Wuling Pass

At last I can confidently claim Molly and Jan cannot run away from home!  The retaining wall has been extended and the gate installed.  We now have a lower walled garden where they can exercise.

The wall is too high for Jan to climb and Molly can't get under the gate. 

Tomorrow I head for the airport. I'm flying with Cathay Pacific transiting through Hong Kong.  Unlike Air NZ, Cathay Pacific requires passengers to wear a mask at all times when not eating or drinking.

Yesterday evening an email arrived from the B&B in Taipei advising my ebike battery had arrived.  Another concern has been resolved! 

The Taiwan cycling trip has been planned around the weather.  December is winter in Taiwan and is also the month with the lowest rainfall.  I didn't want to be cycling in hot and humid weather.  Hopefully the planning will be a success, although there is a potential issue with my route back over the mountains.  The summit of Wuling Pass is just over 3000 metres and in winter there can be high winds, low temperatures, low cloud, snow and ice.  The road is steep and narrow with many hairpin bends.   My current itinerary will have me there on 25 December.  A white Christmas

Cycling over the mountains isn't essential and I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks.  If the conditions are unsafe, I'll travel across by bus or train. 

 

Another Hurdle

Disassembling and packing the bike is proceeding nicely.  I tend to "over engineer" things and as a consequence I've probably done that with the bike.

Worrying that the bike might fall through the base of the cardboard box (unlikely) I cut a piece of 3mm thick MDF sheet as a liner for the inside of the base.  After positioning the bike frame I glued blocks to stop the frame sliding around.

 

I also made a timber spacer to fit between the ends of the front forks in an effort to ensure they don't get crushed out of alignment.  It will all go into the box tomorrow.

Another hurdle has been identified.  Shipping the ebike battery appears to be an issue.  It's obviously achievable, but my understanding of the Chinese language is an impediment.  I had to purchase the 2nd battery and have it sent to Taiwan because no airline will carry my existing battery (or any ebike lithium battery).  I need to find a company that will accept the battery and send it to Australia by sea.  Thus far potential shippers have asked for a copy of the MSDS (Materials Safety & Data Sheet) and Test Certificates.  I've written to the Chinese manufacturer requesting copies of the certificates.

I will be taking the laptop with me and purchasing a SIM card in Taipei for the phone which should enable me to continue researching a solution during the trip.  I'll also see if I have enough energy at the end of the day to update the blog.

  

Every Little Bit Helps

In three days I'll be on my way to Taiwan.  Two days ago I towed the bike trailer for the last time and yesterday I dismantled it ready for packing.  My airline ticket allows me two 23kg hold bags.  One will be the trailer containing the tent, etc and the other the cardboard box containing the bike.  I need to balance the weigh of each to ensure I remain within the 23kg allowance.

I didn't opt for the cheapest economy fare selecting instead a fare that gave me two pieces of hold baggage and the ability to change flights.   The latter is a "fall back" position should something go wrong with the bike tour forcing to return home early.   Seat selection options going to Taiwan were limited, but I managed to find a window seat.  I could have selected a seat in an emergency exit row, which has more leg room.  However Cathay Pacific wanted more money.  My return flight is on 1 January and it appears few people want to fly on that day.  Cathay Pacific allowed me to select a seat in the emergency exit row at no additional cost. 

As I was carefully disassembling the trailer, placing all the small parts into a plastic bag, I thought  might be a prudent measure to check the lubrication in the trailer wheel bearings.  I'd not previously checked this and as I'm away from home it seemed like a sensible measure.

Well there wasn't much grease in the bearings and more surprising was there were two ball bearings missing from each side.  I suppose if you're a Chinese bike trailer manufacturer trying to maintain a living through COVID then saving four 5mm ball bearing on every trailer adds up!

I cycled the 10km to the local bike shop this morning and purchased 25  ball bearings for $5.  They would have been cheaper from eBay, but I don't have the time.

With the trailer wheel bearing sorted and greased I turned my attention to the bike.  Removing the 19.2Ah battery has definitely reduced the weight of the bike.  I just have to hope my second battery is delivered from China to Taiwan by the time I arrive. 

I'm carefully bagging all the bike small components and any tools I use are being set to one side to ensure I take them with me for the re-assembly in Taipei.

  

All the components are being cleaned and checked as the bike is disassembled.  I have a large roll of heavy duty bubble wrap which I'll use once the bike is fully stripped. 

The other project is also slowly moving along.  The area behind the workshop has been cleaned of vegetation and the building materials restacked.  I've also made a start on the lean-to framing. 

 

I won't be installing the roof until the neighbours tree has had its haircut.  That won't happen until after spring as there may be birds nesting in the tree.

No rest for the wicked!

For several years I've been meaning to do something about the area behind the workshop.  It's partially a dumping ground storage area for things that may be useful one day and also the pool pump and filtration area.  There are two issues.  The first is a requirement to provide some weather protection for the pool equipment and the other is to minimise the leaves falling into the area from the neighbours tree.  These leaves are also filling the gutters on the workshop.  The tree doesn't know it yet, but when winter arrives it's getting a haircut!

I'm constructing a lean-to on the rear wall of the workshop and the first stage is to erect three posts.

 

The first post went into the corner yesterday and the second this morning.  The middle post will be erected tomorrow.  The rafters will probably be installed next week.  I won't be fitting the roof until after the tree has received it's haircut!

I should mention that thus far my DIY pool water heater is working well.

A courier delivered the second towbar hitch I'd ordered online.

I decided it was just a hassle constantly changing the original hitch from the camper trailer connection to a conventional ball joint.  The second hitch enables me to have one for each.  At $16 I thought it was a bargain.

And for some humour……..

Electric Vehicle - Tent & Mattress

It's unlikely we will ever own an electric vehicle (EV).  It's not that I have something against EV's.  Rather it's the maths.  Let me explain.

There are approximately 15 million light vehicles (cars, vans, utes, etc) in Australia with approximately one million new light vehicles sold every year.  Last year 3.6% of new light vehicle sales were EV's with the rest being ICE (Internal Combustion Engines [petrol/diesel])

If the government were to legislate all new light vehicles had to be EV's then it would take 15 years for all the ICE vehicles to be replaced.  That's assuming the world could produce one million EV's for Australia.  I doubt they could produce half that number which would mean 30 years to replace the ICE vehicles.

Now consider that in Australia SUV's 4WD and Ute's are very popular.  Currently there are almost no EV's in these categories.  If you look at the traffic on weekends and holidays you will notice the high number of light vehicles towing boats, trailer, camper trailer and caravans.  The capacity of batteries in current EV's reduces very quickly when towing.  Moreover it's going the be a long time before (if ever) there are charging stations in remote parts of Australia.  ICE vehicles will still be in demand.

In 15 years I'll be 87 (or dead).  Moreover at 87 I'll probably no longer be driving.  Perhaps I'll be riding Jan's eTrike  

However I recognise the number of EV's will gradually increase and the number of ICE vehicles commensurately reduce.  Therefore it's possible the value of our 4WD will actually increase as the years pass and 4WD ICE vehicles become difficult to source. 

Tent & Mattress 

Jan and I went shopping this morning.  After several days of research I was seeking to buy a suitable tent and mattress for the Taiwan trip.  Both need to be functional, light and cheap.

We already own two self inflating mattresses.  Neither is suitable for the Taiwan trip as the don't pack down to a small size.  I'd decided I needed an air mattress.  It also needed to be reasonably thick as my old hips and shoulders don't like the hardness of the ground.  Boating-Camping-Fishing (BCF) had a 'Wanderer' air mattress 95mm thick which weighed 1.25kg and packed down quite small.

We then travelled to 'Anaconda' and looked at tents.  I want a 'free standing' tent.  One were pegs and guy ropes aren't essential in erecting it.  This is because some campsites only allow tents to be erected on a concrete base.  I might also want to 'freedom camp' under a veranda or small pagoda.  After some searching I opted for a "Kakadu II" weighing 2.55kg which was on sale for $99.

Don't be fooled by the waterproof looking black stuff sack containing the tent.  Holding the bag to the light I could see tiny holes in the base.

Not too hard to erect.  I'll need to do it a few more times to improve my technique.  Being green in colour may make it less visible should I need to freedom camp.  The steel pegs are rubbish!  I'll take some of my existing heavier duty pegs.

Online instructions stated the mattress needed to be inflated using a pump.  Instead I 'huffed and puffed' which worked.

Plenty of room inside the tent which also has a vestibule where I could store some gear.  I'll use my gear bag as a pillow.  I can probably secure the bike to a nearby tree or post using my security cable and the battery can go inside the tent. 

Both the tent and mattress bags are small enough to fit into the trailer.

Hopefully a cheap but effective solution. 

I'm not going to take a stove and cooking gear as food outlets are abundant in Taiwan.

Second eBike Battery

The purchase of a second ebike battery actually proved to be quite convoluted.  Having identified the best value for money battery that met my desired minimum capacity I wanted to order from Australia and have it delivered to Taiwan.  However the Aliexpress website would not allow me to do this using Paypal.  They wanted a credit card number entered into their system and Jan won't do this as she is very careful regarding bank account information.

I was able to communicate with the sellers representative who suggested I place the order using our Australian address and he would then change the delivery to the address in Taiwan after the order had been made.  That way we could pay using Paypal.

The battery is made from Lithium-ion 21700 cells.  To be compatible with the ebike motor it's 36V and has a capacity of 33.6Ah.  To put that into context; if you rent an ebike in Taiwan it comes with an 11Ah battery.  This is the same capacity as Jan's eTrike.  My current ebike battery capacity is 19.2Ah and I've never discharged it below 50% with my longest ride being 75km.    You can do the maths.  33.6Ah should be more than sufficient.

The current battery uses 18650 cells (those small cylinders that look similar to AA batteries) whilst the new battery uses 21700 cells. Nothing complicated about the numbers.  18650 means the cell is 18mm in diameter and 65mm long.  21700 means the cell is 21mm diameter and 70mm long.  Obviously the 21700 cells are slightly larger and have more stored energy.  About 30% more.

If you were thinking this old grey man is going to be pedalling furiously around Taiwan you will now realise he has been rather sneaky.  Yes; I will have to pedal…..  But my powerful friend will be there to help me on the steep sections.

The battery is triangular shaped and attaches to the bike frame with Velcro straps.

 

Oh… I seriously doubt the accuracy of the LED Display! 

There was one feature this battery does not have compared to my current model.  There is no usb charging port.  I use the charging port on the current battery to keep my mobile phone charged.  I've discovered the phone battery does get drained when using the GPS function and the navigation software. 

To overcome the lack of a usb port I plan on taking the two usb 'powerbanks' I purchased for use in NZ when walking around the mountain. 

Taiwan Planning - Elevation

During the previous two months I've realised the battery in my left hearing aid usually goes flat at least one day before the right side.  More recently I noticed I appeared to be getting deafer in my left ear.

This morning I went to insert my hearing aids and discovered this….

I suspect the fine wires in the lead have been fraying for several months without me realising it.  We will be heading to Costco this morning to enquire about a repair.

Meanwhile, returning to the subject of planning the Taiwan cycling trip.  I mentioned yesterday Taiwan has a mountainous spine with some high peaks.  There can be snow in the winter.  I'm going in the middle of winter.  Primarily because it's the coolest month with the lowest rainfall.  Who likes cycling in the rain?

I'll need to travel an average of 60km daily.  Probably more if I want rest days.  However the terrain will dictate the distance travelled each day.  Flat terrain will likely mean longer distances whilst steep terrain will be the reverse.  therefore I've divided the distance each day based upon the elevation. 

Below are some screen dumps from Google Earth showing the 'difficult' days on my planned route.

Day 2 - Example of an easy day with one 100m high hill (red arrow).  It appears to be the approach to a bridge over a river

Day 4 - Until now I will have been riding the beautiful inland eastern Rift Valley but today I will have to cross over to the coastal road.  The crossing is very steep rising 1000m in one kilometre

Day 7 - Cross back over the coastal hills.  A 465m rise over 5km

Day 12 -  I will now be heading north through the middle of the island avoiding the heavily populated and industrialized west coast.  A 650m gradual rise over 10km

Day 14 - A gradual climb of 450m to reach Sun Moon Lake

Day 16 - Gradually climbing up the western side of the mountain range.  It will be like this for the next three days until I reach the summit at Wuling where I will be at 2800 metres.  Apparently it can be quite cold here with snow during winter.

Day 20 - Taroko Gorge.  83km downhill   It is reputedly spectacularly beautiful.  However narrow, many bends and prone to landslides.  I have to hope there is no snow or ice.

Day 22 - Flat riding except for a very steep 200 metre hill

Day 23 - Second to last day. A couple of steep 100 metre high hills

All the other days have relatively flat terrain, apart from the three days of continuous climbing to the summit at Wuling. 

If something untoward happens (eg, injury or exhaustion, etc) I can always stop cycling and take public transport.  Taiwan is small and densely populated, with a very good public transport system.

After further research I've decided it might be prudent to take a small tent, inflatable mattress and sleeping bag.  A number of locations either only have expensive accommodation or no accommodation! 

I don't want to carry a bulky sleeping bag so I'll take the thin ultralight Aldi sleeping bag that I used on the mountain walk.  I was warm in it if I wore top and bottom base layers and socks.

We've been to Costco since I started writing this post.  The left hearing aid was repaired and the technician also replaced the same part on the other side as a precautionary measure.  All done free of charge.  I do like Costco!

Another bit of good news.  The local bike shop has given me a cardboard bicycle box.  I believe I will need to make some type of internal frame to secure the bike inside the box in an effort to minimise the possibility of damage in transit. 

 

Taiwan

One of the first tasks on returning from New Zealand has been to clean and check used equipment and clothing.   My boots were looking very sad after their five day walk around the mountain.  Before leaving NZ I bought a scrubbing brush and thoroughly cleaned them.  I knew I'd have to declare I'd been in a wilderness on my return to Australia and the authorities might want to inspect the boots.

After their scrubbing

Before and after three applications of dubbin.  This was followed by drying in a warm cupboard and then a polish.  All set for the next walk.

This morning I booked my return flight to Taiwan.  Yesterday I did some online research on fares and then went to the local travel agent to see if they could do better.  They couldn't!  When I informed them of the price I had found the representative told me they (travel agents) no longer receive a discount from airlines and their price would always include a $175 commission.

After thinking about it I didn't book the cheapest fare.  Still Economy; but I opted for a "flex" fare which gave me two 23kg hold bags, seat selection and the ability to change flights should I need to return early.

This gives me a total of 46kg of hold baggage for the bike, trailer and gear.  My electronics (pc, camera, phone, Zoleo, etc. will go into my cabin bag.  Hopefully that will reduce the cost of excess baggage.

Later this morning I'll go to the shop where I bought the bike and ask if they have a cardboard bike box they can give me for the trip.

Yesterday evening was spent reviewing my cycling route.  Taiwan has a mountainous spine with some of the highest peaks in eastern Asia and I plan to cycle over them.  I wanted to know what the route elevation would look like each day.  My free navigation software (OSMAND) doesn't provide this, however I was able to gain the information via a convoluted method.

The route data in OSMAND is in gpx format.  I converted to to Google kml format using a program (free) named GPSBabel.  The kml files were then imported into Google Earth which has an option to view elevation.  Using this data I was able to identify the high points on the route and mark them as waypoints in Google Earth.  The saved waypoints were then converted back to gpx format using GPSBabel and imported into OSMAND. 

Knowing where I'm going to ride some steep terrain will enable me to plan my days more accurately.

I've been in communication with a small B&B in Taipei who have agreed to store my cardboard bike box whilst I'm cycling.  They have also agreed to accept delivery of my bike battery.

I'll need to buy a second lithium battery from China and have to sent to Taiwan.  airlines wont carry bike batteries (Dangerous Goods) hence the need for a second battery.  At the end of the ride I'll ship the battery back to Perth by sea.

In two weeks I'll be on my way.  Meantime,  I need to improve my cycling fitness. 

   

Day 18 - Back to Whangarei

Driving from Palmerston North to Whangarei in a day isn't an impossible task.  I've done it before and back then the roads weren't as good.  I estimated it would take 10 hours of continuous driving and my actual time was 9¾ hours.

There was a brief stop at Huntly where I took a photo of the town church.

It's where my parents were married in March 1950.  I was born in December of the same year.   They obviously didn't waste any time

Continued north through Waiouru and the up the Desert Road where I again briefly stopped for a photo.  Red arrow points to Rangipo Hut. 

I'll never walk around the mountain again.  A combination of too many things on the "bucket List" and not enough years left.  I may not see the mountain again!

Another brief stop at Tokaroa to refuel and then on to Whangarei non-stop.

A very good evening with the family where I congratulated 3rd grandson on achieving his qualification as a carpenter.  At the end of the evening Aaron (SIL) invited me out to their rural retreat the next day.

In the morning the lift bridge on David Culham Drive was being raised to allow a yacht to depart from the town basin.   

The road and bridge didn't exist when we lived here.

The rural retreat is located towards Whangarei Heads and high on a hill.  There are spectacular views to the south, west and north.

When they bought the property there was just a caravan on site.  That has been gradually extended.  It's "off grid" with water collected from the hill behind the property and electricity provided by a solar array.

Driving back towards Whangarei I stopped at Parua Bay to take more photos.

I found a vacant motorhome site on the waterfront at Onerahi.  Public toilets across the road were a bonus.

That evening I had dinner with our eldest grandson.  He had gone sailing in his new yacht that day but anchored and rowed his dingy back to join me.

The next morning I was up early and off to the Whangarei public dump station to fill and empty as required.  The next stop was the hardware to exchange the motorhome gas bottle.  The motorhome must be returned with full and empty tanks and containers.

Forty kilometres out of Whangarei I stopped at the scenic lookout on the Bryderwn Hills for a final look and yet another photo.

Unfortunately the photo doesn't do justice to the actual view.  In the distance you could see 'Sail Rock' and the 'Hen & Chickens' islands…. but not in the photo!

I needed to refuel the motorhome and went to the same service station I'd used on the first day.  It was closed…. Permanently!!!  More driving around and it got very noisy around Mangere Town Centre.

I could see numerous red and blue flags initially thinking is was a Taiwanese protest.  Then I realised it was the Samoan national flag.  Not sure what they were celebrating but they were noisy!

There were no issues returning the motorhome but I was deeply disappointed with my Air NZ check-in.  It was self check-in and my bag was rejected as overweight.  The scales were displaying 15.2kg.  I thought I had a 20kg allowance.  I went away and moved some items from the hold to the cabin bag.  Back to the check-in and this time the bag was rejected as over weight at 13.5kg.  My option was to either get the weight down further or pay $350 excess baggage.  I took the bag away and discarded some old clothing into a nearby rubbish bin.  A third attempt was successful.  I was NOT HAPPY.  When I returned to Perth Jan checked the booking documentation.  My hold allowance was 23kg. 

There was a seven hour transit stop in Melbourne.  I knew that would happen as I'd booked the cheapest fare.  Customs & Immigration was done in Melbourne and I flew on to Perth on a Qantas domestic flight…… Where the service was better than Air NZ. 

Final thoughts on the trip

• There appears to be an agenda to transform the country from a western orientated society into a Polynesian society.  This manifested itself in many forms.  
• NZ is beautiful
• The people are friendly
• The Wilderness motorhome was comfortable and reliable
• It was expensive
• Saveloys are fantastic
• A great country to visit, but I wouldn't live there.

I'm reminded of the story about placing a frog in a pot of cold water, then gradually heating the pot on the stove.  You can cook the frog before he realises what has happened.  Some of my Kiwi friends have belatedly come to believe they are in the same situation.

Day 17 - Palmerston North

Another location which has figured prominently in my life.  Palmerston North is where I was born; along with our daughter 22 years later.  It's where Jan and I had our first home and during my military career I had three postings to the nearby Linton Military Camp.  It's also where my mother spent her childhood and teenage years before she enlisted into the NZ Army.

Palmerston North is located on the Manawatu Plains. To the east are the Tararua Ranges.  Precipitation from the Tasman Sea is pushed across the plains which then dumps rain on Palmerston North and the western side of the Tararua's.  The climate can be unpleasant during winter.  I have no desire to live here!

Adjacent to my campsite was a (new to me) pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Manawatu River.  The path on the far bank circumnavigates the boundaries of Massey University and Linton Army Camp terminating at Bells Road.  55 years ago this poorly paid young soldier would have appreciated using this cheap and free shortcut from the city to his barracks.

The new bridge and path seemed to be well used.  No doubt the Massey University students appreciate it.

Not much else in the city appeared to have changed.

One of the main reasons for my visit was to catch up with a couple of old army colleagues.

Greg and I enlisted into the army Regular Force Cadet School in the same year and both of us completed electrical apprenticeships.  Our career paths crossed over the years with both of us serving 20+.  Greg stayed in Palmerston North whilst I went further afield.

 

Judith & Greg

My other meeting was with Mike & Colleen.  Mike and I first met at the School of Military Engineering where he was an instructor and I was the deputy.  Subsequently he was the Squadron Sergeant Major of 3 Field Squadron in the South Island at the same time I was there.

Enough of the boring personal stuff.  What was for dinner that night?

Oh Good!    There are still some saveloys….

Got to make the most of the available time

Later that evening I received an email from our daughter advising that our 3rd grandson was having a birthday party and I had been invited.  I'd need to rethink my itinerary if I planned on attending.