The Fireplug Has Landed...
Hey, greetings again!!!

(cue dramatic theme music...) The Fireplug Has Landed!!!

I find myself in sunny southwest Florida, a few miles north of Fort Myers...



A little slow with the camera, but this is our crossing over the Florida border...

A nice trip overall. Uneventful.



Sure feels good to stop, when you're finally there!! By the way, special thanks to The Doc, not just for all the bacon cheeseburgers and Egg McMuffins, but for a new Sony 12 megapixel camera that she gave me for my birthday... awfully nice. That shot above was using a special "low light portrait" setting... that's just the dome light shining on a small doggy... looks like a million bucks.

Alright, let's have the trip report:



Getting a little gas in Beloit.

Actual trip time was just about exactly 24 hours... which includes naps, breaks, stops at Harley Dealerships... the usual nonsense.

First, let us lambaste the State of Wisconsin, as usual, for having some of the most expensive gasoline in the country. Absurd. And clearly, our streets are not paved with gold... But I must say, this year, I did actually observe 2 stations higher than ours!!

1st prize has to go to a station in Metropolis Illinois, who was at $3.24. And 3 miles down the road, across the river, in Kentucky, many stations were spotted at $2.87. Ouch!! Wish I'd have waited a couple miles.... say what you want about Kentucky, they have cheap gas and cheap cigs, and god bless them for that....

2nd prize goes to a station outside Gainesville Florida, who was at $3.25. I know, that's higher, and you're wondering why they aren't in first place. I felt first place had to go to Metropolis IL, just for the sheer audacity and outrageousness of being a full 37 cents higher than a nearby place... and in defense of the
Gainesville place, this looked like a classy area, the Harley dealer and a luxury hotel are right there, so they know they gotcha....

3rd place is a Mobil station in Watertown Wisconsin, where I paid $3.21 Wednesday afternoon.... crazy.

Aside from that, the typical prices seen where $3.02-ish to $3.09-ish...

So be proud, Wisconsinites, you're being taxed until it hurts.... you can travel the country, and you pretty much have to turn over every rock to find a more expensive gallon of gas.... and at this moment, the illustrious governor is in his mansion, dreaming up ways to take more off of you....

Anyway, the actual trip statistics from the Driver Information Center, brought to you by GMC, And the GMC Envoy SLT, for those who want it more (or is it professional grade?? Hard to keep up...):

Miles: 1430.8
Drive time (time the truck was running): 19:54 and 20 seconds

Average MPG: 19.4 (a little disappointing for a smaller suv with a 6 cylinder)

Fuel Used: 73.7 gallons.

Average speed: Almost 72 miles per hour, which is huge. I'll tell you what, in Georgia and Florida, you can drive 80, and get passed like you're standing still... often.

That's enough for now... time for a dip in the pool....

Posted by Fireplug at 7:20 AM