Unfortunately someone sent this to me after I called all the junkyards in the area but for the next time I'm looking for a part this looks like a great resource for finding it!
3:55:03 PM   []

• $50 for them to tell me it was the alternator
• $50 for a used alternator from the junk yard
• $0 for Napa to confirm the junk yard alternator worked
• $90 to get the part installed

Much cheaper then the first quote of $500. Though of course I've wasted hours on solving this problem, riding buses, and lugging my battery up and down two flights of stairs.

And yes, I'm still looking for a new car. The Neon's head gasket is still leaking, the muffler still needs replacing any month now, and the fuel line is seriously rusted. If any of those repairs get to their tipping point it won't be worthwhile fixing.
3:38:03 PM   []

Saturday we woke up early and rode 'Devil's Gulch'. Now even though we had a number of cycling computers, two GPSes, trail maps, aerial maps and instructions it wasn't until 3/4 of the way up the mountain that we realized we were on the wrong trail. As it turns out the proper way to ride this trail is to bike 12 miles up a gravel road and then you ride down Devil's Gulch. What we did was bike 12 miles up the single track trail! Then when we got to the top and knew we biked up the wrong trail we got all confused and biked down a trail known as Mission's Ridge.

Here's what the elevation gain looked like (based on our GPS data) - total climbing 4702 feet (1433 m):

(One of my fellow riders pulled together a page based on our GPS data with photos and maps. I'm definitely buying a GPS before heading out to Panorama.)

After that gruelling ride (consider that we rode the equivalent elevation gain of Panorama) we gorged ourselves on ribs and then spent the evening drinking beers and swimming in the river.

On Sunday instead of repeating our climb from hell we left a car at the top and bottom of the hill allowing us to drive up to the top and then ride down. This time we actually rode down Devil's Gulch as it was intended to be ridden. And of course, as soon as we got home Cormie and I had to go play hockey. And once home from hockey I found my apartment full of empty beer bottles, clothes strewn all over the living room, and four people known of whom were my housemate crashed on the couches.
3:09:20 PM   []