Posted: Thursday, 15 May 2008 5:10AM
5/15 Life In The S-L-O-W Lane
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So today begins my second full day on "Operation 60 MPH". I'd read a number of articles that said driving no faster than 60 on a four-lane highway would optimize your gas mileage (apparently once one drives faster than 60, the wind resistance dramatically cuts down the efficiency of your vehicle's engine, and thus you take a bath on the mileage.), so I decided that I'd give it a go for one entire tank. I filled up Monday afternoon, and ever since, I've been setting the cruise at 60 while on the 53 Bypass, highway 29 and I-94 and any other highway where I used to set the cruise about 10 miles per hour faster.
So what's it been like? Well, at first it seemed like I was just crawling along. Seriously. I think I travel faster when I'm out hiking with Kramer and Chance. But after that initial shock, it's not been all that bad. I just hug the right lane, so as not to impede anyone else. Of course, you do see THIS a lot...
That's one of just two dozen or so folks who passed me on the way home yesterday afternoon. I was going to take a picture of the old guy who passed me on the Rascal Scooter, but he blew past me too fast. Of course, traffic on the bypass at 1:30 in the afternoon isn't too heavy, so I haven't felt too slow just yet. And it WAS kind of nice, when approaching the Altoona Police cruiser in the median near River Prarie Drive, to realize I was going UNDER the speed limit, not over it, for once.
You do, though, also get used to THIS view...
Yes, that's ANOTHER fellow Chippewa Valley motorist leaving me in the dust. But according to the articles I've read, driving 60 might give me another 4 to 6 miles per gallon. And with gas nearing the $4/gallon mark, what the heck. Keep watching this space for further updates. We now return you to regular programming... |
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