{"id":623,"date":"2011-08-03T02:31:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-03T02:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/08\/road-trip-ii-2011-technology-can-make-those-long-drives-interesting.html"},"modified":"2011-08-03T02:31:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T02:31:00","slug":"road-trip-ii-2011-technology-can-make-those-long-drives-interesting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/08\/road-trip-ii-2011-technology-can-make-those-long-drives-interesting.html","title":{"rendered":"Road Trip II 2011: Technology Can Make Those Long Drives Interesting!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a geeky obsession.<\/p>\n

“Say it ain’t so Major Mom!”<\/p>\n

We have a 2006 Toyota Prius, which we absolutely LOVE!  Sometimes Dave and I wish we had a Mustang instead for the coolness factor, but the practical side of us really appreciates having this car!  All the techno-gadgetry is a Geek Dream come true!<\/p>\n

Last week I drove from the Florida panhandle up to Long Island to pick up the kids from their grandparents’ house, where they had spent the 2nd half of July.  This meant two days of driving all. by. myself.  I actually welcomed this, it was a beautiful drive — particularly among the pecan farms of eastern Alabama, and I had minimal traffic and weather problems.  I was well rested, and made sure to eat healthy foods on the road so I didn’t have food comas or tummy troubles on the drive.<\/p>\n

I try to keep my brain engaged on my drives, and with the Prius I had not one but two mental exercises that kept those dull kudzu-covered<\/a> stretches of I-85 tolerable.<\/p>\n

Activity #1: Guess What Time I’ll Arrive<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Garmin GPSes feature a definitive arrival time.  Ten points to anyone who can guess where this is!!!!  Oh wait, the name of the city is written right there on the screen…never mind!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I have a Garmin StreetPilot c340 GPS<\/a>, circa 2006, I guess.  It’s older, but it still works.  We updated the maps in 2008 but haven’t done it since.  Unlike our Honda Pilot’s built-in GPS system which tells us how many hours\/minutes until our arrival (independent of what time it is), our Garmin presents in the lower left corner the calculated arrival time.  This is great because I can pass along this information to friends and family when I’m getting near my destination.<\/p>\n

That anticipated arrival time isn’t very accurate when you pull out of your driveway at 7am with an 11-hour drive ahead.  Last Wednesday I decided to try to arrive at my sister’s in North Carolina as close to the arrival time shown as of 6:15am Central Time.  The arrival time shown when I pulled out of my driveway: 6:08pm Eastern Time.<\/p>\n

Equipped with two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sodas, water, fruit and nuts, I only had to stop for gas and bathroom breaks, and didn’t even feel the need to buy any food on the road.  I only needed to put gas in the car every 300-350 miles, so I attempted to stop every 150 miles or so just to keep the blood circulating.  Every other stop was a gas stop.<\/p>\n

When I stopped — whether for gas, a restroom break or even at a traffic light in some of the small towns I drove through — I’d see that arrival time tick upwards and I’d get frustrated.  When I’d cruise on the interstates at 5-7mph over the speed limit, I’d happily see the minutes peel off the arrival time…about 5-6 minutes per hour.<\/p>\n

I arrived at my sister’s house at 6:13pm Eastern Time, 5 minutes later than the GPS predicted I would. <\/p>\n

Once the kids were in the car with me for the return trip, there was no way I could play such a game.  But on Day 1 it was fun and kept my brain engaged!<\/p>\n

Activity #2: Maximize the Mileage<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This is why it’s wonderful to own a Toyota Prius!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Having a Prius means having that nifty screen in the center of the dashboard that can continuously update your mileage.  It’s admittedly quite a distraction when you first get the car, but now I’ve learned to tune it out and pay attention to the road.  On this trip, however, I was greeted with incredible mileages and it made me return my attention to the console.  And it became somewhat of a challenge for me — how high can I get this mileage???<\/p>\n

I wrote about this a little bit last week.<\/a>  This picture was taken at a rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike on Day 2 of the trip. The previous day only averaged about 45-48mpg, so I was particularly surprised at this.  I’d NEVER seen the mileage this good in all the 5 1\/2 years we’d owned this car.  With a Prius, the braking action returns energy to the battery.  On I-95, the New Jersey Turnpike and in New York, there was plenty of braking as the traffic was very tight, but moving quickly.  This means more battery use, less gas use.<\/p>\n

It turned out my route between Washington, D.C. and my destination on Long Island provided the ideal conditions for maximizing the Prius’s mileage: not too fast, not that much terrain, and plenty of soft braking action, which is more fuel efficient than hard braking\/stopping, such as at traffic lights. <\/p>\n

There were off and on rain showers, which isn’t as great on the mileage because the windshield wipers and headlights were on…those accessories compete with the engine for battery energy.<\/p>\n

However, the temperatures weren’t that high for most of the route, and this meant little-to-no air conditioning.  Also good for the mileage!<\/p>\n

If you are a hybrid vehicle owner and would like to learn more about how to maximize the mileage, check out this list of tips.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now we’re all home again safely, with no more travel for a few weeks.  There’s another trip coming up, but it’s just a quick weekend jaunt up to Atlanta for some sightseeing with the kids…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a geeky obsession. “Say it ain’t so Major Mom!” We have a 2006 Toyota Prius, which we absolutely LOVE!  Sometimes Dave and I wish we had a Mustang instead for the coolness factor, but the practical side of us really appreciates having this car!  All the techno-gadgetry is a Geek Dream come true! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[],"tags":[83,163,37],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ycQ0-a3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":594,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/06\/road-trip-2011-the-numbers-are-in.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":0},"title":"Road Trip 2011: The Numbers Are In…","date":"29 June 11","format":false,"excerpt":"We had our truck about 14 months before learning about the \"Average Fuel\" setting that ties to the trip odometer.Yep...that's the total number of miles driven on our two-week road trip in the lower right. \u00a0And, as an added bonus, we have the average mileage. \u00a0That'll come in handy for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"geek\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-AxwvKogZvro\/TgvoVdlPFAI\/AAAAAAABW-k\/ziqdtoemNxE\/s640\/IMG_5231.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":557,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/05\/mothers-day-geek-style.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":1},"title":"Mother’s Day…Geek Style!","date":"07 May 11","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy Mother's Day everyone! \u00a0Yes a little early, but I have a fun-filled weekend planned so I don't know when I'll write again.Dave did really well this Mother's Day!Okay, so he booked his annual trip to visit his model railroading\/railfanning friends in Maryland and Pennsylvania for this weekend. \u00a0And that's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"family\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-pH6s84jpOf4\/TcSimNYrEvI\/AAAAAAABVdc\/mSYD_gQt9_M\/s400\/PatriciaGeekMomShirt.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":601,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/07\/road-trip-2011-thoughts-on-kudzu.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":2},"title":"Road Trip 2011: Thoughts on Kudzu","date":"02 July 11","format":false,"excerpt":"This is what much of my drive up I-59 and I-81 looked like last month.If you're unfamiliar with the southeastern U.S., you might have never seen this. \u00a0Having lived in North Carolina for 3 years, there were areas where we came to expect it.So...what is kudzu? \u00a0You can read the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"gardening\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saidthegramophone.com\/images\/kudzu1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":717,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2012\/03\/spring-break-road-trip-2012-part-2-north-carolina.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":3},"title":"Spring Break Road Trip 2012, Part 2: North Carolina","date":"22 March 12","format":false,"excerpt":"This picture was taken minutes before we headed to our truck and started our drive home.After hooking up the lawn mower to our truck in WV, we headed back down I-81 and U.S. 29 towards my sister's house in central North Carolina. \u00a0I blew through her place -- stopping overnight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"family\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--R7f-huTBrM\/T2NJPRkDW7I\/AAAAAAABfsM\/4x83lhJGRqY\/s640\/IMG_1789.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1120,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2012\/06\/road-trip-2012-ii-part-1-driving-north-and-a-train-day.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":4},"title":"Road Trip 2012 II, Part 1: Driving North and a Train Day","date":"20 June 12","format":false,"excerpt":"As I've mentioned in 2008, 2009, and 2011, our family makes a trip to Pennsylvania every year for Dave's family reunion in Lancaster County. \u00a0I didn't go in 2010 -- Dave flew to PA with the boys while I did some reserve work -- so I didn't write about it.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"family\"","img":{"alt_text":"We took a detour on the drive northward and took some of Skyline Drive in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/IMG_2290-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":629,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/08\/road-trip-iii-2011-atlantas-the-varsity-drive-in.html","url_meta":{"origin":623,"position":5},"title":"Road Trip III 2011: Atlanta’s The Varsity Drive-In","date":"14 August 11","format":false,"excerpt":"We took a long weekend and headed up to Atlanta. It's about a 5.5 hour drive with no stops, plus we have a time zone change. We had nice seats at a Sunday afternoon Atlanta Braves game, and we booked a hotel room at a Comfort Inn right next to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"cooking\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MCETj9y1JqI\/Tkc8a8lKXCI\/AAAAAAABZRI\/4nd9bMe12w8\/s400\/IMG_9279.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}