Charging

Work was SO busy on Tuesday. Then, Wednesday was a nightmare. I didn't get home from the office until after 8 p.m. The perfect Murphy's Law day. To top off everything else, the battery light on my 2016 computer that I recently bellyached about because I was forced to update to Windows 10 started flashing orange. I googled and learned the battery was gone. Replace it right away. Great.

So I ordered one from Amazon that was supposed to arrive Thursday (which would be today as you are reading this). It was another nightmare because I've never done this before. I didn't know if I was ordering the right thing. Or if I could trust the seller... my computer has been outdated for a very long time! What if the part I ordered was junk or didn't fit???

The part arrived at my front door ten minutes before me. I googled again to learn how to install it, then hoped like heck I wouldn't ruin the battery or the computer as I pulled the plug on the old battery and nervously installed the new one. Which I hoped really was new, as advertised.

My computer is purring! It's 9:18 p.m. Wednesday night, and my computer is working again! This little baby is like the Energizer Bunny! It just keeps going and going! Occasionally needs something new that stretches me in ways I didn't know I could bend, but it keeps right on going!

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Recharged

Sunday morning I had to drive The Lizard to work because the forecast (erroneously) called for three to nine inches, and I'd need the four-wheel drive to get to church later in the day. The Lizard realized he'd forgotten to charge his phone overnight, so I wouldn't be able to call him to hand off the keys when I parked the car a few hours later.

Lucky for me, I had my newest little gadget in my purse, and I was able to charge his phone to 65% during the drive to his work!

This awesome little charger was my gift from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the amount of money I raised in 2016. Typically, I donate my prizes back, except for free parking because that doesn't cost the charity anything, and it's SO nice to have a parking space on the day of the event!

In 2016, I was thumbing through the gift list when I discovered the charger. I'd had a tube charger for about three years, and it pulled me out of one or two binds but generally wasn't worth the $5 it cost me because it couldn't hold a charge more than two days, and it would charge my phone only 45% to 55%. Oh, and it is lightweight - easy to carry in my backpack while participating in a bike tour such as the MS-150 or Ride the Rockies.


The new charger was on the bottom tier of NMSS gifts. I was two levels higher with my fundraising. I decided this little blue charger would be a treat on bike rides if it worked better than the old charger, plus, every time I use it, people who see it will know I am activity fighting for the eradication of multiple sclerosis.

The new charger arrived in December. I quickly plugged it in to test it out. It was fully charged in about half an hour, and I discovered it has a built-in LED flashlight to boot. Super cool!

I used it a couple of days later to charge my phone, shocked to see it held the charge the full two days. Even more shocked to see it could fully charge my phone and still have some juice left. It's a little heavier than the old charger, but given the performance I was seeing, it seemed like this new charger would be more than worth its weight on a mountain pass!

I used the new charger to juice my phone again a couple of weeks ago, still off that initial charge in December, and once again, it fully charged my phone. Holy moly!

After charging The Lizard's phone on Sunday, STILL after that initial charge back in December and after fully charging my phone with it twice, this little miracle still has some juice left in it!

Astounding! It's cute, it works, and it does its job without complaint for more than a month with power to spare. Not bad for a freebie. Sometimes, technology simply amazes me!

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It works!!!

Tunes power me up steep climbs. I like to listen to my iPhone while I'm riding uphill, although never with earbuds.

I have a cheap ($10) little portable speaker and MP3 player case I picked up about three or four years ago at, of all places, Bed Bath & Beyond. The case clips right onto my bike, and it provides a safe haven for my tunes library of choice.

Initially I used my iPod because I didn't have an iPhone. When I bought my first (refurbished and two generations back) iPhone (because the cheap mobile phone service I'd been paying $10 a month for was worthless where I live), I found I have better music volume control with the phone, plus, the speaker case provides easier on-the-fly access to the camera and phone functions than my Camelbak.

Then came Ride the Rockies last year.

Charging any Apple product can be an issue for anyone, but on a weeklong bike ride with limited recharging opportunities, well, it doesn't take long before you kiss your iPhone power goodbye.

An iPod will give you a couple of days of tunes before it bites the dust without a recharge, but an iPhone draws much more power, especially when it is using GPS services for apps such as weather, mapping and web searches for local businesses. GPS functions may be turned off to conserve power, but sometimes those services are necessary or highly desirable. Such as accurate weather forecasts each day of riding up to 90 miles from one town to the next for seven days straight.

First thing we learned last year was to pack a power strip this year so we can charge multiple devices at one time when we do have access to a wall socket. In addition to my iPhone, we also needed to charge two bicycle headlights each night, as I leave before the sun comes up each day.

(Most of the schools where we camped last year offered unlimited access to power supplies, and some even offered power strips. But with 2,000 riders needing recharging at the same time, well, I could listen to tunes during only parts of long days and I didn't snap many iPhone photos at all. I was too tired and sore most of the time to pull my little Fuji camera out of the Camelbak.)

When we got home from Ride the Rockies, I promptly researched solar recharging possibilities, since each day of RtR provides about 8 to 10 hours of available charging time right on the back of my Camelbak. I invested in a Nomad 3.5 portable solar panel and Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus, which includes a set of 4 rechargeable AA batteries and all the required cords for charging a number of different devices.


I had planned to try out the unit during the MS-150 the day or so after the new equipment arrived. Unfortunately, I'd unknowingly injured my back three months earlier, and I was unable to ride for months. It didn't take long to forget all about solar charging and jamming while pedaling.

Now here we are, just a few days away from this year's RtR, and it was time to test this modern technology to see if it works and can be depended upon.


Because I'm an airhead blonde and failed to comprehend the instructions I actually did read before plugging the iPhone directly into the Goal 10 power unit, I got this ugly screen warning me the power source was not valid.


I went on the internet to find out what the heck was wrong with this thing because reviews said it did indeed work on an iPhone 4, which I upgraded to for a penny a few months ago. Not only did I find the answers I sought, but the Nomad has a printed warning, right in plain sight, to discharge the power into the battery pack and use THAT to charge smartphones and other high tech devices.

Duh.

I also learned the Nomad will not fully charge in overcast conditions. Good to know, since Colorado can be cloudy in June. If we're not in drought.


I charged the Nomad through my sunshine-facing bedroom window for about two hours, and was able to charge both iPhones and the iPod successfully. Woohoo!

Oh, and the rechargeable AA batteries in the Goal Zero unit work in the portable speaker case, too. Yippee!!!

As a result of this glorious experiment, I will be toting a little extra weight on my pack this year, allowing the Nomad to scoop up power from the sun each day of Ride the Rockies. We'll also take a power strip, just in case.


Best of all, I will be spending zero dollars on batteries, and I'll hopefully be able to take more photos along the way this year. I'll be able to enjoy a little bit more of each host community instead of spending my entire non-riding portion of this year's vacation sitting by a power outlet waiting for the iPhone to charge every single night!

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