Date:         Thu, 20 Apr 2006 18:48:05 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Gas price war / costs of road trips
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The adaptations required to rid ourselves of our oil habit, at least as
individuals under current circumstances don't have much to do with the
matter at hand unless you just decide to forgo the trip entirely. I'm not
aware of any practical way to take the family camping on a bicycle.
I can't even really take my daughter to school on a bicycle and that commute
alone is costing us about $220 a month. Nobody out here to carpool with
either. Needless to say everything else we do in town revolves around the
trips to the school.

I've been thinking every day about resurrecting that old Rabbit diesel... or
if it might be cheaper to find a runner instead, perhaps use mine for parts
or combine them. I don't know what driving that stick would do to my knees
(I had to fold up pretty tight to drive that thing, even in the day) and I'd
have to teach my wife to drive a stick (which she should learn anyway), but
it would worth it at this point 'cause it would give us a ton of relief in
fuel costs. Most of our mileage at this point results from trips that only
involve one or members of the family at a time, so the Rabbit would be fine
for that- after all, it is mostly flat around here. : )

Along with that, most of my customers are restaurants and supermarkets. I
can get all the veggie oil I can stand- I've already talked to some of them
about it. Taking that line further, part of my equipment runs on diesel. If
I were able to obtain a diesel truck and convert my rig engine over to a
diesel (both things that I'd like to do anyway), I could be independent of
the oil-fuel process in the two main areas of my personal comsumption.

All it takes is money, right? Contrasted with the savings over the years,
assuming my supply held out from future competition for it, even a heavy
startup cost would be fairly quickly offset, but- you have to the cash in
the first place and one of the ironys there is that these gas prices have
tightened up an already lackluster local economy and have eaten into my
profits. What I'm doing now is looking at any and all second-hand equipment
around here that I might be able use and trying to make some kind of a deal-
sometimes I barter my services (no, I don't do kneecaps) or hire out for
things other than my normal business.

Who knows? If I can pull this off maybe I can save enough money for a TDI
conversion someday... then I could be off the teat entirely.

Cya,
Robert