Hybrid Highway: from Alaska to Missouri in 50 mpg

We made it, 4600 miles later. It looks like all 7 houseplants might have made it, too.

From Montana to Missouri, via Fort Collins, Colorado, the wildlife changed from deer and pronghorn to roadkill opossum, and the turkey vultures have replaced the bald eagles prevalent on the Kenai Peninsula. I don't think I've ever seen so many smashed small mammals - racoons, rabbits, and mostly prairie dogs - as were on the roads in Montana and Wyoming.

One fun stop - Belt, Montana, a small, rural community outside Great Falls, is home to Harvest Moon Brewery. For some reason they were closed on July 4th, but the Belt Creek Brewpub was open and serving the local beverage - finally, some beer with hops!

Wind turbines were spinning near Great Falls (photo). We saw more in Nebraska, where 7 modern, 3-blade turbines on sleek, tubular supports turned on the left of the interstate while a much shorter, cattle-watering windmill with a full fan of blades on latticework legs spun on the right.

In these last few days we saw 15 Gen 2 and 3 Gen 1 Prius’, mostly close to Fort Collins and again on I-70 in Missouri. Interesting, because as I understand it, Missouri does not yet offer a state tax credit in addition to the federal credit for buying a hybrid, although bills are in the works. (Colorado offers a great tax incentive – check out http://go.ucsusa.org/hybridcenter/incentives.cfm to see what your state offers.)

At one point we passed a light green Gen 2 on the side of the interstate, waiting for a tow truck, which was just pulling up. I was bummed to see a Prius needing a tow, but then a little bit down the road, a light green Gen 2 pulled into the gas station a few minutes behind us. I have to guess it was the same one, and ran out of gas and the tow truck brought just enough to get it to the station – ironic, perhaps, but I used to forget to fill up when my car was new, because it was so long between fill-ups. (I’m sorry that sounds so sanctimonious, but it’s an honest observation.)

We're here, so time to park it in the garage and get out the bike! At least that was my hope on coming here - in person our neighborhood doesn't look so bike friendly after all.

Many thanks to Lee for being the self-appointed photographer on the trip.

Final stats:

The Prius used 97.9 gallons of gas, costing $336.70 and creating 61 kg of carbon dioxide. The 4Runner used 224.7 gallons of gas at an average of 20.6 mpg, costing $758.20 and creating 140.1 kg of CO2.

The Prius mpg reported by the car’s computer was 49.6 mpg for the whole trip. However, calculated the old-fashioned way (dividing total miles by total gallons), the trip average was not quite that good, at 46.8 mpg. I don’t know why the discrepancy. The Prius mpg's dropped a few points in the last few days, and the 4Runner dropped by half a point. I'm thinking that was the effect of higher speed limits in the US, maybe combined with the AC (but Lee didn't run the AC that much and I didn't run it much the last 2 days.)

Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the US...A
Along the drive we've obviously seen a lot of changes - from mountains and tundra to agriculture, from daily rain showers to water restrictions (in the Fort St. John area), from local shops and motels to Wal-Mart, 7-11, and Dairy Queen. And of course, the temperature. We started with temps in the 50's. The last couple of days have been in the 70's and 80's. Today I ran the AC most of the day - no noticable change in mpg so far.

NPR and CBC stations come in most places along the drive - in many places public radio was the only radio - and I've learned about all kinds of stuff: Prince Charles giving up polo to reduce the greenhouse gases produced by the helicopter he took to matches (hey, that's what they said on the radio!), a calendar of erotic biblical scenes produced by a church youth group, the mountain pine beetles killing off large swaths of Alberta & BC forests (we saw the stands of dead trees) are on the rise partially due to fire suppression and global warming. The occasional foray into commercial radio can also be educational - who knew a disco rendition of a Gordon Lightfoot song could be so catchy?

We've been doing our part to eat local - local eggs, organic salads, Yukon salmon, Alberta beef, BC cherries. And for anyone who knows Lee, of course the microbrew beers from Whitehorse, Jasper, Calgary, and Great Falls. Western Canada's pride in their clear, clean water shows in their beers - that's the predominant flavor.

Another bit about Canada - recycling bins are everywhere, even in some hotel rooms and at gas stations.

2886 miles done
Prius: 58.4 gallons
4Runner: 137 gallons

Finally, we got out of the car for a bit! Jasper is spectacular, so we took a little time for a hike along Maligne Canyon and up Athabasca Glacier - which has signs like those at Exit Glacier in Seward showing how much the glacier has receded in this century. Not much is left.

We are about halfway on our drive, and done with the Alaska Highway. This blog came about because I wondered what experiences others have had on the AlCan in a Prius. The only hit my google search found was a Prius discussion group with numerous comments panning the idea as risky. Hence, a blog was born. We didn't expect much trouble, but had heard tales of windshields pelted with rocks, car-sized potholes, and miles and miles and miles with no services. Alas, the mystique of the Alaska Highway has outlasted it ruggedness. It's still a beautiful and long drive, but now with no lack of gas stations, motels, and tourist shops selling all sorts of treasures proudly boasting "I Survived the Alaska Highway."
To read about a *real* eco-driving adventure, check out the guys who drove from Alaska to Argentina in 15 days using biodiesel: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/05/from_alaska_to_1.php

Prius spotting: a white Gen2 (same one as yesterday?) and a red Gen2 on the way from Banff to Jasper

wildlife spotting: elk

2469 miles down
Prius: 48.8 gal, 52.7 mpg, 30.4 kg CO2, $191
4Runner: 116.9 gal, 21.3 mpg, 72.9 kg CO2, $441

Happy Canada Day! While British Columbians and Albertans celebrated with parades, picnics, and fireworks (we caught the parade in Fort St. John and the fireworks in Jasper), the national government celebrated by reducing the GST, the national sales tax, from 7% to 6%. Apparently they are awash in oil money. Gasoline carries the 6% GST plus 10 cents federal excise tax and, in Alberta, 9 cents provincial tax (other provinces are higher).

One inadvertent side effect of driving more fuel efficient vehicles is reduced tax income for road maintenance, etc. Oregon is testing a system to tax miles driven instead of gallons bought. Volunteers in the pilot will have a GPS installed in their vehicle that can be read by a device at specified gas stations, and the appropriate mileage tax is added to their bill at the pump and the gas tax is deducted. Check out the full story in The Oregonian: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1150079146222920.xml&coll=7

Update: the link to the Oregon mileage tax story seems to have expired, but here's another one on the topic: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001972174_mileagetax05m.html

Our driving day was mostly flying through agricultural land - lots of pretty yellow fields of flowering canola - so no pics.

Prius spotting: white Gen 2 heading north out of Jasper

2260 miles done
Prius: 46.0 gal, 52.2 mpg, 28.7 kg CO2
4Runner: 107.5 gal, 21.2 mpg, 67.1 kg CO2

The scenery from Liard to Fort Nelson, British Columbia is spectacular - full of glacial rivers, lakes, and dry glacial creekbeds. But no glaciers in sight.
Wildlife spottings: male caribou, several groups of Stone sheep, Sasquatch

1825 miles down
Prius: 38.3 gal, 51.6 mpg, 23.9 kg CO2
4Runner: 88.5 gal, 20.9 mpg, 55.2 kg CO2

So far we've spent $150 on gas for the Prius, $333 for the 4Runner (more or less, based on fuzzy conversions of $Canadian to $US).

Pondered the potential of geothermal as renewable energy while soaking in the hotsprings. OK, honestly, I didn't ponder anything in the hotsprings, but Chena Hot Springs outside Fairbanks (which we visited last winter) is developing geothermal for everything from heating its lodge rooms to generating electricity to heating its greenhouse for locally produced organic veggies. Iceland is way ahead of us on this one, of course. As soon as we have an extra $10 - 20K lying around, we'll look into heating and cooling our house with geothermal. As soon as we have a house...

Wildlife spottings: wood bison, black bear.

1452 miles down
Prius: 28.7 gal, 51.6 mpg
4Runner: 71.8 gal, 20.6

June 28, 2006

On the wide-open, northern roads, it’s hard to keep this baby under 100.

Km/hr, that is. Easy driving on the Klondike Highway from Dawson City to Whitehorse. The reputation of the AlCan as an arduous drive seems to be outdated – so far, gas stations are plentiful and the potholes are well marked – although the pilot car is a frequent view around construction sites. The main concern we had about the Prius was finding anyone to work on it if we did have trouble. The Better World Club sounds like a great option for Roadside Assistance. They offer towing and other benefits like that other auto club, while being environmentally friendly. Check out www.betterworldclub.com. We are already paying for roadside assistance coverage with our car insurance, so I didn’t join BWC yet, but we might when we get to St. Louis – for their bicycle roadside assistance!

The oil and tire pressures were all good this morning (that comment is for you, Dad).

Prius spotting: a blue Gen 2 heading north on the Klondike Highway.
Wildlife spotting: northern harrier, kestrel or merlin, mew gulls hoping for lunch at Pelly Crossing

1045 miles down
Prius: 20.7 gal, 51.5 mpg
4Runner: 52.6 gal, 20.4 mpg

June 27, 2006

We spotted our first Prius since Anchorage today – a light green Gen 2 at the Tok library.

Apparently, we have done the worst of the Top of the World Highway, no problem. The road connects Tok, Alaska to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, Canada, and has a reputation for being treacherous. Parts of the way are paved, while a good stretch is mostly mud with well-marked potholes, dips and other washouts. So it takes going slowly, but nothing any small car can't do. We had rain all day again, which made the mud a bit slick in spots, but not bad. After the Canadian border (photo), the road improves a bunch. I used the braking gear on the steeper downhills – too busy watching the road to see how much difference it makes on the mileage, but it should save brakes.

This area is all about gold mining - the decrepit Jack Wade dredge rusting in the river bears a Historic Marker (photo).

Getting to Dawson City requires a free 5-minute ferry ride across the Yukon River (photo). We’re staying in a restored 1897 log cabin on the outskirts of Dawson City, using the wireless on our laptops. Story has it an old time miner who lost both feet to frostbite tied a couple of bear feet to his amputated legs and walked around town that way for years. A stay at White House cabins is highly recommended - within walking distance of town, but secluded in trees.

Today’s roadside wildlife spottings: a weasel that ran under Lee’s car with a mouse (in the rearview mirror, the mouse was still on the road but no weasel), a stunning male caribou in full velvet, a pine grosbeak, and a porcupine.

706 miles down
Prius: 13.6 gal, 51.6 mpg, 8.5 kg CO2
4Runner: 36.9 gal, 20.0 mpg , 23 kg CO2

June 26

From Palmer to Glennallen to Tok today, via some excellent roads interspersed with loose, potholed gravel. The rain and clouds didn’t completely hide the mountains and braided glacial rivers. Along the way, we stopped to check out a musk ox farm, photograph a young moose by the road, admire Matanuska Glacier in the distance, photograph a hulking bull moose feeding in a pond (look for the dark spot through the passenger window in the photo), and spot a breeding pair of swans.

I wonder how Matanuska Glacier is faring under global warming. At Exit Glacier in Seward, markers along the road to the glacier indicate how far the glacier extended at different points in time. It’s impressive to see how fast it has receded in recent years. In two days of driving, our contribution to glacier-melting greenhouse gases are: 6.4 kg for the Prius and 15.0 kg for the 4-Runner. (This is figuring just the gallons of gasoline we've burned, and converting to CO2 using a conversion factor I found online from Environment Canada: burning one litre of gasoline creates 2.36 kg of carbon dioxide. Of course, our complete CO2 footprint is much larger.)

511 miles done
Prius: 10.2 gal, 52.5 mpg
4Runner: 24.1 gal, 21.2 mpg

June 25

Today the dipnet season for sockeye salmon opens on the Kasilof River - so we delayed our departure for a day to make our first and last dipnetting attempt, a pleasure open only to residents. We were completely unsuccessful, but at least we aren't leaving Alaska without the experience of standing waist-high in the muddy river with 20 or so other folks, holding a ridiculously long handle attached to a ridiculously large net - about 4' across - perpendicular to the current, waiting for a salmon to swim into it. Now that's fishin'.

As we drive up the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage, it's a warm sunny day after a cool, slow start to summer, and the mountains on either side of the highway are covered in the contrasting dark and light greens of spruce and birch. Purple lupines and wild roses along the roadsides add contrast. The Kenai River flows gray-blue, colored by glacial "flour." And combat fishing is going strong, with anglers standing 10’ or less apart doing the Kenai Flip with their lines, hoping to snag a sockeye – and not their neighbor.

After swapping books at Tidal Wave bookstore in Anchorage and visiting with an old friend of Lee’s, we make Palmer for the night. 231 miles down, 4269 to go.

Prius: 3.3 gal, 52.6 mpg (this is the mpg reported by the onboard computer – more about that later)

4Runner: 11.1 gal, 20.8 mpg (you really gotta hand it to Lee for being such a good sport about letting his car be used for comparison)

After a year and a half in Alaska, my husband Lee and I are moving to Missouri. But you're not here to read about us, you want to hear about the Green Machine, my Generation 1, 2001 Toyota Prius as it makes its way from the last frontier to St. Louis, the former Gateway to the West.

When we moved to Alaska from Colorado in November 2004, we took the ferry from Bellingham, Washington. A beautiful trip. But we like to see it all, so for our return trip, we decided to drive all the way back.

Before we moved to Alaska I wondered whether my Prius would be up to conditions here - how smooth are the roads? How snowy are the roads in winter? As it turns out, the Kenai Peninsula is not so different from any All American suburb and the Prius was fine. But people are always asking how "the little car" is doing. Despite the Prius' incredible popularity (several of the new “Gen 2” hatchback model make their homes on the Kenai Peninsula), people are curious. Hence this blog - I have no idea how many Prius' have done the AlCan before us, but as far as I could find, nobody has written about it.

We're moving both of our cars back, so we'll compare Lee's 4Runner to the Prius. To be fair, his car is carrying a much heavier load than mine!

The photo shows the Prius taking a last look at the Kenai River.