OLYMPUS E-PL1 PROJECT
... after dropping alison off at logan airport, i decided to make the drive home a bit of an experiment ... since i got my "new" impala i've been able to get 34-36 miles-per-gallon on long-distance trips, and i've always wondered if i could manage to do better ... this afternoon was the test ... "last gas on route 1" in west peabody to the bottom of the exit ramp in waterville ... like me, those of you who drove in the pre-radar olden days are probably thinking of this as a "less than two hours" run ... in these times, however, mature wisdom, economic realities, and, i suppose, even a bit of concern for the environment, all have brought a new challenge to that stretch of highway ...
... as you can see, i "averaged" 61.2 miles-per-hour, which included traffic, construction slow-downs, and four toll stops ... according to my gps unit, other'n during these times the cruise control held the vehicle to exactly 64 miles-per-hour ... radio was blaring, fan spun at mid-speed (ugh, yes, that's a sacrifice on my part), and the air conditioner was set to keep the interior of cab quite comfortable despite outside temperatures which for most of the ride were in the low-80s ... alison surprised me by having the oil changed, so, contrary to my usual demands, the tires were inflated for "comfort" rather'n "less roll resistance" ... half-way back i began to think i might hit 36.7-36.9 mpgs, so when i passed through augusta i was stunned to realize that i was going to do better'n that ... not only did i achieve 37.3 mpgs, but the figure held all the way to when i parked the car downtown ...
... what does this all mean ... well, i'm sure it says something about the efficiency of a 3,764 lb. car powered by a 213 cubic inch 6-cylinder engine exerting its 211 horsepower through a 4-speed automatic transmission ... it might even be a comment about my driving skills, since the government epa figures, which tend to be a bit inflated, give the "official" highway mileage at 29 mpgs ... mostly, however, it's just a reflection of the world in which we're going to be living ... and, perhaps, grounds for another try ... 38 miles-per-gallon, perhaps ... hmmmmmmm, there's a "double-dog dare ya" if i've ever heard one ...
"NEW," TWO YEARS AGO
