Road Trip

[Perd Hapley]

It's OK to use the gas you purchase for your own enjoyment.  It's just smart to use as little as practical.

Of course.  I'm just wondering if there is any hypocrisy in the situation for Mr. Riley. 

[Paddy]

As if big *expletive deleted*ss SUV's don't make 'multiple long distance pleasure trips'. 

I assure you, fistful, I have no altruistic motive for getting 40+mpg.  I'm only interested in saving money rather than blowing it out the tailpipe.  No 'hypocrisy' there. 

[Paddy]

Here's Reno (downtown is the cluster of buildings in the center) from partway up the road to Virginia City


Here's Mono Lake (east of the Sierra range) from the north. Note the lenticular clouds, indicating high winds aloft. That little island just to the right of center is called Negit.  80% of California's seagulls fly over the Sierra every year to build nests and hatch their young on Negit.  That's what the sign said.  I dunno what the other 20% do.  Probably collect welfare. 


This is Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite.  There are warnings not to go in the water upstream from a waterfall.  You can see how smokey it is due to the 'controlled burn'.


Here's a giant sequoia redwood tree.  This one may be close to 3000 years old.


And this crow let me walk up and take his photo


 

[Perd Hapley]

I assure you, fistful, I have no altruistic motive for getting 40+mpg.  I'm only interested in saving money rather than blowing it out the tailpipe.  No 'hypocrisy' there. 

OK, but what about your criticizing others for "wasting" gas by driving less fuel-efficient vehicles?  Aren't you also "wasting" gas by taking such long, unnecessary trips?  I think this is the second one you've told us about this year, and you've already spoken of taking another. 

[Paddy]

Everyone takes 'unnecessary' trips.  And we're riding with Osama when we do, because of portion of our gas money goes to Saudi Arabia, who in turn gives a portion of it to the Wahabi sect to recruit more terrorists.   Now, I'm doing my part to mitigate this by driving a fuel efficient vehicle.  I get 2-4 times better fuel economy than the big *expletive deleted*ss gas guzzlers.  IOW, they contribute to the problem of international terrorism twice to four times as much as me.

So you don't need to preach to me, after all, I'm the one with the social conscience.  Preach to the SUV drivers, the most egregious offenders. 

P.S. Not to mention the excess greenhouse gasses excreted by the BAGG and their significant contribution to global warming.

 
 

[K Frame]

Ah....

So it's levels of sin that are at issue here...

Is it my imagination, or is there a Smug Bank rolling in? 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Holy *expletive deleted*it, the smug storms are about to converge!  People are enjoying the smell of their own farts!

[Paddy]

Uh, the 40+mpg Echo is not even a hybrid.  It's simply a well engineered fuel efficient vehicle large enough to carry more than I need on any trip.   If I wanted 'smug', I'd have taken the Pious, instead. 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

[Perd Hapley]

So you don't need to preach to me, after all, I'm the one with the social conscience.  Preach to the SUV drivers, the most egregious offenders. 

I think you've preached to them enough.  How's the medicine taste?   

[Paddy]

I honestly do not understand the cartoons, dasmi.  I suspect you think they're really hip, but they are lost on me. I don't relate to the world through cartoons. And fistful, your post is elusive and cryptic.  Some sort of local Misery humor?  Maybe you both could speak English?

Apparently you guys are upset because I go on fun trips and get great mileage. You might as well get used to it, because it's the wave of the future.  Big *expletive deleted*ss Gas Guzzling SUV's are on their way out.  Some just haven't realized it yet.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I don't know if they are hip or not.  They are screenshots from a south park episode called Smug Alert.  If you feel like it, you can watch it here:
http://allsp.com/l.php?id=e141

Then you'll get the joke.

[Paddy]

OK.  I watched enough of it to get the point.  It's designed for a target market.  About 25% of all new car sales are gas guzzling big *expletive deleted*ss SUV's.  People buy these things for several reasons.  1) To keep their families safe in the event of collision. (Never mind the record rollover rates of these high center of gravity behemoths, and nevermind that no more than 2-4% of these things never go offroad). 2) To keep up with their neighbor who also has one. 3) To haul around a bunch of crap they think they need to take everywhere they go. 4) You give me the rest of the reasons, 'cause I don't understand the justification for getting only 12-14mpg when gas costs $3.40/gal (here, anyway).

So, the target market for this SouthPark episode owns big *expletive deleted*ss SUV's.  This cartoon helps justify that waste in the minds of the viewers, for commercial reasons.

It's a free country (sort of).  You keep buying gas and get 14mpg.  I buy gas and get 40+mpg.  Leave me alone and get the hell out of my way because I can't see over or around you, OK? 

[Boomhauer]

Well, I can actually tow what I need to with our Suburban. It is extremely comfortable. It doesn't have a high center of gravity (in fact it sits as low or possibly even lower than my old S-10 Blazer). It will eat a Prius for lunch in a crash.

We didn't buy it to keep up with neighbors who have one (we don't even have neighbors). We didn't buy it to go offroad. We bought it to tow stuff with and haul people and gear.

And we can actually pass other cars with it. Push that pedal to the floor and the 5.7 under the hood lets you know exactly what its purpose in life is.

And you can actually work on it without taking the front end apart.

You can have your Prius if you want it. Just stop hating my Suburban and my Silverado.
 

[Perd Hapley]

You've never heard the expression, "taste of your own medicine"?  And the "Misery" thing.  Isn't that the dozenth time you've used that old joke?  Is that still funny in California? 


For the record, I'm driving a Toyota Tacoma now, instead of the old GMC Sierra, and the wife drives a Buick Century.  And I bought gas for about 2.69 the other day.   

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I think the target audience for South Park is people who like to laugh.  I don't think they are trying to justify anything with that episode, merely making fun of smug hybrid drivers.  If you watch it till the end, you'll see.  
The real question is, why are we still taking about this?

[Balog]

Suv's are also very useful for people with lots of children, large pets, and especially both.

I'm planning on getting an older 4runner for my next vehicle. Of course it'll probably be a while before we can afford another but.....

[Paddy]

You can have your Prius if you want it. Just stop hating my Suburban and my Silverado.

You got a deal. 

The real question is, why are we still taking about this?

Exactly.

And I bought gas for about 2.69 the other day.

Yeah, but the crime rate in St Louis is about 1000% higher than SLO County, CA.  I'll gladly pay the premium to live here.   

Peace, y'all.  I don't wanna fight.  I just wanted to share my trip and photos with ya.

[Perd Hapley]

A.  I bought the gas more than an hour from Saint Louis, where the gas was cheaper (by about ten cents?) and the crime rate, presumably, is much lower.  Went to visit my folks. 

B.  I don't live in Saint Louis, but in the surrounding area.  The "St. Louis crime rate" is known to be exaggerated, due to certain differences in municipal/county governance between it and other cities. 

[crt360]

Riley, thanks for sharing your trip.  Nice photos.  I need to take off a few days and do something like that. 

[Creeping Incrementalism]

I get 2-4 times better fuel economy than the big *expletive deleted*ss gas guzzlers.  IOW, they contribute to the problem of international terrorism twice to four times as much as me.

P.S. Not to mention the excess greenhouse gasses excreted by the BAGG and their significant contribution to global warming.

Even if he doesn't drive a Prius, still seems pretty smug to me.  Then there's the question of how his efficiency-low carbon quotient compares to someone who owns an SUV yet takes road trips of 1/4 the length.  Or those guys who bicycle over the Sierras.

[Typhoon]

Hey Riley -

Obviously Tioga Pass was open when you went through.  Since California has been in a drought condition, I'm assuming that's why Tioga was still open - no snow.

I thought Tioga typically closed around October.  Or is my information incorrect/outdated?

I've wanted to get to Yosemite through the Eastern Sierra for a while now...

Great pictures.

[Brad Johnson]

Isn't Mono Lake where they have all the wierd salt and mineral formations?

Brad

[Paddy]

Yes.  I didn't get a photo of them; they're called 'tufa' or something like that.  The lake is extremely alkaline with salt/calcium deposits all over the shores.

[Balog]

You know, I probably dislike Riley more than anyone else on this board, but I agree with him %100. There are enough threads on here for bitching and name calling; let's just enjoy the nice pictures, ok?

You can have your Prius if you want it. Just stop hating my Suburban and my Silverado.

You got a deal. 

The real question is, why are we still taking about this?

Exactly.

And I bought gas for about 2.69 the other day.

Yeah, but the crime rate in St Louis is about 1000% higher than SLO County, CA.  I'll gladly pay the premium to live here.   

Peace, y'all.  I don't wanna fight.  I just wanted to share my trip and photos with ya.