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8:40 a.m. - crossed border into Wisconsin. eljay driving; vpwilli grasping panic bar; trailer pushing vehicle along nicely.
11:11 a.m. - in Madison. eljay is driving; vpwilli has finally released the grip on the panic bar long enough to wave at Sara, Tom and Christy. Trailer is still keeping up.
It's hard to get any work done here, with all the various phone calls I've been getting this morning! Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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The 2:00 p.m. update from eljay: We're circling Chicago. It's raining. We have our frozen water bottles setting on the dash to thaw them (thanks, Mom!). We waved to Vana and Lime in Rockford and AJ, Xnera and Goody in Chicago. When we get to Indiana, we're just gonna every 10 minutes 'cause we can't keep up with y'all who live there. Whoever's driving that white trailer is still tailgating us.
Oh - and we hate the Illinois tollroads. Just because there's a trailer trailing us, we have to pay MORE than twice the fare.
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I would say "Godspeed" except that, really, you're much better off doing the speed limit. Chicago has the toughest traffic courts in the country, by the way.
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6:00 p.m. (7:00 eastern): Approaching Indianapolis - progress was very slow in Chicago area. Official record: this is the farthest vpwilli has ever driven without stopping at a Dairy Queen. His consolation - using eljay's credit card at the gas pump.
Edit: dkw was right - DQ stops are common on most of our trips - but not this one - so far!
They've reached the outskirts of Columbus and can see the lights of downtown; are heading for a hotel near the airport. That is fairly close to the Yamaha V-Star they'll be picking up in the morning.
At 9:20, eljay waved to msquared as they passed through Dayton.
Reflections on travel: Indianapolis is better to drive through than Chicago. Ohio handles road construction much better than Illinois.
Note to Bob_Scopatz: "I think the trailer is gaining on us."
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I think that was supposed to be the furthest Dad has ever driven without stopping at a Dairy Queen.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I got a bike! I got a bike!! I got a bike!!! And it's gorgeous, fabulous, beautiful and fits me perfectly! I love it. Dad says it's OK. It's shiny - there's not a scratch on it. And Bob's trailer is very nice.
We've planned the route home - it does NOT include Chicago.
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Shucks, I'm getting all green with envy over here. Not about the bike - those, I'm chicken of - but of the fun! And road trips! And being able to actually go more than 50 km an hour (Or, um, 30 mph for you Yanks.)
And Dairy Queen. And blessed coolness. And . . . I dunno. That's all I can think of right now.
Hope you're having fun, Eljay and all the rest of you. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Toured Data Center and got a late start. We're 10 miles into Indiana and still no D.Q. stop. Not only is the trailer still following us, but there's a pretty sweet bike in it.
ETA Home: midnight
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I don't blame you for avoiding Chicago on the way back. I'd have counseled against driving through Chicago on the way out if I'd known. Our lovely governor just recently jacked up all tolls for cash paying drivers state-wide, and it's really creating a lot of complaints. A trucker friend even told me that his company is boycotting Illinois entirely.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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A call - earlier than expected. vpwilli and eljay are discussing the name for the process by which something is turned from a solid to a liquid by vibration without changing its temperature - as in tapping your malt against the countertop to liquify it (this is a McDonald's malt btw, they still have not achieved DQ).
They were crossing the Little Vermillion River at 7:23 p.m. - they think they're about an hour from Wisconsin.
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Liquefaction. And the temperature never changes while a phase transition is going on. The only difference here is that you are adding energy to your material by mechanical means instead of heat flow.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Liquefaction is distinct from liquification. To effect the phase change you have to add energy to the system; typically this energy is added as heat (say, on a stove or in a microwave), but while the phase change is occuring the temperature of the substance does not change because the energy input is all going into changing the phase. This is, obviously, still true if the energy input is mechanical (shaking, stirring) in nature, as KoM said. In fact, I basically just repeated what he said in a much less concise fashion. If you want a jargon-laden explanation I can start talking about enthalpy... Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Oops! Thanks, Twinky, for the clarification. I obviously misread liquefaction as liquification. I really should have noticed that, considering all the proof-reading I do in my day job. Enthalpy is not a word I see in that job, either . . .
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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KP, since I'm not going to be awake when the road warriors arrive home, please just give them a big thumbs-up sign from me for a job well done. I'm glad the trailer worked out and I really am glad that ElJay is so pleased with her purchase.
I think I'll paint a giant face on the front of the trailer so it can stare at us when we drive around.
And they're in Wisconsin, but are thinking they may stop somewhere rather than finish the trip tonight.
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Enthalpy is basically heat energy. For the purposes of phase changes and chemical reactions, the net heat change from the start of the process to the end is called delta H (H is the symbol for enthalpy).
Water, for example, has a standard heat of fusion of 334 joules per gram. This means that to thaw one gram of ice at 0°C you need to add 334 J of energy to it (in this case, by banging your malt on the countertop).
The heat energy change in a chemical reaction is denoted the same way. Most hydrocarbons, for instance, have a known standard heat of combustion (combustion being a reaction between a hydrocarbon and oxygen that produces carbon dioxide and water when it goes to completion), which enables you to calculate how much energy you get as heat when you burn a certain quantity of a given hydrocarbon.
Er. Not that you had any interest in any of that. Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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KP, remind them that they have the giant cable of death and the lock of permanence in the trailer and can attach same to any suitable object within 50 feet or so of the trailer to make it feel safer to go to sleep tonight.
Just remind them not to drive off with the trailer thus locked to something else, or it'll cause a loud bang, much rending of metal, and no-one will be very pleased.
I highly recommend sleeping if they are fatigued...rather than trying to push on through.
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Twinky, thanks for the explanation of enthalpy. It's a cool word . . . perhaps I'll try to work it into conversation. My other favorite word to work into conversation is conspicuity.
Bob, I reminded them about the cable and lock. They are stopping this side of Madison and driving home in the morning.
Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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ElJay called from Wabasha, MN, and requested popovers for 9:15 a.m. They were watching icebreakers on Lake Pepin . . . and eagles. Posts: 113 | Registered: Nov 2004
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"I think that was supposed to be the furthest Dad has ever driven without stopping at a Dairy Queen."
Must be a Midwest thing. Here, we go from Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin Donuts. Routes are planned this way.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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We are at Mom & Dad's. The popovers were delicious.
After I KP gets a look at the bike and we rest a bit, we'll head off for the final 18 miles or so home... Thanks everyone, for your well wishes and information-providing.
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Good point, rivka. However, my bike will not be in Iowa. It will not even be on property that is in anyway associated with me. So I'm not going to worry too much. Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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*laugh* Thanks for the thought, CT, but really, we pulled in to the hotel, passed out, woke up at 3:51 (unintentionally) bickered for a few minutes and were on the freeway before 4:30. So our surroundings didn't matter too much.
We certainly would have played with the guys, however.
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*sniff* ElJay, you didn't mention how cool I am.
Just kidding. I'm glad the bike is as sweet as you hoped, and I'm glad you made it home in one piece.
Posts: 1090 | Registered: Oct 2003
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We have our frozen water bottles setting on the dash to thaw them (thanks, Mom!). We waved to Vana and Lime in Rockford and AJ, Xnera and Goody in Chicago. When we get to Indiana, we're just gonna ![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
every 10 minutes 'cause we can't keep up with y'all who live there. Whoever's driving that white trailer is still tailgating us.![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
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I really should have noticed that, considering all the proof-reading I do in my day job. Enthalpy is not a word I see in that job, either . . .
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