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OMG. There are only so many ways I can describe today's drive, but most of them don't involve "family friendly" language. So I'll just get right down to the facts:
-Scorching hot weather (in a black car): Check
-One girlfriend, "I'm melting!": Check
-One screaming cat: Check
-Ten thousand psychotic eastern New England drivers, the likes of which I haven't seen in a very long time: Check
-198 miserable miles on I-95: Check
-Voices in my head telling me to "tuck and roll, this isn't worth it": Check

Long story short, I drove all the way from Rhode Island to Maine with the A/C on 80% of the time, a cat screaming in my ear (she's woke up on the waaay wrong side of the bed this morning), being cut off, tailgated, flipped off, and once honked at because I was only going 60 in the 55 zone. After 40 miles I was literally one exit away from turning the car around and giving up so that I could go hide. Oddly, the one thing that brought me out of disaster mode was focussing on FE (albeit after one full-throttle terminal velocity freakout just to get away). XM Classics was a big help, too.

Came out to 40.4mpg, which is just fine with me considering the circumstances. I'll be fine as long as I never, ever have a drive like that again.

That's excellent FE given the conditions! Any time you're frustrated with the heat though, just remember: At least you're not in Phoenix.

Shaded white stucko - roughly the outside air temp.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_9290.JPG

Sunny white concrete sidewalk. Painfully hot.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_9291.JPG

Road temperature high enough to give third degree burns.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_9292.JPG

The way I tell if it is hot in Phoenix is if I leave foot prints in the pavement.....Louis

Now, that's an excellent point! I'll bet you guys would feel the high 80s/low90s stuff that we're getting here as a nice break.

Yeah we'll see. I'm going to North Carolina in two weeks where it's supposed to be 85 or so, but of course much more humid. The average daytime humidity here runs about 10%. It is a desert, after all.

I think I did that run too a couple weeks ago and yes I still feel the pain.

Heavy traffic, check
Hot day, check
Spouse and daughter insisting on the a/c, check

I only went 15-20 miles that way but it felt like 200. Husband made choking noises when he saw me try sneak the temp up to 70 from 65. No use anyway. Autostop wouldn't come on anymore, so FE plunged some more at every red light. Battery level going down to 2(!) bars. Constant forced regen the last 10 miles. Final FE back at home was like 24mpg. I was ready to take the poor thing behind the garage and shoot it. Hopefully I made up for it after.

That I-95 during the Summer can be a real piece of work. It sounds like you had it bad enough, but can you imagine it on a Friday afternoon??? OMG!:eek: Have they finally gotten EZ-Pass installed at the New Hampshire Toll? (For those who don't know, picture the biggest East Coast interstate highway going from FL to the top of ME. Now picture it with a toll plaza between Boston and the beach communities up in Vacationland Maine. Summer Fridays it would become a huge parking lot! There were times when I really began to question the New Hampshire state motto of Live Free or Die! while stuck in that mess.)

Oh, the Hampton Tolls. For years my family has made a sport out of finding the crappiest, saddest dollar bills to give them in the summer. However they did finally install the EZ-Pass readers. But here's the part I don't understand: The EZ-Pass only lanes are in the very center of the plaza, where the biggest backups always tend to be. If you choose those lanes on a bad day you will just end up sitting right smack in the middle of the same jam as everybody else, saving little to no time or fuel. Fortunately I think you can still sneak around on the right and use your transponder in a normal lane...will have to check it out on my return trip tomorrow.

Terrible toll, though. I can remember sitting in the family car for miles and miles because of the backup that toll causes on a high traffic day. The backups on the Maine Turnpike were almost as bad before they widened it to three lanes. 5 hours from the Boston area to Portland? Been there, done that, didn't like it!

sure sounds like the bad days are being shared equally lately. one thing i found with having to run the AC is that i got enough cool air with the dial set almost to 82 to keep me comfortable. i don't know how it would be with a passenger along.

i am taking my first road trip with someone else in the car next weekend when i drive 200 miles to a horse show in southern minnesota. lord help me, i hope the weather breaks before then. i don't think i've driven with anyone else more than half a dozen times since i bought the car, and never for a long trip.

sure sounds like the bad days are being shared equally lately. one thing i found with having to run the AC is that i got enough cool air with the dial set almost to 82 to keep me comfortable. i don't know how it would be with a passenger along.

i am taking my first road trip with someone else in the car next weekend when i drive 200 miles to a horse show in southern minnesota. lord help me, i hope the weather breaks before then. i don't think i've driven with anyone else more than half a dozen times since i bought the car, and never for a long trip.

Hi Laurie,

I set my temp on 78Deg. & lately with the ever increasing temps out side, have adjusted the temp control to 80 Deg. As you pointed out I was still cool enough and the Auto-Stop still works at lights. :D

I like the Auto-Stop on the 2006 HCH II that has the (Electric A/C Compressor) as well as the Belt Driven A/C Compressor that gets the temp, down Quick.

Say I think now that it is like 95-97 Deg. outside I remember why I Ordered the Alabaster Silver Metallic Color on the outside of the car. Cooler inside Quicker. :cool:

Terry