What I've learned about hypermiling part I

[octavia]

What I've learned about hypermiling part I

Remember when you were a kid and your parents took you to a movie on Friday night. Your Mom would say "Take Fremont street Harold, it's quicker." and your Dad would reply "No it's not Martha, those damn kids are clogging up Freemont and Santiam streets again. Why don't the police do something about that. They drive so slow they hold everyone up! I'm getting sick and tired of...."

Ah ha!!!!!!
In my endeavors to learn to hypermile I realized something. We are no the original hypermilers and being green is not the original motivation.

The original hypermilers where kids, working with a Friday night budget of around 20 bucks and some change. They needed to cover food, gas, and any other I'm-cooler-than-you essentials with that 20. Once you buy the new Rush tape, a pack of cigarettes, a six pack of wine coolers, and your 1/3 of the pizza bill, you will have about 3.50 left for gas.



As I've been cruising around town, I feel it. Suddenly I'm 17 again and I have found a way to make it all work AND continue to look cool. A dream come true. genuine synergy with the universe. It's ok to get annoyed with me, I KNOW why I'm going slow, do you KNOW why you're not? Suddenly I don't care what the other drivers think. All I need to do is turn up my 2112 and the glares turn to admiring glances, the honks become keepers of my rhythm. And if you really need to hurry to the theatre you can avoid Freemont street by taking Bryant. It cuts right through.

[jay_man2]

Alrighty then.

[Jim Clark]

Wtf!?

[lawboy]

You think glares are a problem? Try driving a Prius in East Texas. You would think I was driving around with an "I hate kittens" bumper sticker. To be fair, some people have been very interested in and/or appreciative of a car that gets great mileage. Others . . . not so much.

[cpatch]

Great writing!

[The Electric Me]

Glad you were able to recapture some of that youthful vibe. Sort of like an American Graffiti, except it's the 80's and the kid's can't get gas money.

It's a wistful piece, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around parents named Harold and Martha with a kid named Octavia.

Cigarettes, Rush, Winecoolers and Pizza? Sigh... I was never in that crowd.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by lawboy

You think glares are a problem? Try driving a Prius in East Texas. You would think I was driving around with an "I hate kittens" bumper sticker. To be fair, some people have been very interested in and/or appreciative of a car that gets great mileage. Others . . . not so much.

I used to do the bicycle thing north of Austin, before Lance became a Hero. Texas was the only place where I actually had things thrown at me and even had a truck stop and turn around to ridicule me in my sissy clothes.
That being said mostly Texans were a very helpful, nice friendly crowd. I guess they just didn't like bicyclist in sissy clothes

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by The Electric Me

Cigarettes, Rush, Winecoolers and Pizza? Sigh... I was never in that crowd.

Your not old enough. Replace wine coolers with beer and other things and that pretty much describes my teenage years.

[angelrob]

Originally Posted by octavia

It's ok to get annoyed with me, I KNOW why I'm going slow, do you KNOW why you're not? Suddenly I don't care what the other drivers think. All I need to do is turn up my 2112 and the glares turn to admiring glances, the honks become keepers of my rhythm. And if you really need to hurry to the theatre you can avoid Freemont street by taking Bryant. It cuts right through.

LOL!!!! Oh, so true. I remember adding $2 of gas to my dad's Ford and cruising for hours up and down Main St. Thanks for the memory

And lawboy, I know what you mean about TX. Nice folks, but I thought they were going to confiscate my tofu at the border One of my favorite comments from Paula Poundstone: You never think about cowboy boots until you go to Texas, and then you're like, "Do you have anything in...kitten?"'

Robbin

[adamace1]

Originally Posted by octavia

What I've learned about hypermiling part I







It's ok to get annoyed with me, I KNOW why I'm going slow, do you KNOW why you're not? Suddenly I don't care what the other drivers think.

Please don't do this to much. I am having a huge problem with people taigating me and just getting pissed off and cutting me off on the highway when they see my car. The only reason i can come up with is other people are pissing them off going slow in there prius.

I go with the flow of traffic, and still have problems, I have been to the point where i'm closing the gap so people can't cut me off, and i have been almost to the point of trying to singal these jerk offs to a parking lot, I really only see one reasoon why people treat me different in this car other prius drivers are going so slow there making people mad. And it's getting to the point i may have to get my 230lbs 6'3" body out of my car and confront these people who are tailgatting me or cutting me off!!!