Sun Run Day 10- Solar Boat?
The morning started with a beautiful promise of success with the cloudy skies that had greeted us before nowhere to be seen, replaced by a vast expanse of blue sky marked by idyllic, fluffy clouds. The weather and the seven hours of sleep most of us got the night before made sure that everyone was in good spirits. As soon as breakfast was eaten, Aevum was checked, and everything was packed, Aevum roared onto I-40.
Proceeding smoothly, Aevum made it ahead of schedule to both control points 1 and 2, tackling mountains and a wise expanse of desert plains. After learning that it was monsoon season in these parts, yesterday, our strategists, Rachel, Victor, and Antony were hard at work predicting today’s weather. The morning was supposed to be sunny as it was, while the rain was predicted to come in the afternoon.
They were right, so when the rain came this time, we were prepared. Aevum proceeded along the roads cautiously, equipped with waterproofing that had been improved over the days of the Michigan Sun Run. While we mostly were in the gap between the storm, when the gap closed, we got out of the car with much familiarity and covered Aevum with a tarp. The rain fell on the ground around us while we huddled under the tarp, supporting it and also using it as cover as we wiped off the water on the array. All that could be heard was the thundering rain around us that ran in rivulets down that road and splashed up onto our shoes, sock, and pants. Most of us were wearing tennis shoes that were thoroughly soaked while a few had on sandals, and then there was Evan. He had tied two plastic bags over his shoes, preventing his shoes from getting wet. Too bad he was in charge of flagging down oncoming traffic so while his shoes stayed dry, the rest of his clothes didn’t. It is safe to say that today, no one is safe from the rain.
When the rain had stopped due to the arrival of a gap in the clouds, we put up the tarp and the solar car continued on its way. Even with the weather conditions, the solar car traveled well, but given the amount of precipitation we encountered, I can’t help but wonder if a solar car was the right choice. Perhaps all the people asking if Aevum was a solar boat had been hinting at something. Alas, Aevum was never meant to be and will never be a solar boat. As the gloomy gray clouds subsided, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. To us, it was validation for our success in driving Aevum through the rain today. Unlike in the past, we were not held back by the weather. With the preparation and experience we had accumulated, Aevum is now farther along the route than anticipated, with our EOD location becoming our third control point.
Today was a testament to the tenaciousness of our solar car and looking at the 400 miles we did today in the rain, it makes me wonder how many more miles will we go tomorrow.