Reflections on Fairfield -

We spent an amazing weekend with Stuart and his family in the fascinating town of Fairfield.  My head is still spinning with all of the conversations we had, the people we met and the places we visited.  Rather than go through and sequentially describe the weekend, I will instead try to synthesize what we learned into wise and witty comments.

First off, Stuart is an amazing communicator.  He talks a lot and manages to make conversations both interesting and challenging.  His explanations of everything from the community in Fairfield, to the stock market to the renewable energy technologies we discussed were factual, reasonable and intriguing.  Stuart has recently started teaching at the Maharashi University and I envy his students!

(An interesting aside.  The Maharashi  University of Management is not about training managers.  The management referred to is self-management.  The practice of increasing self awareness and managing ones self in relation to personal/spiritual behavior and engagement in community.)

Speaking of  community, there is a huge amount of emphasis on creating both  physical and emotional venues where people feel they belong.  In the town of Fairfield, there are a lot of people who seem to know each other very well.  There are a number of very active coffee shops and cafe's where people gather just to be out with whoever happens to show up.  We went out a couple of times and it was thoroughly delightful to engage with lots of curious people and to watch people really enjoying each other in a very relaxed and open way.  The social scene seems like a wonderful blend of small town relaxed charm combined with a sophisticated urban aura.  Needless to say, we were all intrigued and delighted with our experiences.

On Sunday afternoon, we went out to the Sustainable Living Coalition where a group of students were taking the Coalition's course.  The students live on site, off the grid, eat local foods and learn about many of the aspects of sustainable living.  We participated in a bicycle conversion project that involved putting an electric hub motor on Fairfield's Sustainability Coordinator's bicycle.  Scott Timm lives on the opposite side of town from where he works and often has to go to meetings that involve short trips that can get real sweaty in this humid climate.  Scott also has a knee injury that he is recovering from and doesn't want to stress his knee with too much exercise.  He is the perfect candidate for an electric bicycle and he was just thrilled with the results.  We used a low cost conversion kit that runs under $500.00 including the lead acid battery. Mark Stimson is one of the local experts on electrics and also a lot of fun to hang out with. 

 For a small town like Fairfield the kit is perfect.  Short trips and no big hills.

The students who participated in the conversion workshop also rode our bikes around and we saw lots of the 'electric bicycle grin' happening.  And again, the list of uses for adding electrics to bicycle was lengthened by the ideas that the students had for how they could incorporate an electric bicycle into their lives.  Since they are already focused on sustainability, it was great fun to see how quickly they understood the benefits of electric bicycles compared to cars for the short trips that so many people take every day.  

There was one woman who rides and electric bike and she described how she had become a prisoner to her life by limiting her willingness to go out on her regular bike (She has no car).  Since getting her electric bike, she never hesitates to go out since she knows that getting there and back will be relatively easy.  A true convert!

I am still trying to identify and describe the Fairfield experience in a way that is easy to communicate.   Part of the attraction is the sense of community that is very pervasive as well as the many intriguing people that we met.  Also, the access to high quality, locally grown food and the awareness in the town about the need for increasing sustainable solutions is very attractive. Much of our experience was due to Stuart's long standing relationships in the community and his talent for attracting interesting people.  He reminded both Catherine and I of some of the favorite people in our lives.

Another example of a sustainable idea, that is largely driven by Stuart, is a rather complex and elegant scheme that increases volunteerism and keeps money in the community.  Stuart is working on setting up a program where volunteers will get credit applied to their credit cards from their local bank.  The credits will not be cash but will be an alternative currency that will be honored by local businesses who will take the credits by offering discounts on products and services with the full retail value being paid by volunteer hour credits. So, for instance, a pizza might cost %70 of its retail price with the 30% remainder being paid by the credits the customer earned by working as a volunteer for Hospice. (Stuart explained that there is already a software program "Bling" that can handle the transaction I just described by simply having a bar code type sticker on the customer's cellphone!)

In addition, only local banks will offer the service so eventually, the use of Visa and the like will be reduced.  This will add to the creation of sustainable communities by keeping the cash in town.  Very clever idea and very much the way Stuart's brain works.

On Sunday night, when we got back from our conversion event at the Sustainable Living Coalition, here was a Welcome Party next door for new students at the Maharishi University.  We went over to check it out and got to enjoy a group of young students taking turns performing music.  It was great fun and reminded both Catherine and I of the type of activity common at Camp Unalayee gatherings that have enhanced the value of building community in our lives.  

Very good stuff, this weekend.  Rates right up there with our time on the Navajo Nation with Derrick Terry and the folks from The Grand Canyon Trust.  

Wind powered Greenhouse blown out by a recent storm

Part of the greenhouse producing all organic produce

The master organic farmer

Catherine and Stuart's wife Elin

Stuart and Elin's daughter Amanda with a crawdad

Sun setting over the Sustainable Living Coalition

Stuart saying goodbye after escorting us out of town

Getting ready to cross the muddy Mississippi

Amish Farmers at the Farmer's Market

One of Fairfield's cafe's

Riding on Fairfield's 17 mile trail

Scott Timm's bike ready for the conversion

Mark Stimpson ready for conversion action

Oliver salvaging the front tire for use on the motorized front wheel

Bloomfield to Fairfield

We woke early to grey and threatening skies with weather reports predicting rain.  Before 7, we were on wet roads with occasional rain showers but we did manage to dodge most of the bigger raindrops.

Our map pointed out the Gothic House painted by Grant Wood.  It was a 15 mile detour so I wasn't too excited about seeing the house until the road we were supposed to take turned out to be closed.  The Gods were guiding us again!

We took great photos at the house and pushed on arriving in Fairfield about 11:30 where our host, Stuart Valentine invited us for lunch on the town square.  In preparation for our evenings activities, we chased around getting prepared and trying to relax a bit by taking a wonderful swim in the pond at the bottom of Stuart's property.

The Fairfield Art Walk is a monthly event that takes place on the Fairfield square.  We arrived in time to participate in the largest one of the year and the theme was 'All Things Italian'.  The only thing Italian about us is the shade of our overexposed to the sun skin.

The square was hopping.  All the shops were open.  Food, art and entertainment opportunities were set up all over the square and there was a sustainability theme as well.  We were very busy talking and talking about the bikes, our trip our reasons for doing what we are doing and dealing with folks who wanted to ride the bikes.  Rolf was very busy talking to people as well and I think the conversations he had improved both his English skills and his knowledge about the electric bikes.

Fairfield is a very interesting town.  Over 35 years ago the Maharishi movement bought an old campus and moved its headquarters here.  Since then there has been a slow but steady blending of the "meditators" with the local farming community.  Obviously, there are huge differences between the two cultures but over the years acceptance has grown.  It was very easy to see at the Art Walk who the Maharishi folks are and who the other folks are.   The town has more recently begun to attract people who like the culture here because of the diversity and the commitment to sustainability that is part of the Maharishi culture.  Our host, Stuart is a mediator but not a blind follower of the Maharishi culture.  His insights and observations about the community make for great stories and we really enjoy hearing about the integration that is happening as Iowa looks for ways to reinvigorate its economy via green jobs like wind turbine manufacturing.

Gettin' down the road

The Green American Gothic

Bonnie's "Swing Bike"

Swinging on the swing bike

Stuart on the Swing Bike

Catherine and I doing a radio interview at the local solar powered radio station

Feeling like real celebrities at KRUU public radio

Some of our fan base

Talking electrics with Mark Stimson, Fairfield's electric vehicle guru

Hamburg to Lineville -

 

                                      One angry Turtle sitting in the middle of the road

The night didn't disappoint as far as the predicted weather went.  It did disappoint as far as sleeping went.  I chose to sleep in the van and the rain, thunder and town noises kept me awake most of the night.

None of us slept well and the wet misty morning made it easy for us to decide to do a portage.  In addition, my mileage estimates for crossing Iowa were wildly optimistic so to keep ourselves happy we drove to Mt. Ayr.  On the way I called Stuart in Fairfield and we discussed our upcoming weekend.  He reminded me that he's involved in a new wind turbine company in Mt. Ayr that we should visit.  He gave me the phone # of the CEO, Charlie Sharp and he set us up with an appointment at their facility.

Heartland is the name of the wind company and they are currently in the latter stages of developing a 100KW wind turbine (100 KW is enough to power about 25 homes).  Since they are still in development, they couldn't let us see their facility so we met in a conference room and spoke with Larry Preston who is an engineer involved with many different aspects of the project.  They currently have 15 employees and once they get into production, they are looking to hire about 100 people.  For a small town like Mt Ayr, the success of Heartland would be a real boon.

According to Larry, the size turbine that they are building fills a niche that is currently not being serviced.  Small manufacturers, farmers, schools and universities are all potential customers for the Heartland system.  

Larry could not give us any specifics but what we did learn is that their turbine is designed for 20 mph winds, their tower will  be about 150 ft tall and that the power produced will easily tie into existing grid infrastructure which eliminates the need for huge infrastructure expenses that the large utility scale projects usually have to cover.

The other business that Heartland is involved in is recommissioning older wind turbines, many of which are coming out of the wind farms in Tehachapi.  (We should have brought one with us!)  They basically replace all the moving parts and then resell the turbines to people and projects that can't afford to go with the new.  The turbines that they are recommissioning are in the 65 KW range but since they are old technology, they don't work nearly as efficiently as the new designs being sold today.  But at least they are offsetting some fossil fuel based power!

After leaving Heartland, we went into town to take care of some internet stuff before hitting the road.  On the way in, we pulled right in front of an enormous big rig hauling a huge turbine blade.  The blade reminded me of a whale.  It was awesome!

The library was closed so we made our way into City Hall and found internet access in the Assessor's office.  They were very kind and interested in what we were doing and we enjoyed sharing our stories with them and learning a bit more about the Mt. Ayr area.

Finally, we hit the road and got in about 50 miles of some of the nicest scenery and roads we've seen yet.  The county roads are fabulous here and the drivers are quite courteous and used to slow vehicles since we are in Amish country and there are signs all over warning drivers to watch for horse drawn vehicles. (We stopped at two roadside stands and bought strawberries from Amish families.  I pigged out and we still have some left for breakfast.)

We are parked at a lovely campsite by a lake and looking forward to a night full of critter noises.

Rolf conducting business in Sweden on an Iowa highway

Catherine at Heartland's Manufacturing site in Mt. Ayr, Iowa

Larry Preston and I in front of a really sweet quilt

Amish country

Taking my b ike out for a little evening swamping

Touchin' up the green - That's olive oil

One scary turtle

Planning the next day's route-  Check out those chiseled thighs

White Cloud to Hamburg Iowa - June 1

After an early start and farewell to the Kansas Bocks, we rode the two miles into Nebraska where we immediately picked up a tailwind!!  What a difference.  We got to Rock Port in less than 3 hours (over 50 miles) and spent almost 3 hours with Eric Chamberlain, the local man who got the Rock Port owned utility to agree to install 4 large wind turbines that feed directly into the local grid.

We wanted to video Eric but he said that he has a face for radio and didn't want to be filmed.  Rolf took lots of pictures so that and our memories and the notes that Catherine took will have to describe what we learned today.

I called Eric from the Rock Port City Park and he cam out and we talked for a while about Rock Port's history as a town that not only has its own utility but also has its own phone company.  Rather unique for a small town of 1500!

The Rock Port utility company is part of a pool of communities  that buy energy from providers when the wind isn't blowing.  They also still have their own fossil fuel based energy generation facility that they use when the grid goes down and they can't get power from either their wind turbines or other outside sources.  We visited the plant and it was just wonderful to see the huge diesel/natural gas fired turbines sitting idle! We also got to see the penciled in numbers that showed how many KW of power are sent out to the grid above and beyond what the Town of RockPort uses.  Over the average of a year, Rock Port produces more wind energy than they use.

Eric is employed by "Wind Capital Group".  They install utility scale wind projects throughout Northern and Central Missouri.  The four turbines that directly feed into the Rock Port utility were installed at the same time that Eric's company was installing a 50 MW system that we got to see when we left Rock Port later in the afternoon.  As with many utility scale projects, the money comes from investors and  in the case of Rock Port, the investor is John Deere.

After leaving the Municipal Light Plant, Catherine and I followed Rolf and Eric out to the field where the four 1.2 MW  turbines that power Rock Port are located.  I was surprised by the small size of the transmission line needed to transport the power from the turbines to the local grid.  We discussed public acceptance of wind turbines and their electromagnetic impacts which Eric considers negligible.  Especially since the towers are never placed closer than 1,000 feet from homes.

Eric also talked about the green jobs created by the wind industry in the area and they are significant partly since they are all new jobs in a new industry.  

When we talked about how much attention the 4 turbines in Rock Port attract, Eric pointed out that this project makes it easy for people to understand wind as an energy source.  Since electricity is invisible it's hard for people to understand the relationship between a spinning turbine or a coal fired plant and the lights working in their homes.  The Rock Port wind project directly provides power to the town and it is measured.  This makes it easy to understand and exciting for both wind power advocates and the residents of Rock Port who can look at those four turbines and say, "That's where our power comes from."  

Powerful stuff! 

After leaving Rock Port, we headed to Hamburg,Iowa to break our previous record of 3 states in one day.  We left Kansas for Nebraska, crossed the Arkansas River into Missouri on one of the worst bridges any of us have ever seen and then finished the day in the southwest corner of Iowa where the lady at City Hall warned us about a storm rolling in and suggested that we get a room at the only motel in town.  So here we sit, waiting for the storm in a rather funky motel after a very interesting and high mileage (80 miles) day.

The Kansas Bocks having breakfast

1 of 4

#2 Nebraska

#3

#4

I can't believe we made it!!

Rock Port's wind man, Eric Chamberlain

Eric's Truck

The Press catches the Green Riders in action

Catherine does an interview

3 of the Rock Port 4

Talking wind

Brother Peter joins us from Eudora to White Cloud

After a late start, we had a great day riding through some beautiful countryside.  We still had our Kansas headwind but it was pretty mild.  Just before we arrived in White Cloud, the bike Peter was on ran out of battery power so I loaned him one of my batteries to get him into White Cloud.

We set up camp along the shore of the Arkansas River and Peter's wife and family showed up shortly after we pulled in.  Peter found and old acquaintance named Wolf River Bob who grew up in White Cloud and is a bit of a local legend.  He toured us around a bit and we invited him for dinner at our campsite where he continued to tell tales of his life.  

Dinner along the Missouri River

This is our last night in Kansas and we're hoping for tailwinds tomorrow since we will hopefully be beyond the apparent headwind curse we encountered during our time in Kansas.

Peter's ready to go

Catherine rollin' it

Setting up the Kansas Bock's tent

Wolf River Bob explainin' it