What I've learned about hypermiling part I

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.
:rockon:

Alrighty then.:nerd:

Wtf!?

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.

Great writing!

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.

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

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

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

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!!!

I used to get this even in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. You're just running in to more idiots (they multiply on their own, passing the insanity to those they cut off. don't let them infect you!). One day I had 4 mini-vans act like idiots. I imagined all sorts of reasons, but it must have just been a crazy-mom kind of day.

Whenever this crosses my mind, I imagine the scrawny, dweeby little person as a gun toting crazy one and the urge passes ->

Robbin

There are idiots everywhere, and getting behind the wheel seems to multiply their idiocy. Keep a cool head and stay out of trouble. 230lbs and 6'3 can cause a lot of damage, try explaining that to the cops.

A friend once instructed me to think about how I would explain whatever I was about to do to a judge, and if I couldn't convincingly say "Well you see your honor, it was like this..." then think twice about doing it!

Octavia, do you write for a living? That was great!

In my mind when someone is only trying to be a jerk and tailgate me because i'm in a prius(i have never had this happen so often in 16 years of driving all kinds of car but it started on day one with the prius there theating to do bodily harm to me. Everyday day or two i see a small car rearended by a large truck or suv.

If someone is going to go out of there way to do this to me they are threating me, and driving in a manor that risks doing bodily harm and or killing me, I belive i have a Right to defend my body from damage from others. To me someone tailgatting me iis like someone swinging a baseball bat around my head, one of the times they will hit me and hurt me with it. Same goes for there drivers on the road I know for a fact they can't stop as fast as i can. So they will rear end me if i ever have to stop to avoid something. I belive cops need to be giving out tickets to these people like as in a $500 fine for reckless driving with carless intent to do harm to others, with the second offence is automattic loss of there car and drivers licence. This may seem tuff, but go around and talk to people who are unable to walk or work because of a tailgatter.

Octavia, when will we hear part II?

When she gets a 'hands free' Internet terminal and wireless router installed in her Prius. <GRINS>

Of course it won't do much good to read a long stream of ...

"YEAAAA YEAAAAAA YEAAAAAAAAAAA"

Four months and my my face is still hurtin' from the smiles ... and I'm the dour engineer!

Bob Wilson

Thanks! I don't currently write for a living although the thought has crossed my mind a time or two.

Ummmm.....I'm doing research in the field. Bob nailed it.... Today I'll be getting gas for the first time. All I can manage to write is YEAH BABY!! First tank of gas and I'm at 51.9 mpg!!!

You mean to tell me there is a group of people that actually have more fun with these cars than engineers? C'mon now...

Exactly, which means you are in control. If in a few years you decide you would like a new car, brace yourself hard back against the seat and hit the brakes. You don't even have to have a reason for slamming on the brakes. If they rear end you it's their fault.

Honestly, I live in fear of people like that, you know the ones that "slip" in a grocery store and look for a free ride for life. It's because of these people that I can't afford insurance for my airplane anymore, and because of that nobody get's rides anymore either. Who get's hurt? All of the normal people do, only the thieves profit. Use to be kids hung around at airports and helped wash airplanes and got rides in exchange, not anymore

I was washing my Cherokee 140 on Sunday afternoon and a young mother and three kids were there looking at the airplanes. I let them come over and sponge the wing and wash off the soap. Then it was time to do a pattern to 'dry it off.' So I asked their mother if they'd like a ride and she said, "Sure."

So I loaded up the three kids (a four seat plane) and had them fastened in. They were just tickled as I taxied to the run-up area and did the engine checks ... but then they got a little quiet.

I cleared the pattern, pulled onto the runway, full power and just as I was committed ... AAAAAGHHHHHGGGGAAAHHH!!! and screams! ... All the way up, around a short pattern and it didn't stop until I pulled off the runway. ....

Then like a switch was thrown, the kids were all happy, giggles, and quite pleased with themselves. I taxied to where I'd picked them up, opened the door and was never so happy as when the last one was out. Fortunately, no 'accidents' on the seats.

That was the last time I took 'kids' for an airplane ride. ... Then there was the time I took another couple up and just after application of takeoff power, turned my head to them and in a momentary point of madness yelled, "WHEEEEEEE!!!" ... Pilots are not supposed to play tricks on their passengers ... ever.

Bob Wilson

Do you have to be in a Prius or hypermiling to get tailgated?

Could it just be the end of common courtsey where people are thoughtless at best and road raging at worst? Seems like more people just don't know how to behave - Rep Joe Wilson, Serena Williams, Kayne West

As for me, I will continue to hypermile while making it easy for those who choose to pass to do so....if they get upset it's their issue.