OJOS DEL SALADO

 

Nevado Ojos del Salado is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina–Chile border. It is the highest volcano on Earth, the highest peak in Chile and the second-highest summit of the Andes.  The complex extends over an area of 27–62 square miles and its highest summit reaches an altitude of 22,615 feet above sea level.  Ojos del Salado hosts the highest lake in the world in the form of the unnamed crater lake in the summit crater. It lies at 21,260–21,330 feet elevation and covers an area of 65,000 square feet. Waters in a creek flowing into this lake reach temperatures 105.4 °F.  On April 21, 2007, the Chilean duo of Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canales Moya, driving a modified Suzuki Samuri, reached an altitude of 21,942 feet on Ojos del Saldo, thus setting the high-altitude record for a four-wheeled (land) vehicle.

Ojos del Salado on the Argentina-Chile border, the world's highest volcano at 22,615 feet

AVERAGE ANNUAL GASOLINE TAXES PAID PER VEHICLE BY STATE – 2019

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the average fuel economy for all light vehicles on the road today is 22.3 miles per gallon (mpg) and the average annual miles driven is 11,484 miles. The Federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon, and each state has a gasoline tax, ranging from 8.95 cents in Alaska to 58.7 cents in Pennsylvania. Since taxes are charged on a per-gallon basis, someone with a more efficient vehicle will pay less in taxes over the course of a year. Based on average mpg and miles driven, a person owning a gasoline vehicle pays between $141 and $398 in fuel taxes each year, depending upon the state in which the fuel is purchased.

THE MINISKIRT

The miniskirt did not get its name from the length of the skirt, but rather it was named after Mini Cooper cars. Several designers have been credited with the invention of the 1960s miniskirt, most significantly the London-based designer Mary Quant and Parisian André Courréges. Whether or not Quant invented the miniskirt, it is widely agreed that she was one of its highest-profile champions. Quant loved Mini Cooper cars and named the garment after them, saying that car and skirt were both “optimistic, exuberant, young flirty,” and complemented each other.

MARY QUANT IN A MINISKIRT - 1966

ELECTRA, TEXAS, BUICK ELECTRA AND LOCHEED L-188 ELECTRA TURBOPROP

Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas. The population was 2,791 at the 2010 census. Daniel Waggoner started a ranch in present-day Electra in 1852. Around 30 years later, the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway was built. In 1885, Waggoner’s son, William Thomas Waggoner, successfully lobbied railroad executives to build a railroad station at the site. By this time, the Waggoner ranch covered a half-million acres. Until this time, the town was called Waggoner, but following the building of the station and a post office in 1889, it was dubbed Beaver Switch, after the nearby Beaver Creek. The opening of 56,000 acres of land north of the railroad station brought more farmers to the area. The town was renamed again in 1907, this time after the Waggoner’s daughter, Electra Waggoner. Electra Waggoner was born on January 6, 1882 near Decatur, Texas. She had two brothers; E. Paul Waggoner and Guy Waggoner. E. Paul Waggoner had two sons and a daughter. His daughter was born on November 8, 1912 and she was named after her aunt, Electra Waggoner. Electra (born 1912) ultimately became a well-known sculptor. A large collection of her work is featured at the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas. Electra (born 1912) also has the distinction of having both a plane, the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop, and a car, the Buick Electra, named after her, the latter by her brother-in-law, Harlow H. Curtice, former president of Buick and later president of General Motors.

1960 BUICK ELECTRA 225 CONVERTIBLE

AN L-188A ELECTRA OF PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION (ALPCA) BEST PLATE OF 2018 AWARD

MARYLAND’S “TREASURE THE CHESAPEAKE” PLATE IS THE BEST PLATE FOR 2018

2018 VOTING RESULTS FOR PLATE OF THE YEAR
Maryland	714
Florida	564
Oklahoma	519
Japan	498
Iowa	353
Tennessee	362
Nevada	336
Illinois	327
Colorado	260
Minnesota	256
Alberta	190
Maine	156
Nova Scotia	145

BUCC-EE'S - WORLD'S LONGEST CAR WASH

The Bucc-ee’s located at 1-10 and Cane Island Parkway in Katy, Texas has the longest car wash in the world. It is 85 yards long and has 32 vacuum stations.

This is the lamest news team I have ever seen. The anchor person in the studio asks the field reporter; "you actually went through the car wash?" (JKS)

THE MOST DANGEROUS U.S. STATES FOR PEDESTRIANS

Florida is the most dangerous state for pedestrians.

You will find more infographics at Statista

WHAT ARE THE ODDS? AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT

The first known accident between two airbag-equipped automobiles took place in 1990 in Virginia. A 1989 Chrysler LeBaron crossed the center line and hit another 1989 Chrysler LeBaron in a head-on collision, causing both driver airbags to deploy. The drivers suffered only minor injuries despite extensive damage to the vehicles

TRANSPORTATION AND VEHICLE STATISTICS

As long as we are on the subject of transportation*, let’s look at some other transportation related data. 

   

VEHICLES PER HOUSEHOLD:

This statistic portrays the number of vehicles per household in the United States from 2006 to 2016. In 2006, the number of vehicles per U.S. household stood at 2.05. This figure fell to 1.93 in 2012, reflecting the millennial generation's dwindling interest in car ownership, as well as the high gas prices and high unemployment rates of 2012. Vehicle ownership per household was back to 1.97 in 2016.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/551403/number-of-vehicles-per-household-in-the-united-states/

VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED:

This graph shows the total vehicle miles traveled annually (millions) in the past 10 years.

Percentage increases for the past 5 years are as follows:

2013	0.7%
2014	1.3%
2015	2.3%
2016	2.6%
2017	1.2%

HOUSEHOLDS TAKE FEWER VEHICLE TRIPS IN 2017:

The average number of vehicle trips made by a household in a year’s time was 1,865 in 2017, which translates to an average of 5 household trips per day (one-way).  That is 10% lower than the previous survey year, 2009, and 20% lower than the 1995 survey.  In 2017 there were fewer trips per household for work, shopping, other family/personal errands, and social & recreational purposes.  The rise in internet shopping, telecommuting, and social networking via the internet may be a factor in the decline, as total trips per household has been declining since 1995.

https://louisianacleanfuels.org/blog.php?name=catId/17

SUMMARY:

Between 2011 and 2016, the U.S. as a whole constructed an additional 62,352 miles of public roads. Most states’ total miles of public roads did not significantly increase or decrease over the 5 year time period, but a few states did have somewhat significant increases, while a few others had significant decreases. (*See Blog Post; “Miles of Public Roads by State, 11/25/18).

Vehicle ownership per household has declined in recent years and the average number of vehicle trips per household has also declined in recent years.

However, total miles driven continue to increase yearly as would be expected with a growing population.

CONCLUSION:

Traffic is not going to get any better any time soon.