There are two types of people in the world: those who wait until the car’s low fuel light has been on solidly for a few miles before getting gas, and those who fill up at half a tank. I’m firmly in the fuel light group.
Yesterday when I left work the miles to empty mode of my car’s trip computer read “138.” By the time I was home, some 24 miles later, it read “120.” I figured I could make another round trip to work at that rate.
This morning, however, I discovered that not all traffic is created equally. The stop-and-go build-up on I-35 clobbered my mileage. By the time I reached the parking garage the mileage to empty was a mere “76.” The contrast is amazing. The same trip, the same road, the same car, the same driver; two entirely different results. Yesterday afternoon I covered the 24 mile physical distance using only 18 miles of fuel. This morning I covered the same 24 mile distance using 44 miles of fuel.
Perhaps it really is uphill all the way to work.