Month of March 2022 (Nat'l Avg $3.619)

A very ice finish regardless of conditions, though likely not the best conditions possible so an even better accomplishment. Well done!

 

Oh, Boy! Time to waste gasoline……..

 

Hey, hey, hey! Ya ken’t do that! Washington state has the highest gas prices…..’cept fer Cally-four-NIA. Couple weeks ago, I paid $3.999 a gallon. Then, I seen gas prices go to $4.39, so I stopped drivin’. But later, I saw one place in western Washington had the lowest price of any other place in Washington state AND EVEN BEAT I-DEE-HOE, which would be saying sumpun, ‘cept I-DEE-HOE ain’t no place ya ken call sumpun. Wasn’t a deal, but at $3.959, I bot sum, that didn’t sum up too bad, ya no.

 

16.7 miles, fcd = 72.2 x .943 = 68.1 MPG.

I'll take it.

 

Best thing to understand from my post…..the higher the gas price, the less I drive. I love your high M/kWhrs.
I used to bicycle about like you, except I never understood that top gear wasn’t the most efficient gear & I didn’t ever carry enough water.

 

You were not alone in your misunderstandings. Most novice cyclists make the very same two mistakes.

 

Today , 56 deg F in Naperville , 48 in Elk Grove.
Wind SSW8 ( nice ! )
33.2 miles , fcd = 66.2 x .943 = 62.4 MPG.

When gas prices go up..... well , I still need to drive to work.

 

Oh, yeah! Another advantage of retirement……most of my driving is for my fun. When the gas prices go up, my fun goes down. In my income bracket, it really affects my driving miles. When gas prices go up, lots of people who drive less or then buy higher MPG vehicles, HELP to bring gas prices back down.

 

Shhhh…… we won’t tell anyone you’re getting free electricity…….

Hey, did someone say free? No, someone said FREE. Yabba Daba Doooooo! Shhhh…..just yab dab do…..

 

Today , 51 deg F in Naperville , 48 in Elk Grove.
Roads wet and sticky , used the wipers.
33.3 miles , fcd = 61.3 x .943 = 57.8 MPG

 

Today 41 deg F in Naperville and Elk Grove.
Wet roads for the last 48 hours.
33.3 miles , fcd = 60.5 x .943 = 57.0 MPG.
Looking forward to scenic drive home tonight
with ( hopefully ) 62+ MPG.

 

Hyundai Accent took me for a short drive(the gas prices, ya know), stopping at the Wildlife area. Lucky binocular was with me & sure enough, Lucky got lucky:
Lots of winter downfall. Sometimes when trees and branches fall, I’ll see individual branches which stick in the ground. Sometimes they’re almost vertical and they are like spears. But then I saw something I have never seen. A really rotten tree had fallen. The impact had busted the main trunk completely to pieces. One of the larger branches had not only broken off the tree, but itself, had broken in multiple places. But some of that branch itself never made it to the ground. Two small broken branches, that were on the same side of that larger broken branch, had speared the ground & just like legs on a park bench, held the larger branch above the ground. I went over and sat on the branch, as if it was a “real” park bench…..because it was…..a Godmade park bench.
Walking to the lake, Lucky showed 5 cormorants & I stirred up a Bald Eagle which flew away between the trees. Walked over to one of the main sloughs & Lucky binocular really earned her name. At 15power, Lucky showed a Blue Heron 200 yards away, standing on a partial beaver dam. I heard some other birds flying past, but I kept Lucky on the Heron. It didn’t matter. The birds flew into the line of sight of Lucky, flared and landed in front of the Heron. They were Hooded Merganzers. Swinging Lucky a bit right, I saw a cormorant with a big fish in its mouth. The cormorant struggled & couldn’t get the fish down. After 10 minutes, the Heron walked into the FOV & asked the cormorant if he needed help with the fish. The cormorant nodded “No help needed” and finally swallowed the fish. I heard more birds flying past, but again kept Lucky on the Blue Heron & cormorant. It didn’t matter again. The passing birds flew into the FOV and landed in front of the BH and cormorant. They were Wood Ducks.
Following the slough further & Lucky showed 2 Canadian Geese and some more Wood Duck.
So Lucky continues with luck and I & her saw interactions I’ve never seen before.

 

Today , 39 deg F in Naperville , 38 in Elk Grove.
Wind W7 at the halfway point ( Lombard ).
33.3 miles , fcd = 60.9*.943 = 57.4 MPG.

 

Accent took me to the Wildlife area again. Took the Tasco zoom binoculars this time & Lucky stayed home. But, Lucky wished the Tasco & me luck…..& again we had luck……& again later, I sat on the Godmade bench…..but this time for an hour. With the Tasco binoculars the hour passed quickly as I looked at this & I looked at that. Yes, the Godmade bench is a little high to sit on, but God had thought of that, too. Another branch had come down with the Godmade bench…..& provided a footrest, so my legs didn’t have to dangle for an hour. I guess I could have found a footrest……but I didn’t need to.
Now, I had said that Lucky binocular wished us luck, & she really meant it.
Earlier, before I sat on the Godmade bench, I saw a Red-shafted Flicker which flew away. Then I saw a robin & the Tasco gave an excellent view. & as I moved slowly forward, the robin moved forward. Then I saw another bird ahead of the robin that I was looking at with the binoculars. Still watching the robin, the robin meandered towards the other bird. Lifting the binocular view, I got the other bird in the FOV of the robin…..it was the Red-Shafted Flicker. He & the robin were looking at each other, while both picked at food possibilities on the ground. Finally, both birds were within a foot of each other. In the same view, the Flicker towered over the robin. The Flicker has a sharper bill, that is twice as long as the robin’s, & this Flicker had a very very sharp, very very black bill. The Flicker made one dart towards the robin & the robin took off & away. The Tasco binoculars showed the true beauty of the Flicker. It looked like the Flicker had had a custom paint job!!! The black spots & dashes were immaculately patterned on brown feathering. Not a lover of the colors brown or gray, this Flicker looked like it was dressed in a King’s wardrobe. The head & neck blending down onto the chest was an overall gray of the richest & most even tapestry. The adorning red, brown & black spots & markings had been applied with the highest precision with no imperfection anywhere. The underwing red loveliness, I never saw. Every time he moved his wings, I wasn’t watching with the binoculars. But, he was a truly, truly remarkable specimen of Flickers.
Eventually he become bored with the unremarkably colored human being & flew away.
Over on the slough, I saw some Ring-necked ducks, Mallards, Hooded Meganzers & Cormorants, all very quiet, till my thumping-arounds made them start to drift away on the waters.
After my sit down on the bench, Accent carried me home.

 

Today 32 deg F in Lombard , 33 in Elk Grove.
Snow on the car, wet roads. Wind WNW14.
16.3 miles , fcd = 61.5 x .943 = 57.8 MPG