Jogging the city of gardens, I was jazzed to start my inner harbor waterfront run at the Empress and end at the Parliament Buildings. Beginning at daybreak is the best way to enjoy quiet peace but the boulevard route, Dallas Road, that I chose would seem to be light on traffic at other times. It shadows breakwater, parks, and shoreline. [ GPX ]
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John Heinz NWR
I’ve run the perimeter road on the east side of Philadelphia International next to the Delaware. But on the airports west side, only a mile away, is an expansive conservation area. The 200 acre John Heinz National Refuge is gated and operated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It is PAs largest remaining natural freshwater tidal wetlands. The place is popular with bird watchers equipped with binoculars and long lense cameras. There are quite a few miles of trails contained within. I sampled only a portion as I jogged the Impoundment pausing once or twice to admire the beauty. Although some are wooded foot trails I chose the wider utility road route which were open to the view. [ GPX ]
One lap of Ft Worth Alliance Airport
 | Once clear of Westport Pkwy the perimeter road has sparse traffic and wide lanes. The western side is quiet country livestock pasture land — reference the Texas Long Horn(s). American has a large maintenance / engineering base on the airport property, north end. [ GPX ] |  |
Hot > Medium > Mild
North Kingston
| The Quonset Point Trail, asphalt paved and multi-use, may also be known as Davisville Bike Path. The area was largely an old Navy Base and Camp Endicott, home of the Quonset Hut (but maybe you guessed that!) The later half of this trail is actually old Navy road, re-purposed. There is an unspoiled Narragansett Bay mud beach and clear tall grass field if you care to step off of the adjacent trail and see bird wildlife in the Rhode Island view. |  |
Atlanta
 | A jog while out of town is good recreation and gives a glimpse into the surroundings. During two days in Cobb County, Georgia I saw some of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. A 3 mile loop, Cochran Shoals is extremely wide and is popular with those who are out walking. The area is wooded wetlands with peeks of the river between trees and lookout vista points. On a different tack, the Bob Callan / Rottenwood Creek Trail is concrete and paved surface 2 lane bike trail with foot bridges that cross the creek several times. |  |
Minimum Fuel
The “fuel gauge” in the EV indicated 3/4 which equated to 71 miles remaining. In everyone else’s petrol powered car, 71 miles left in the tank means the reserve fuel warning light is about to come on. No biggie if you’re only headed for the corner plaza or the gas station but a definite double think if you need to cross town and back. I can see that many trips would require planning and forethought, i.e. with the EV ‘can I make it there and back’. It’s complicated. Whereas a fuel powered car is easy to estimate with a known relatively consistent MPG rating, an EV is subject to additional variables. Static battery temps influenced by extreme ambient conditions can be a concern. Hills, AC or Heat, can cut the estimated range by half.
How many residual miles remaining on the indicator before things get serious. What is your comfort zone. The thing is, with a zero emissions vehicle there isn’t a gas engine. No backup limp home mode. When the energy is depleted that’s it. Call for a tow or carry a longish extension cord.
Until remote charging outposts proliferate I propose a business service which I will call: Battery Rescue. A mobile truck equipped with a fast charge (480v) system could be a phone call away. Help for those who misjudge or need peace of mind and preferable to suffering the indignity of a flatbed truck. Pricing tiers for 1x emergency or all the time subscription plan.
Range Anxiety
We’ll call it: Battery Valet. At some point the battery pack in your EV will be quick changeable. Instead of enduring an overnight charge there will be a drive thru where you can swap out in just a few minutes. Good to go with a fresh battery. If you are local then just plug-in at home while you sleep. But if you are on a road trip you don’t want to rely on hit or miss parking with hook up umbilical. Arrive at your out of town destination layover and my service will retrieve your EV, renew its energy and return it to you topped off.
NISSAN LEAF
I test drove the future, a zero emissions car, my first experience. Startup hints at uniqueness. There is a keyless button labeled Start which energizes the instrument display screens and radio and environmental systems come to life. I wanted to focus on the drive so I turned all that other stuff off. A diminutive little knob (switch) selects PNDR. Relaxing foot pressure on the brake and the vehicle starts to creep just as a car with an automatic transmission would. Of course this is a software function (concession) in the EV which makes you feel more at home. Acceleration can be brisk if you like and it is erie that there is no vibration, no noise or commotion, just a soft whir as motor torque pushes you back in your seat. Quite satisfying. As speed reached 35+ mph tire noise masks sounds from the electrics. The only ECO skill to learn is early deceleration and planning using regenerative braking which will recover energy that would ordinarily waste as heat.
The Leaf Is not a soul inspiring machine. It is very appliance like and the body, while ergonomic, has the look of a grocery getter. Perhaps a Tesla Model S would add sex appeal to the equation.
for the dedicated small audience
Discovered YouTube Channels and have subscribed to some niche programming like: DRIVE, a worthwhile video source if you happen to lust for cars like the GT3 cup car. These are all short works because there is only so much time in the day that one can spend consuming media. Here’s a representative piece on Lowriders from Motortrend .  They are cinematic and skillfully done in the artistic vein of Top Gear — which has its own channel as well.  There are numerous categories from which to choose should automobilia not be your thing. You can immerse in Kinetic Art or Surfing or… whatever your interest.
Unfortunately you can not replicate the YouTube channel subscription experience in your living room on your HDTV. Â Not yet. Â A few 3rd parties using YouTube APIs are trying and some have tried but Google has locked down this functionality. It is probable that Google is seeking a monetization model.
TiVo has “Web Videos“, some of them in HD, that showcase the Internet connected TV. Example:  The excellent production of CNET video podcasts  offerings can be viewed via YouTube Channel but on your high definition TV via TiVo Season Pass the experience is complete. One can see what Google needs to achieve.