The trip to Gainesville was a nice one and allowed
for Traveling Companions 3, 4, and 5.
My brother and I trekked to Gainesville so the band could
record for their new album and for the concert on Saturday. Before we even started the trip, a dark
Honda Accord Hybrid crossed in front of us when we were exiting a shopping
complex; regular readers will remember how hard it is for me to spot these bad
boys in the wild. Like many of my hybrid
encounters, the driver could not see the lettering on my car, the look on her
face was as though she was wondering, "Who the heck is this person, why did
they wave at me all friendly-like." The
other type of encounter is one with others like me they wave back! (This is the preferred reaction.)
Once we were underway things were looking like it was going
to be a smooth trip, we were rolling along and making great progress, until we
go on the freeway.
Today's posting is just to let everyone know I'm headed to Gainesville for Saturday and Sunday. I would really like to write Travelling Companions 3, so if you see me, wave or join me for a short distance.
The Ups will be having a show Saturday at 1982 bar and lounge you're all welcome stop by if you are in the area. 1982 is an all-ages venue. See www.gainesvillebands.com for details, show starts at 2000 (8pm). If you didn't know my brother is the bassist for the band, looking forward to seeing some of you out there.
In case you forgot the vehicle, its a silver 3rd generation (hatchback) Prius, with lettering on the front and back windows.
I have been practicing driving for high gas mileage in hilly terrain since I arrived in South Carolina; it is not as easy as driving on flat terrain but at times, is easier than driving for efficiency in Gainesville. My biggest obstacle is when I start the car cold there is a fair uphill slope in all directions that lead out of the neighborhood from where I live. In Florida, I would regularly achieve a 63 or more miles per gallon (MPG) average per fill-up. This is way up from the first week with the car where the best mileage was 40.5 MPG, in the Civic (2003 Honda Civic LX), the very best tank was 62 MPG (I wish I'd paid attention to technique that series of trips) but average fills were 39-42 MPG. The best fill in the Prius so far was 75MPG.
As with driving in flat terrain, the key to good performance (efficiency) is to make all changes smooth, and to maintain momentum. Is you make large quick movements of any of the inputs the car tends to go into high performance mode giving you more power than is needed for cruising. The inputs you need to be careful with are the steering, braking, and accelerator, it doesn't hurt to use moderation with the HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) controls either.
A photo gallery would be a fine place for me to post all the club related pictures I've been collecting. A gallery where the users can submit would allow us to share pictures. The submit feature would be limited to registered users.
Please take a moment and vote in this quick poll and let me know what you think. Feel free to use the comments section to let me know how you feel about this idea, all constructive feedback is welcome.
First, I recovered this site three times due to errors that later turned out to be a simple text file (more on that later) then I upgraded most of the software the site runs on and added some new categories and menus. By the way check out the new RSS feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/grlt . You will need to switch to the new feed before I upgrade the feed system because I have not decided what to do with the old feed at that point. The feeds now include an email option if you click theSubscribe in a reader link in the site header.
Yesterday I let a couple who normally drive SS TrailBlazers borrow the Prius, they drove 214 miles with an average fuel economy of 44.6 miles per gallon (MPG). That is just over one MPG less than the revised EPA fuel economy for the Prius, 46 MPG combined city and highway. More than three times what their vehicles get on the new cycle. I have spoken out against the new EPA ratings before but this does show how accurate they are for everyday people. I still say the resources should have spent on a driver education campaign.
If this couple, could get within two MPG what about all the other drivers? Of course, when I got back in the Prius I reset the gauge and to a trip to the grocery store and back and achieved 71.1 MPG.
Tell me what do you think was the better decision. Resetting all the fuel economy ratings all the way back to 1985, or teaching America's drivers how to use less fuel, and in the process reducing our need for foreign oil to supplement our domestic supply? How are you doing in your vehicle in comparison to the new EPA ratings (compare here)?
I have been practicing driving for high gas mileage in hilly terrain since I arrived in South Carolina; it is not as easy as driving on flat terrain but at times, is easier than driving for efficiency in Gainesville. My biggest obstacle is when I start the car cold there is a fair uphill slope in all directions that lead out of the neighborhood from where I live. In Florida, I would regularly achieve a 63 or more miles per gallon (MPG) average per fill-up. This is way up from the first week with the car where the best mileage was 40.5 MPG, in the Civic (2003 Honda Civic LX), the very best tank was 62 MPG (I wish I'd paid attention to technique that series of trips) but average fills were 39-42 MPG. The best fill in the Prius so far was 75MPG.
Yesterday I let a couple who normally drive SS TrailBlazers borrow the Prius, they drove 214 miles with an average fuel economy of 44.6 miles per gallon (MPG). That is just over one MPG less than the revised 
