The intended purpose of having a car in NYC is for excursions to other lands where the subway can’t go. Traveling with dog, excursions of any kind via public transportation is off limits.
With a hot day forecasted for the NYC area and the neighbor’s back yard under jackhammer construction, it was time to escape NYC. It was also the perfect day to introduce Hugo, the six month hold, 55 pound “puppy” to the ocean.
First off, flight check, Brooklyn style: four tires and wheels-check, both side mirrors-check, main part of stereo-check, engine-check, let’s go! Two hour’s drive with moderate traffic from NYC, will get you to Island Beach in NJ. Being the middle of the week and a few days before most schools get out for summer break, the timing could not have been more perfect. Except for the Holland tunnel, all was well concerning traffic and the Honda got to stretch its legs again with some cruise control action in the 80mph range.
Jersey folk are courageous. No one brushed the break pedal passing slow moving highway patrol cars. Must know someone. 80mph is a nice cruise speed in the old Civic. I’m just one gear away from enacting the VTEC to pass traffic, keep my distance from other traffic or just to keep up with the SUV sleds. Apparently I used that one gear a lot managing a fuel burn rate of 27mpg, one of my worse recordings to date.
Yes, I know, that’s still really good for a mix of 90mph bursts and first gear commuting, but is isn’t my 30mpg I’ve been getting lately with all city driving and not near the 40mpg I’ve managed in cross country drives. That VTEC cam sounds so good though, and anything goes between 90 and 115mph in 4th gear. Maybe a little more consumption isn’t all that bad.
In typical city fashion, we were hopelessly unprepared for a beach outing. The local store along the way saw a basket filled with an umbrella (dog gets hot you know), suntan lotion, food, drinks, and whatever else I thought Mrs. Cleaver might pack for a day at the beach, including the wet wipes. Plastic store bags can hold lots of ice for the day and I saved $20 bucks going with the ghetto cooler. The saving will go into the VTEC kiddy of fun.
Island Beach State Park in Jersey is a narrow 10 miles of protected sea shore with the Atlantic on one side and the bay on the other side. Besides seclusion for the most part, surf fishing and beach driving for 4x4s is part of the action as well as major wildlife viewing. Suddenly I wanted the Honda to turn into the Go-Go-Gadget SUV so I could get to the tidal pool area way the hell down past the last of the road.
Truth be known, I came to the beach for the beach, not tear through it. The Honda’s clam shell hatch is a wonder to have, providing a nice seat to change attire and shoes. The tow hook in the back is very handy for tying up the four legged terror and the Honda is just heavy enough not to be dragged by Hugo when he goes after the next seagull.
Once the burn on the skin set in we passed on the turnpike and headed up shore through the various beach towns and had a nice time of it. Ashbury Park was a nice place to stop for ice cream on the boardwalk and along with the cool breeze from the ocean, our skin was feeling much better. Good thing that, as the A/C decided to dump the remaining Freon in the parking lot and it was windows down the rest of the way home.
The disdain I have for the A/C in the Honda runs deep and between my dad and me, the hundreds of dollars spent on the “conditioner” is the single most expensive maintenance item on the car. The fact that I don’t use it much makes the situation worse, both from a maintenance issue and emotional issue. Grrr, but I wasn’t going to let the A/C issue ruin and otherwise great escape from the Big Apple. By the way, the dog body surfs!
With a hot day forecasted for the NYC area and the neighbor’s back yard under jackhammer construction, it was time to escape NYC. It was also the perfect day to introduce Hugo, the six month hold, 55 pound “puppy” to the ocean.
First off, flight check, Brooklyn style: four tires and wheels-check, both side mirrors-check, main part of stereo-check, engine-check, let’s go! Two hour’s drive with moderate traffic from NYC, will get you to Island Beach in NJ. Being the middle of the week and a few days before most schools get out for summer break, the timing could not have been more perfect. Except for the Holland tunnel, all was well concerning traffic and the Honda got to stretch its legs again with some cruise control action in the 80mph range.
Jersey folk are courageous. No one brushed the break pedal passing slow moving highway patrol cars. Must know someone. 80mph is a nice cruise speed in the old Civic. I’m just one gear away from enacting the VTEC to pass traffic, keep my distance from other traffic or just to keep up with the SUV sleds. Apparently I used that one gear a lot managing a fuel burn rate of 27mpg, one of my worse recordings to date.
Yes, I know, that’s still really good for a mix of 90mph bursts and first gear commuting, but is isn’t my 30mpg I’ve been getting lately with all city driving and not near the 40mpg I’ve managed in cross country drives. That VTEC cam sounds so good though, and anything goes between 90 and 115mph in 4th gear. Maybe a little more consumption isn’t all that bad.
In typical city fashion, we were hopelessly unprepared for a beach outing. The local store along the way saw a basket filled with an umbrella (dog gets hot you know), suntan lotion, food, drinks, and whatever else I thought Mrs. Cleaver might pack for a day at the beach, including the wet wipes. Plastic store bags can hold lots of ice for the day and I saved $20 bucks going with the ghetto cooler. The saving will go into the VTEC kiddy of fun.
Island Beach State Park in Jersey is a narrow 10 miles of protected sea shore with the Atlantic on one side and the bay on the other side. Besides seclusion for the most part, surf fishing and beach driving for 4x4s is part of the action as well as major wildlife viewing. Suddenly I wanted the Honda to turn into the Go-Go-Gadget SUV so I could get to the tidal pool area way the hell down past the last of the road.
Truth be known, I came to the beach for the beach, not tear through it. The Honda’s clam shell hatch is a wonder to have, providing a nice seat to change attire and shoes. The tow hook in the back is very handy for tying up the four legged terror and the Honda is just heavy enough not to be dragged by Hugo when he goes after the next seagull.
Once the burn on the skin set in we passed on the turnpike and headed up shore through the various beach towns and had a nice time of it. Ashbury Park was a nice place to stop for ice cream on the boardwalk and along with the cool breeze from the ocean, our skin was feeling much better. Good thing that, as the A/C decided to dump the remaining Freon in the parking lot and it was windows down the rest of the way home.
The disdain I have for the A/C in the Honda runs deep and between my dad and me, the hundreds of dollars spent on the “conditioner” is the single most expensive maintenance item on the car. The fact that I don’t use it much makes the situation worse, both from a maintenance issue and emotional issue. Grrr, but I wasn’t going to let the A/C issue ruin and otherwise great escape from the Big Apple. By the way, the dog body surfs!
