billy
07-31-2006, 08:31 PM
Hi all, just returned yesterday from Hybridfest and beyond. The highlight was meeting so many great people! Many thanks to all; I felt welcomed and had a very nice time.
On Sunday 7-22-06 I left Madison early and drove to Oshkosh to watch the planes land for a few hours (I'm a pilot and used to go there annually). Then I continued my journey north to Duluth, Int Falls, then into Canada. I went through Kenora Ont, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Meadow Lake, Cold Lake, Ft St John, Ft Nelson, then turned south to Prince George, then down to Vancouver for a large car show! Over 70,000 people were at the show, and my Insight was in "display mode" and I was bombarded with MANY questions.
In Vancouver there are LOTS of Prius taxi cabs, and people generally seem pretty enviro conscious. I talked to quite a few Prius owners, and referred several of them to this web site for tips on fuel economy.
My 2005 Insight performed perfectly on the trip. Total miles: 4822 Gallons of gas used: 49.02 MPG: 98.36 No flat tires, no problems of any kind except head winds much of the way, which forced me to slow down to remain in lean-burn. Now it's time to change my oil: just 2.6 qts, amazing!
Northern Canada was beautiful, and at one point there were 2 mooses standing in the middle of the road. After taking a photo, I honked them so I could proceed. In Canada I was careful NOT to use gasoline containing methanol (wood alcohol) I was told that SHELL is one of the best brands. Oh yeah, I accidentally ran into one stretch of highway that was gravel for 40 miles. I slowed way down to protect the car from stone chips on the underbody, etc.
Downtown Vancouver was also beautiful. English bay (Burrard Inlet) was abuzz with commercial float planes landing and departing. They have scheduled routes to Victoria and Nanaimo and also tour flights. Then I drove the last 7 hours home. While crossing the border back into the US, the customs agent asked lots of question..............about the Insight! He was amazed at the technology!
On Sunday 7-22-06 I left Madison early and drove to Oshkosh to watch the planes land for a few hours (I'm a pilot and used to go there annually). Then I continued my journey north to Duluth, Int Falls, then into Canada. I went through Kenora Ont, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Meadow Lake, Cold Lake, Ft St John, Ft Nelson, then turned south to Prince George, then down to Vancouver for a large car show! Over 70,000 people were at the show, and my Insight was in "display mode" and I was bombarded with MANY questions.
In Vancouver there are LOTS of Prius taxi cabs, and people generally seem pretty enviro conscious. I talked to quite a few Prius owners, and referred several of them to this web site for tips on fuel economy.
My 2005 Insight performed perfectly on the trip. Total miles: 4822 Gallons of gas used: 49.02 MPG: 98.36 No flat tires, no problems of any kind except head winds much of the way, which forced me to slow down to remain in lean-burn. Now it's time to change my oil: just 2.6 qts, amazing!
Northern Canada was beautiful, and at one point there were 2 mooses standing in the middle of the road. After taking a photo, I honked them so I could proceed. In Canada I was careful NOT to use gasoline containing methanol (wood alcohol) I was told that SHELL is one of the best brands. Oh yeah, I accidentally ran into one stretch of highway that was gravel for 40 miles. I slowed way down to protect the car from stone chips on the underbody, etc.
Downtown Vancouver was also beautiful. English bay (Burrard Inlet) was abuzz with commercial float planes landing and departing. They have scheduled routes to Victoria and Nanaimo and also tour flights. Then I drove the last 7 hours home. While crossing the border back into the US, the customs agent asked lots of question..............about the Insight! He was amazed at the technology!