Alternate Power Initiative

I went to the Alternate Power Initiative with my buddy yesterday. If you've been reading here for a while you might recall earlier posts about the Initiative and the steam engine I started constructing. Had I completed it, this would have been the contest. As it was, there were only three real entrants, an air powered tricycle, an air powered car, and a steam car.

The tricycle entrant didn't get too far but farther than his entry last year, which was an air powered go-kart. It wasn't too sophisticated but the guy was having some fun. He came home with a couple of bucks and he'll probably get his picture in the paper again, so how can you beat that?

The little air powered car was a real slick little piece of craftsmanship. It's powered by four air tanks connected to an impact wrench. It went 3.1 miles of the 5 mile course. It was very well finished and you could tell a lot of thought and work went into the construction.

The steam powered car I'm sure went the distance but we didn't stick around for the finish. It complied with the letter of the rules but not really the spirit. It looked like this thing has been around for a while and he just brought it down to compete to make a couple of bucks prize money or, more probably, to show it off and drum up some support for the Steam Automobile Club of America. Nothing wrong with that. If I had a steam car, I would have done the same.

It just so happens that the guy with the title of Event Promoter for the City of Whiting, or something like that, is a guy I know from my old days of working up that way. I had a chance to talk with him for a time and he wants to have the street lined up with cars next year, especially teams from schools. I've got my buddy thinking now, so we'll see what happens. Technically, this wouldn't be starting another project but completing one. After seeing it, it looks like it would be fun and a nice challenge. Definitely need some help in the engineering department, though. I don't have enough "think time" as it is right now.