get a working plan by the end of tonight. I also still have no idea how long Iām spending at every place. I guess Iām just limited by funds and the 30 day limit.
Huh, havenāt heard of the caltrain before. Thatās really good to know, and their fares seem very reasonable. Iām going to have to spend like a whole day figuring out public transit everywhere Iām going. This was really helpful though, thank you!
Will do! This is incredibly loose, but to give a vague idea so I donāt surprise you, itās looking like maybe a week or a week and a half til Iām in San Francisco. Looking at leaving in ~a week, but itās a 2-3 day train trip to Caliā¦
The Grand Canyon? Oh, man, the Emerald Mile really made me want to experience it! If youāre on the fence, give it a read or listen to the audio book.
Donāt be too bummed, I also like the off the beaten path type tourism, and I have found Bike Hire a great way to do thisā¦I have seen some amazing places all around the world doing this
Hopefully Iāll be there at least a week before July 4th weekend, so should be good. Iāll DM you a day or so before I get there, so you can plan for it. I plan on being in San Francisco for a couple of days, so hopefully something will work out regardless.
I appreciate the recommendation, and Iāll look into it, but sadly my physical condition limits this a little bitā¦ Iāve been working on getting in shape, but biking is still a problem for me. I can handle walking for a long time, but I guess biking is just too intense at the moment. Can only bike for ~10-15 minutes at a time.
Might still be a good option for shorter trips around town, though.
This has been super helpful so far, really glad I asked about it here.
Might a relevant thread, but Iām just spitballing so it doesnāt feel right to derail a semi on topic thread
Iāve recently become motivated to rfid my car again,
I think Iāve found access to the ālock/unlockā wire where I could hook into
Iām now hesitant because of constant draw on battery (small car)
Iām now determined, half for practicality, half for the challenge
Is there any convenient way to power a reader, only when you need it? From the outside
The idea of a reed switch or Hall effect, and using a magnet thru the glass sounds possible, but keeping a magnet on the car and having to retrieve it seems like a pain
A magnet in my finger could be a cool concept, but I still not sure I want a finger magnet
I know on some cars, if you pull on the locked door handle the interior lights will power for a minute or 2, that would be a great bus to tie the reader intoā¦ but sadly my door handles donāt do this
Youāll still have some parasitic draw unfortunately, idk how much though. The best option would be some physical switch, but otherwise yeah, some proximity / motion sensor could work well
So, thanks to a previously unseen availability on the California Zephyr, the time table has moved up dramaticallyā¦ Iām now leaving here on Friday morning (in 28.5 hours), and getting to California Sunday afternoon. Iām going to San Francisco first, then LA, then Portland, then Seattle. 3 days in SF, 3 days in LA, 1 day in Portland, and 3 days in Seattle.
Iāll hopefully still be hopping on at least once a day via amtrak wifi, gotta keep going for the 1-year badge . If I donāt respond over the next few days though, thatās why.
Will be gone for over 2 weeks hopefully some of the hostels have decent wifi as well.
@The13Beast sorry for the shift in time-table, but if you wanna meet up at any time this Sunday through Tuesday, Iām still down. We can DM about details.
I added a small solar panel to trickle charge my carās battery. I picked up a small PIR sensor as well but I recall reading that they donāt work through glass. Amal is right about them bring super low current. The one I found was specād at like 20 Ī¼A.
I have subie so I used the roof rack. I ran a two conductor from the panel into the engine compartment (I saw a small āventā or some such thing just below the windshield so I broke out one of the plastic dividers and ran the wire in there). Thereās a channel along the windshield the cable fit nicely into, so I cleaned it and applied some clear silicone to keep it from flopping around. I had to replace my battery terminals anyhow so I got one with posts to make it easier to connect the charge controller (mounted in the engine compartment) to. If you donāt have a roof rack, wellā¦ Once I glued a few 100 watt panels to the roof of a van. I took it from WA as far as Utah. They were up there for 4(?) years before I retired the van. Good products are Liquid Nails Fuze It or 5200. Make sure the surface is clean, dry, the outside temps are good, and you respect the cure time.
Oh, I know people that have also just stashed the panel inside their windshield on the dashboard and used the carās diagnostic port to backfeed power to the batteryā¦ A little sloppy for me, personally.
Hopefully Iāll be there at least a week before July 4th weekend, so should be good. Iāll DM you a day or so before I get there, so you can plan for it. I plan on being in San Francisco for a couple of days, so hopefully something will work out regardless.
. If I donāt respond over the next few days though, thatās why.
hopefully some of the hostels have decent wifi as well.