The Cost of Speed

One of the fastest cars at the Autumn Classic Car Races at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant last weekend was this orange coloured McLaren. At the moment seen in the photo it was probably going around 150 miles per hour, perhaps a little less having left the pit straight and beginning to set up for a series of corners just up ahead. It might be a fun car to own, but then I got thinking about his fuel consumption...

Driving the 280 kms to Mont Tremblant I had left later than expected and consequently pushed it a bit more than usual, averaging roughly 90 kph along mostly multilane highways. I was a bit shocked to notice my gas consumption was high, 12.6 liters per hundred kilometers (lphk) in fact. Without a tow, my car averages just over 9 lphk at that speed, so towing Big Trill was making a big difference. Or did it...?

On the drive home, there was no rush, so I backed off the throttle and lowered my average speed to around 80 kph. By the time I passed through Montreal I noticed consumption was running around 8.6 lphk, a drop of 4 lphk! The cost of going just 10 kph faster was dramatic!

The road from Montreal to home heads gradually up a series of long hills, so consumption increased again,  giving me an over all figure of 9.4 lphk for the trip home. Still a healthy drop from the outward trip of over 3 lphk. While that might seem much, over a longer trip, the savings can add up when a liter of gas can cost $1.40 and sometimes more. There is definitely a cost to speed! I think I'll cancel the McLaren purchase...

Trilling Races!

Big Trill and I headed off to Mont Tremblant this past weekend to see some vintage car racing amidst the coloured splendors of a Quebec autumn. We were joined by a 1973 Winnebago 'Brave' motorhome for the event. While we parked at a local campground at night, we used the 'Brave' as a base of operations during the day, positioning it with a view of the race track so we could wtach the action in the shade and closeness to  basic facilities...

Each morning of the weekend there was fog hanging low over the track , but this worked in our favour as we could park with a commanding view long before other spectators arrived to crowd us out.

Once the air cleared, the views of the surrounding hills were gloriously colourful, sunny and warm. Perfect for relaxing to the wailing of race car engines tearing up the track below us. Luckily I only do this every 30 years or so. I don't want to know how the millionaires living in the area manage to put up with it. When the track was first built it was miles from anywhere. Who would have guessed that it would later turn into a world class ski and summer resort area...?

As the morning fog lifts, the first cars appear on the circuit. The racing begins. We settle in for a weekend of pretending we're still kids and adulthood is a trap...

Hot Water!

With the weather turning colder, it's time to think about ways to keep warm. For the fun of it I got out one of these portable solar shower bags and have left it on the camper roof for the day. We'll see how much heat it puts out this evening when the temperature is expected to drop to freezing and below. 

At worst, hopefully I won't have to heat water to wash dishes!