Date:         Mon, 22 Sep 2003 15:45:11 -0400
Reply-To:     Ron Tipton <uther@DRAGONHOME.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ron Tipton <uther@DRAGONHOME.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Propane Fueled Turbo Diesel Injection
Comments: To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  Message from Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET> of "Sun, 21 Sep 2003
              21:16:42 -0800." <15d521115d5452.15d545215d5211@gci.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Mark wrote:

> Americans, myself included are too spoiled when it come to transportation,
> we want it now, and we want it on our terms. You left off the best options,
> walk, ride your bike, or(gasp) mass transit. Many people live where at least
> one of these or other options exist. Automobiles can run on propane, natural
> gas, or even vegetable oil(diesels), or we can park our cars more and take
> the bus,train, bike, walk, etc. Some places would have to redesign how the
> city is layed out, other just need minor tweaking. For example, Seattle has
> a wonderful bus system, the one here in Anchorage sucks! There are many
> variables, options and opinions on this subject, I for one would love to see
> us as a country embrace more mass transit, redesigned cities, and alternative
> fuel options. Which will work best in a given area of the country is
> dependent upon, climate, costs, and the willingness of the people to embrace
> the idea. Fossil fuels are a necessary evil today, but that does not mean
> that we can't make them more environmentally friendly until the next
> generation of fuels come into use.

All of these are views that I have had for years... and lived by.  Then in a
span of three years I had two heart attacks and my lovely wife became totally
disabled with cancer and an immune system disorder.  We can no longer walk far
or bike at all - much less backpack as we did for years.  There is no public
transportation to our house.  And even if there was, my wife cannot deal with
temperature changes so even waiting for a bus is more than she can do.  I
have been forced to see things from a different perspective in the last few
years.

We are looking for a syncro (with AC and heat) to convert into a camper...
syncro westies are totally out of our price range.  I have a new understanding
of why people drive large comfortable American cars - as I now do.  I fully
support efforts to decrease our dependence on fossil fuel, but things are not
as simple as I once thought they were.

r


Ron Tipton
uther@dragonhome.org