S&T's solar racers probably had the biggest contingent of friends and alumni of any team in Plano, TX this morning for the race start. The Miners were probably relieved to escape Texas' boiling heat, but not at the cost of cold-front generated clouds and rain, The first hour or two of the run was uneventful, but once in Oklahoma the clouds thickened and intermittent showers swept over the race route. The Miners didn't break out into good sunlight until nearly six hours into their trek northward. While the rain didn't turn out to be a problem, Solar Miner Vi has been plagued with puzzling electrical problems that seem to involve an improperly-rated fuse circuit. They hope to find the solution and the extra parts necessary to keep them rolling along. Tomorrow is a stage stop, less than an hour down the road, where most teams have a chance to rest up and repair their vehicles, so that should buy us enough time to get it taken care of.

WIreless service is being a problem here way out on old Route 66, so we'll sign off for tonight, but we can't resist showing you this little political comment.