Log 2014072101

- I just got the recessed D - hooks installed. They're rated for well in excess of what the trailer can haul.

- This morning, I called the VA medical center in Cleveland and found out that I have an appointment on the 25th. So, that will push my departure for my upcoming recreational trip back by about 22 hours.

Log 2014031501

I had a Dental appointment yesterday, but the remaining entries for local transit agencies from OTHR's directory were input to Microsoft Outlook, which I hope to create a downloadable CSV file from.  In addition to that, there were some computer systems issues that I took care of today.  My machines are running fine now.  But there's data being transferred between computers on this project and I need my network and cloud storage to "fire on all cylinders."

Log 2013082702

I drove out to Louis Stokes - Cleveland VA Medical Center in Cleveland's Wade Park neighborhood today to move an appointment from the 5th to the 11th, where I already had an optometry exam scheduled for that day.  This way, I can drive back and forth to Cleveland from the Toledo area just once.

Afterwards, I stopped back in Lake County to pick up my AAA membership card and new credit card that I got in the mail to replace the one that soon to expire.  I determined this morning that I'm to be away from Lake County for over a month and that if I get into dire straits, I'm going to need that card to save my trip, or bail me out of a financially tight situation and send me home.

Log 2013080802

The trip across the south of Ohio will be postponed until 14 September. I need to fall back and gather my resources.  Base Camp Echo will now be at Findley State Park, just south of Wellington of Lorain County.  I have to help a friend volunteer at a Buckeye Trail booth in Monclova of Lucas County on 13 September.  The event is about 8mi north of the Defiance Section - Buckeye Trail.  There's a 5k walk going on that day.
Today, I purchased 26 nutritional supplement bars with at least 30g of protein each.  That's going to help those high mileage days down south.  They were on sale and totaled about $64 out the door.  I also purchased a new USB cable to charge the smartphone, along with a replacement suction cup, goose neck and mount for it. The unit will suction to the windshield where it will help me navigate, take calls and play MP3's.
I purchased a new 7 liter lunch box and cooler that will fit in my long cooler on my trailer that I'm already using.  So far, chicken and maybe pork shows that it can not be canned.  I use the long cooler for mostly dry goods and water has seeped in over the past months and caused everything to mold inside there.  If I'm going to use ice, I'd rather have a separate chamber to use.
I did not have a medical appointment today.  Instead, I was prompted to make one and that was done for 5 September.  Next week, I plan on moving that appointment to the 11th, where I have, yet, another appointment in the same facility.  It beats driving to Cleveland from Basecamp Echo twice.

Log 2013080701

I have an appointment tomorrow at the VA Medical Center in Cleveland tomorrow.

A new app by SPEEDTEST.NET was installed on to the smartphone.  Since my internal RAM memory is running low, I install those very sparingly now and days.  But since I still intend to continue configuring my cell phone signal repeater, I need the new app to test the speed.  When the internet runs over cell phone signals, it's downstream bandwidth speed will up and down with the signal.  At its fullest, my downstream without the booster should get as high as 3000 kilobits per second (mb/ s) on 3G signal.  But, I'm not sure what it will do with the lowest data signal.  If the speed gets below 256mb/ s, I might not be able to work with the laptop if smartphone is hotspoting and feeding internet signal to the laptop.  And I might not be able to get on with the laptop at all if the speed dips below a consistent 128 mb/ s.

There's no telling how much Google Earth is going to download?  It has to get high quality images from a server to zoom in on an area.  The higher the quality, the more programming information it contains.  And the more programing information it contains, the bigger the file size it.  When I get a hotspoting package from Sprint, it has a download limit like dial-up use to when it was new.  Back when I use to run a cell phone internet card in my apartment, it was about 5GB.  I downloaded about 180 videos one time and sent it over.  That ended up costing me $800 in mostly overage charges.  Testing with Google Earth while the smartphone is hotspoting to the laptop will probably have to be done.

Log 2013072201

Century Cycles in Peninsula called me up this morning and told me that the bike needed to have it's chain replaced or it could cause damage 4 - 5 months from now.  Otherwise what I was requesting to have done to it was done 2 days ahead of schedule.  I choose to forgo the chain for now and picked the bike up for about $65 for the brake & gear shift cables to be tightened, the derailers configured and have two spokes replaced in the rear wheel.  I picked it up at about 1930hrs today.

It's next trip will be a four day tour of the Lake Erie Islands, including Pelee Island which is on the Canadian side.  I've been working on the rough draft of the trip, which is now lost due to a hardware failure on my laptop.  But I can tell you that I'll take the 0415 Greyhound bus bound for Detroit and transfer to the one bound for Windsor.  Cross the border on the bus and disembark shortly in Windsor.  Neither the tunnel or bridge in Detroit will accommodate bicycles, so the extra Greyhound is way to go.  The bicycle supported way on road would require an additional 119mi by nearly circumnavigating Lake Saint Clair.  I once heard plans about the city building a new bridge to Canada and I wouldn't be surprised if they fix this problem then.

Once in Windsor, I'll get off and cycle about 41 miles to the Ontario Ferries port in Kingsville, Ontario.  Take the ferry to Pelee Island and spend most of the next day there.  Board at the same port on the island and take it to Sandusky.  Then board the Jet Express and start hopping the American islands starting with Kelly's, South Bass and finally Middle Bass.  North Bass is only accessible by personal water craft.  The way back is on the ferries in the reverse order.





I easily get sea sick.  But the Lake is only 33 miles across, the ferries are only 1 hour and 30 minutes at most and land should always be in sight for me as I'll always try to be on the top deck.  They will all accommodate my bicycle.

My trip will involve the Ontario, Miller and Jet Express Ferries where I'll arrive on the mainland in Sandusky.  I don't have the camping figured out yet, but my gear will strapped to the back rack and my 20 liter Camelbak back pack.  That which is on the rack will probably not weigh more than 20lbs.  It's basically, a one man tent in a compactor, sleeping bag, 10 - dry camp meals and an abbreviated first aid kit.  I doubt the backpack will be for much more than my 1.5L water bladder.

Tomorrow, I have a medical appointment at the VA Medical Center in Cleveland at 0900.  I'm not sure how this is going to go?  I might be able to pack up before the VA, drive there with everything and the trailer and then drive to Punderson SP directly after.  It would save about 32 minutes, 21 miles and 0.65 gallons of fuel that way.  And that would put me in the park in time to talk to the camp office clerk, get my campsite tag right then and there and set up The Cramper with time to consider Punderson's trails and determine what my plan for the next days is.  And that's what I'm really shooting for.