Day 5 Summary: Portland, Indiana to Springfield, Illinois

 

Starting Point: We began our journey early, leaving our hotel in Portland, Indiana, at around 6:20 am. After driving for about 20 miles, we paused to point our array to collect some extra solar power.

Technical Issues: We encountered a minor issue with one of our motors due to a couple of broken spokes. Fortunately, we caught the problem early and managed to fix it quickly. Our expert bike mechanic, Danny, swapped out the motor and replaced the broken spokes before we were back on the road. Danny also achieved a perfect bleed on our right brake, which had some air in the system. His efficient repairs made him the hero of the day.

Weather: The weather was cooperative, with sunny skies in the morning, partly cloudy conditions in the afternoon, and clearer skies in the evening. We were thrilled with our solar collection record of 9.1 kWh but believe that as we continue to travel west, we can collect even more energy with better weather.

Highlight: The highlight of the day was undoubtedly breaking our single-day record, now set at 280 miles. This brings our total distance to 1025 miles, surpassing our 2021 attempt of 761 miles.

Biggest Obstacle: The biggest obstacle we faced was the motor issue, but thanks to Danny's quick and efficient repairs, we overcame it without much delay.

Thank you for following along and supporting us. Onward to more miles and records! 

If you'd like to support us on our journey our Venmo is @thecannonballsun