Stupid Prius Tricks: Obtaining High Speed + High MPG in a hatchback

At first I interpreted DWL as "Darling Wife Load" , which I had already mentioned as being one of my handicaps in my post, but then I sought enlightenment in other threads where you mention DWL and found this pertinent discussion of LOD:

"You focus on the LOD when the ICE is running or pulsing.
LOD is more precise metric of FE than GPH or RPM or Kwh.

Try keeping the LOD between 70 to 80 if you can but don't worry to much if you can't do it initially."

I was considering putting DW on a rather strict diet to try to get her LOD down to between 70 or 80, but she was already chafing under so many nights camping during the trip--something about "hot water, showers, indoor plumbing", so I didn't press the LOD issue immediately and continued my attempts to comprehend your communication. I was relieved to find that DWL meant Driving With Load, and that LOD was referring to the ENGINE load rather than the avoirdupois of DW! What a relief, as obliquely referring to the topic of Weight Watchers was not proving popular in our household! <grins>

Seriously , I always drive referring to the HSI and trying to keep the indicator steady in the ECO part of the band rather than the PWR part of the band on up hills, and go to the zero regen, zero energy input spot on the lower part of the band whilst coasting. Due to tailwinds, high altitudes and high temps, I could hold 60 uphill on shallow upgrades while remaining in the ECO band, and the same factors allowed me to coast downhill at 70 with low or zero energy inputs. So probably I was doing a version of DWL. I have a Scangauge but monitor battery and water temps and GPH. Given your input I will change GPH to LOD for the next such session and check this information .
(Light traffic and non-aggressive trucks were key to being able to do this on that stretch of road.)

 

Agree!
Your point is well taken.
Except for the initial push to get to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alaska-Canada highway at the beginning and the push to get back to NoVa from Portland at the end, we make an deliberate effort to spend some days not driving at all, and an effort to get out and do some non-driving activity for a couple hours even on the days we must drive. We much prefer "rambling " cross-country on the blue highways rather than screaming across it on the interstates, but at the end we were so desperate to return home that we did the latter.

 

My grandfather lived in Kansas and I didn't know anyplace there was Liberal!
Wow the 10.5 and 12 hour days seem brutal to me (we only manage 8-9 max), but at least I hope you will have gentle, cooperative traffic!
Hey, some of those states may have non-RFG E0 gas, so maybe give it a whirl and see what your mpg does? However , some of those states also are selling E15 and I would be careful to avoid that!
Have fun!

 

Referencing Prius flaws:
I'm not a "car guy" but more of a problem solver, so I view the flaws of the Prius simply as problems to be solved.
To date I have successfully installed:
Higher driver and passenger's side armrests.
Sun visor side extensions.
Magnetic compass.
The Priuschat mud flaps.
Clear Bra strips on front.
Scangauge II above the steering wheel.
Tom Tom GPS on passenger's A window.
Full length carpet for rear with seats folded flat.
Mount for Bad Elf tracker GPS at rear view mirror.

I have failed to successfully devise and install a good, reliable clinometer with a +20 to -20 degree range so that I can tell the gradient I am currently driving at in the mountains.
So don't see the fuss, if it's broke or doesn't fit, fix it!

 

Well , the driving tour that I would like to do in the future would be to fly to Australia with the special tent and essential camping gear, rent a Prius at Sydney or Melbourne airports, and then circle the coast of Australia with some forays into the Outback. Australia is 80% of the size of the Lower 48, as Alaskans would say, so that drive would be quite a trek. However, We have consistently met the nicest people in Australia, and the scenery is grand, and the plants and animals are like nothing else on Earth (not kidding, there, and not hyperbole), so I think the effort would be well worth it.

Alternatively, driving to El Paso and then heading South through Mexico, Central America, and South America to the Tierra Del Fuego area at the southern tip of SA would also be interesting. BUT, the road is not complete through Panama and Columbia, and the bandit/shooting/hostage taking threat is quite real in certain areas and DW objects to that. Thus, that route is problematic especially as neither of us speaks Spanish. Flying a small STOL aircraft might thus be a better option than driving for that particular trip.