Back in Canada, via a month in Portugal

 This update to our  blog is long overdue.  By the time we  got back to Fernie we were exhausted. We had been travelling for five out of the last six and half months. We experienced several flight changes, delays and cancellations on this trip that added to the stress. It has taken us a while to get settled and back on track. We are almost there now.   We have have decide not to travel as much this coming year.  

We enjoyed our month on the Algarve. We had a nice apartment on the western edge of Lagos. It was nice to have a garage to store and work on the bikes. The weather was very pleasant.  There were only a few light showers all month. The daytime highs were in the mid to high teens gradually increasing to the low twenties on occasion. Some people told us that it has been cooler than normal but is is still very nice for outside activities. We walked, biked every day.
 

While in Portugal we rented a car and drove to Olvera, twice.  Once to pickup our e-bikes and gear and the second time to pickup the stuff we forgot on the first trip.   Forgetting things. That’s the story of our life these days!

On the first trip we spent 2 nights in Olvera at a friend’s house. Geoff had graciously stored our stuff and gave us a key to his house.  I had to disassemble the bikes to get them and most our luggage in the Renault Clio Wagon.  It was a tight fit. It wasn’t until we unpacked everything in our rented apartment in Lagos that we realized that we had left a few things behind.  A week or so later we went back to collect the forgotten items. By then our friends were back home from Morocco so we had a nice visit with our friends, Geoff and Arlene.

Below are a few shots taken from the coastal trails close to Lagos. Most of these shots are of Praia de Dona Ana.  It is a very scenic coastline with many secluded coves and a walking / biking trail that runs the length of Portugal and on into Spain.

One of our Bosch bike batteries died about 2 weeks before the end of our trip.  The battery failed on a ride when we were about 20K from home.  We were on a ride down the coast through quite hilly terrain. The battery that failed was on Linda's bike but we were able to switch batteries. I rode back to Lagos without any assistance.  I managed to struggle up most of the hills but one with a 16% grade was too steep. It was not very easy pushing a loaded e-bike up this grade either.

The warranty on battery had expired.  After doing some research I discovered that the  failure was most likely in the battery management system (BMS).  These batteries have electronic circuitry that manages the charging, battery balancing, battery strength indication, etc.  The batteries in this Bosch battery are very likely still in good condition but one cannot buy a new BMS to repair the battery. 

Out of curiosity and to see if I might be able to replace the BMS (if I could find one) I dissembled the battery case and removed the battery pack and the BMS. I talked to a fellow who had built a few e-bikes and he told me that I was out of luck.  He told me that Bosch battery failures are almost always related to BMS failure and Bosch does not sell replacement boards.  He told me that one can order one from China but getting it working is another story.  Bottom line is that I will have to buy a new Bosch battery. They cost about $800 Cdn.

                                    This is what the battery pack looks like when removed from the casing.

 

We are planning for a longer trip next winter and we will still be dividing our time between Kalso and Fernie during the summer months.

We already have made some plans to return the Algarve in mid February (2024) and then make our way back to southern Spain, where we have rented a house on the coast near Conil de la Frontera.  We will likely stay in Spain until the end of April. 

 

We laughed when we saw this sign in Lagos.  The sign indicates directions to the city center, two other towns along the coast, Luz and Sagres and the bottom arrow tells you that you also go to "other places (or directions)"  ???