Originally Posted by
Ex Pres
Unfortunately we do have riders with bad form (re
#3 ,
#5 ) here, but be honest, I'm sure that exists everywhere, including the PNW. Though I wish I had any roads here in AL to enjoy a wide shoulder. Rare.
But my landlord owns a Prius, several of my riding buddies have Priuses or Teslas. I even bought my daughter a Prius (and she's an artist). But yes, big-a$$ pickups are
#1 , with oversized SUVs running alongside.
And you weren't aware of the benefits of pickle juice up in the PNW? It's a life-saver down here. Come on down to 100* in Oct (unfortunately, we are setting temp records right now).
No, up to now, the only place I'd ever heard of Pickle Juice was here at bikeforums. I know what to Amazon now
I did see a few privately owned Prii, I just couldn't find any to rent so I expanded my search to electric, etc...For whatever reason the big agency's (Hertz, National, Avis, etc...) Just didn't have non-gasoline only even as available an option. I wonder if it has to do with customer preferences & what actually gets chosen in the local market. There is no point in carrying a product customers reject, after-all.
On to my overall (efficiency) point, though: The wall of my hotel was warm to the touch. The double pane glass was uncoated. The aluminum window frame actively conducted heat into the hotel room. As a result air conditioner never shut off. Burning about 2kw/hour (30 cents) The toilet used about 3.5 gallons per flush. The sink used 2.2 gallons per minute & the showerhead about 5 gpm...That's a lot of self imposed cost/overhead/profit opportunity the hotel has control over but chooses to ignore. For the 260 room hotel I stayed at, that's $1900 profit daily up in smoke on individual room air conditioning alone that could largely be addressed with a radiant heat reflecting decorative facade and a different choice of windows.
The water bill (and waste water) could be cut to 1/5th with .5gpm sink aerators, $9 Niagra 1.25gpm showerheads & Niagra .8 gallon per flush or .5/.8 gallon dual flush toilets.
Then there is the cost/saving of not needing to heat so much water.
In addition, turning the room hot water service loop (and all it's associated losses) down from 150(!) degrees to a more shower friendly 120 degrees would further reduce energy waste/cost.
I pass no judgement. The can run their business however they like. It's their right to do so. I was just surprised. Our original hotel, Hotel Frederica, shut down & kept our $387 a week before we arrived. They blamed "taxes" in their email. But in seeing how wasteful our LaQuinta was, I can't help but wonder if "taxes" was the real reason considering the general blindness towards efficiency...especially where profit is involved. The South does have a reputation for fiscal conservatism, afterall.
It was refreshing to see the majority of pick-ups actually being used as pick-ups...You know, muddy with a bed full of a tree stump, hauling a trailer loaded with a tractor, an excavator or the like. Around here, (Seattle) they are mostly highly polished, 4 door, short bed, lifted, luxury status symbols for that rare combination of farmer/diplomat that needs his pick-up to simultaneously ferry around some head-of-state
& carry his meat smoker. In the South they were tools being used for a purpose. In general, with one exception, they were courteous. To both, I say: "Right on!"
As far as "bad form" from
#3 &
#5 , Thank you. Maybe it's local norm, maybe not. At first I was shocked, but after 6 hours of riding the novelty wore-off & I assumed it was just considered normal there. Maybe it could be a learning/training opportunity for the local cycling advocacy group. (Critical Mass?) Of course, cyclists have a right to the whole road, & I don't dispute that, but maybe there is an opportunity for adding "discretion" to the list of skills they would like to advocate. Culture takes a long time