Enjoying the company of others
Jennie Chen -
CleanMPG - Nov. 27, 2008
Justin, Crisper, HCH-II, Wayne and Tilley.
Road weary travelers receive some relief
Day 6 found the CleanMPG team at the cottage home of Jeanette Faure in Fultonville, NY. The bedraggled team’s 3:30 am arrival after almost 3,500 miles of continuous driving proved to be just what the doctor ordered.
Jeanette Faure is a close friend of Jennie Chen. They met at a National Specialty Dog Show in Louisville, KY in 2004. Over the years, Jennie had grown close to Jeanette and her late husband, Bill, through serving on various dog performance event committees and through shared training experiences. In addition to Jeanette, our other hosts included Tillie, a 10 year old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Krisper, a 5 year old Golden Retriever. Luckily, Jeanette’s home was located just 2.8 miles off our NY area route.
After awaking from the much needed slumber, the CleanMPG team started laundry and took Jeanette out to breakfast. As we began preparation for the next leg of our journey, Jeanette entertained us with stories about the history of the town. The CleanMPG team then entertained the dogs with running in the snow and playing fetch. To send us on our way, Jeanette provided us with homemade sandwiches and coffee cake. The team was grateful for the much needed hospitality and accommodations.
After leaving the friendly confines of Fultonville, NY, the next leg of our journey had us heading towards Vermont. Traffic conditions on this pre-Thanksgiving eve were not as hospitable as we would have hoped. One lane state routes were packed with travelers, and at one point, the team traveled a total of two miles in 25-minutes
Once through the gridlock, we learned a few things about the HCH-II. She’ll climb like a billy goat while holding 40 plus mpg’s on many Interstate ascents but crawling up local and state routes with up to 7% grades, ouch. During the steepest of climbs, the HCH-II was barely able to achieve a maximum of 25 miles per gallon. Additionally, the state route descents were sometimes so steep and curvy that maximum speed limits were attained almost instantly with the ensuing regen filling the pack shortly afterwards. This did not allow a long enough fuel-saving glides to balance out the increased fuel used during the previous climb(s).
Among the many obstacles faced by the CleanMPG team, capturing pictures of state line welcome signs proved to be the most challenging. Usually, state line welcome signs are large, decorated, and colorful. However, while crossing a small but busy bridge into Maine, there was no such sign visible. Wayne finally spotted a small green sign that proclaimed the Maine state line on the opposite side of the street. After stopping the car, Jennie and Justin crossed the bridge by foot in order to snap photographs and record videos.
Shoeless encounter in Boston
While beginning the eastern seaboard leg of the drive, we were to hook up with both Jesse and Hobbit just south of Boston, MA. The quick, late night meet and greet was Jennie’s first encounter with our “Hobbit.” And the first thing she noticed of course was his lack of shoes
Even in 30 degree temps! After an hour of discussions on topics ranging from food to Hybrid automobiles, it was time to say goodbye while heading toward the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border.
Friends in Boston
Next edition tomorrow.
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