Just another average sunset in paradise!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Pedal to the Metal

For some reason, unknown at the time, when I left my brother's house in Bakersfield I wanted to cover some miles.  And I did!  Dod purred along at 65 and 70 mph with no problems whatsoever.  I was on the I-5 heading north for Oregon.  It is just a freeway through farming country with really nothing to look at except for  billboards and fields and farms.  I had decided early on that I would fill Dod's gas tank every 200 miles to be sure I didn't run short on fuel (his gas gauge doesn't work all the time).

After the first 200 miles I filled the tank and did the calculations to determine the mpg I was getting.  Yikes!  I only got 7.4 mpg on that stretch.  I immediately thought about my budget and how far I could realistically travel averaging 7.4 mpg.  Then the light bulb above my head flashed on!  How much better would my gas mileage be if I drove a little slower?  (Duh!) What was my hurry anyway?  I have nothing to do and the rest of my life to accomplish it!

The next 200 miles I tried to stay around 55 mph with the occasional 60 mph to pass a truck or another RV.  My mileage improved to 9.5 mpg.  What a relief!  As I traveled north, the scenery improved and it was much easier to take it slow and easy.

Mt. Shasta from Highway 97 in Northern California

With scenery like this to inspire me, I averaged 50-55 mpg on the third leg of my journey and achieved my ultimate goal of just over 10 mpg!
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7 comments:

  1. Erik's RV Blog July 6, 2011 at 6:35 AM

    Good to hear you're taking it slow and easy and enjoying the trip. Our 36ft monster with a V10 has seen a best of 9mpg running her at 55 but we typically average about 7.5 to 8 running at 60. Since there are so many hills whatever good mpg I get is washed out by having to climb hills, ahhh well we knew this when we bought her!

    Have a great trip!

    Erik

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  2. BobJuly 6, 2011 at 7:05 AM

    Just remind yourself of the difference between a sail boat and a power boat (or, "Sink-pot", as I've heard said) The power boaters are in a hurry to get "where the fun is", whereas the sail boaters are having a fine time just making the boat go.
    You're in no hurry. Hell, you could stop and take a two hour nap.... every two hours.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 6, 2011 at 7:16 AM

    It's not always easy to go 55, but it gets easier and it's definitely worth it (financailly, mentally and scenically! yes, I often make up words as I go...)

    Cyndi & Stumpy @ RVly Ever After

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  4. GaelynJuly 6, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    I figured 10mpg was good with my old F250 towing. Don't know what the newer F350 will get. I was raised a "55 alive" driver and am comfortable with that. Let the others pass and I'll enjoy the views along the way.

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  5. pidgeJuly 6, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    Glad that slower pace will save you some money on your gas bill. We always try to stay around 60mph when pulling the rig. It really does make a big difference. Stay safe... Beautiful header..

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  6. Kenny And Angela's AdventureJuly 6, 2011 at 1:23 PM

    I got 8 to 9 mpg this past week on our 300 mile around trip doing 55-60. Like the header picture. Slow and easy wins the race.

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  7. Donna KJuly 6, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Great picture of Shasta. Dod seems to be doing good for you - that 10 mpg sounds pretty good.

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