Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Miles per bail of hay, hay no?

Well the news today is that the US is imposing mileage standards that should put a dent in whatever little business the car dealers have.

What are they going to do with all that inventory?

Getting good mileage should not be a problem, after all in our last vacation to Europe the Mercedes we rented about 4 years ago was getting 45 miles to the gallon.

In North America the same Mercedes model gets 24.

I wonder why?

So how do you get a vehicle that we hall animal feed, lumber, gravel and other stuff that requires some semblance of power to run at a low mileage?

I guess someone well tell us.

We can use a bicycle to go down hill to Patzcuaro, but up hill with a load of carnitas, tortillas and milk, will a tad more difficult.

Maybe I can find one of those old Volkswagen Beetles, the ones from the 60's

Or better yet, just on old nag. That is the epitome of efficiency. You go to town on it, gets decent mileage, as a byproduct you get decent fertilizer, the only drawback is it will be ahalf a days journey to trek 30 kilometers there and back.

Morelia will be a full day, if you get started real early...

Back to the old days. Basics and lots of time.

A burro is not any faster although cheaper.

If all else fails I can do what the enterprising individual did in the picture.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that's what I call a hybrid vehicle!

LOL

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where, in the summer, the air downtown is faintly redolent of horse manure from the horse-driven carriages, giving a hint of what city life may have been like a hundred years ago.

Tancho said...

When I visited The Amish country, there seemed to be a tranquil peace around, maybe there is something to having natural horsepower!

Kim, I enjoyed most of Boston, great city center, terrible skill-kill freeway....

Fantastic places of history, spent days, loved it!

ac said...

What will Detroit do with all that inventory? Simple, send it to developing nations just like the US does to everything else they can't sell here or the American public doesn't want anymore. Sadly, Joe Camel, the Marlboro man and stuff like DDT are alive and well in Mexico.
As for equine power, YEA! The sensory stuff that goes with a horse are great. The movement, sound of hooves on pavement, the smell of leather, sweat and yes, manure, are like perfume to me. But as a horse owner let me tell you, they are a vet bill waiting to happen. Then there's the all the gear and tack that goes along with them. Costly. You might break even. However, I would not live without them. My four amigos will travel to La Republica when we relocate, ojala.
Viva Mexico!
Great post!

Calypso said...

'Probably get better millage per horse with one pulling an Amish cart rather than the back end of a Peugeot. ;-)

Back to basics....

ac said...

Yes Calypso,
far better mileage per bale of hay on an Amish cart than the Peugeot. And a whole lot more enjoyable.
also, you can build an Amish cart from 4x's and plywood.
viva la Raza!

Patricia Ibarra said...

Ya te agregue para estar al pendiente en realidda se me hace muy interesante lo que posteas.

Tancho said...

Yo,intento, gracias Lulu