In regards to the braking, the Car Talk guys have this misleading cartoon in their hybrid section:
On the subject of braking and tips for improved FE, I often shift into second (S) when I need to slow down before a stop or turn. This results in a lot more regeneration than just using the brakes. Just remember to shift back to drive (D) before you stop so you can get the auto stop.

I almost did a lakedude push today. I needed to get my car out of the garage to wash it. It would have been downhill, but I have a pillar on the driver's side and a tight squeeze at the garage door that would have made quite difficult. I've got a good tank going and I hated to start it up to back up 15 feet. (Oh well!) I just passed 600 miles and my dash is reading 60.1mpg. I just went down to two bars on the fuel gauge.