Miles per gallon seem to be on everyone’s mind, in and out of the RV world. In fairness, M.P.G.’s should play a role in the decision process we undergo when purchasing any motor vehicle. After all, miles cost money. Fuel isn’t free. No way around it.
Earlier this summer I paid over 5 dollars a gallon for diesel and biodiesel. It starts to add up when you fill a 60-gallon Transfer Flow fuel tank, while logging a weekly average of 1000 miles. At that price, as you can imagine, a nice-sized credit card bill at the end of each month.
Even with the Green RV and its abilities to gather “free energy” from the sun and the wind, there was an upfront cost to collecting these complimentary sources of power. The photovoltaic cells (solar panels), wind turbine, wiring, mounting brackets, batteries, charge controllers and inverter all add up to bucks; in my case, about 10,000 bucks. Though it may take me a few years to recoup my investment in the technology, the places I’ve dry camped have been well worth the dollars I invested in my Green technologies. In my time-share with Nature, I’m way ahead.
Here’s the thing. Over the last year, I’ve explored some pretty amazing places, off the road, off the beaten path and in some cases, off the charts. Without the average cost of hooking up at established campsites, boondocking has tremendously aided both my budget and my brain. I can’t even begin to put a price tag on my Unplugged Explorations.
In the end, it’s not the miles per gallon I focus on but the Memories Per Getaway that keep my attention.