Urp! If you haven’t noticed, gasoline has surpassed $4.00/gallon. And I just heard on the evening news it’s expected to go as high as $10.00/gallon. There’s a hydrogen car out there somewhere, a car that runs on water — yes, water — and doesn’t emit toxic fumes that destroy the environment and lungs. There are cars that run on grain alcohol, but very few stations where once can fill up (I happen to live within five miles of one lonely pump).
Until the automotive industry gets it together, try some alternative travel options. My husband has the scooter pictured above, the Kymco People 250. He’s topped it out at 70 miles per hour and gets over 60 miles to the gallon on gas mileage. This model isn’t cheap and this size requires a motorcycle permit. There are smaller scooters, the 150, the 50, that don’t require a license and don’t go as fast. All sizes are great for getting back and forth to work if you don’t need to take the highway, trips to the grocery store, the bookstore And they look cooler than a moped.
In fact, my husband has captured the attention of Harley drivers at the gas station. His dad, who drives a Yamaha, was trying to strike up conversation with the guys, find out where they were headed, but their attention was on Scooter Boy. (My husband came up with that super hero moniker himself). He felt bad for stealing attention away from this dad, but it isn’t the first time it happened.
The can be show stealers. When I was in Miami Beach last summer, I saw a woman with five inch stilettos, a halter top and tight white capris, and long, brown flowing hair driving a 50 down the sidewalk (Is that legal? I mean driving on the sidewalk, not driving with stilettos). You will also often see sexy, sleek ladies straddling the equally sleek scooter in advertisements. (I’ll let you find the mamacita on the Kymco site).
A few tips: My husband bought his used, found it on a reputable online site, but gave it a test drive in person before purchasing. Just like cars, the price goes way down after it’s driven out of the lot. Sometimes you can scare a few extras buying used as well. My husband’s scooter also came with a windshield and a top case, which is really nice for storing a few essentials, and up the three bags of groceries, a small laptop, or a few books, magazines and writing supplies. Driving in the rain isn’t the most pleasant, but it can be done, just be prepared.
You’ll want to get a quality helmut, a ventilated jacket, a pair of primo sunglasses and, if you plan on riding long distances, some comfy gloves. Oh, and don’t forget your permit if you get a larger scooter.
Spend your next $4.00 filling up the entire tank, instead of enough gas to get you to the office, a mocha latte stop on the way, the back to home, a stop for a gallon of milk (don’t get me started) on way.
…and have some fun.
My husband now occupies only about a six foot by six foot space of our home, where he sits in front of his computer tuned in to hulu.com. He comes downstairs for drinks and to heat lean pockets and mix up some mac ‘n cheese, but mostly, he lives in that chair in front of the computer watching episode aftern episode of t.v. shows he’s never seen, movies he’s seen two a three times already, and more episodes of t.v. shows. It’s free and they have entire seasons. Shows from network television, the Discovery and History channels, and movies a handful of movies. Have you seen “Raised in Arizona” lately? How about “Eternal Sunshine on a Spotless Mind?” If you missed “24″ from the very beginning, here’s your chance to catch up. If “Lost” was lost on you, here’s your chance to find yourself. You may be a few years behind the times, or maybe you don’t want to tune in at the “same time, same bat channel” every week because you have a social life and people like you and besides you’re in really great shape because you bike twenty miles every night instead of plant your a$$ in front of the t.v. all night.
