Had an interesting experience today. After dropping my kids off, I was driving down a lazy quiet residential street, heading to work, near Arizona State University, in a neighborhood mixed with family residences and college rental homes.

Being 80 degrees this morning at 6:35 a.m. already in Phoenix (heading for a high of 108 today) I had all the windows down.

As I drove by this one house, out of the corner of my eye on the right side I saw some movement, and right about that exact same time, a man's voice yelled,

"Hybrid, I love you !!"

I was almost past them now, so I glanced over there and there was a brick wall on the front porch area with two college-aged girls sitting on it with their back to me, and the yelling fellow was a college-aged guy with one arm hand raised and the other holding what appeared to me a beer bottle of some sort.

He must have been pretty familiar with Hybrids, and he must have identified my HCH by the antenna in front, because I was parallel with the house when I first heard the voice, and thus he could not have seen my Hybrid badge on the back yet.

I am now stuck with the question in my mind: Was he a Hybrid advocate, or just being sarcastic?

One the one hand, someone drinking a beer at 6:30 in the morning CERTAINLY can be logically assumed to be at least a little under the influence.

On the other hand, he KNEW my HCH was a hybrid somehow, most likely by the antenna placement. So from that I know he was at least a LITTLE BIT educated about hybrids. So maybe he does love them.

Anyway, just wanted to pass along this minor hybrid-related story to my "buds" at GH.com.

I can understand your skepticism.

This is the profile of the driver of most large pickup trucks that try to blast by me.

On a positive note, the evening commute an identical silver Insight slowly passed me by to wave on the freeway.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Maybe he owns one!

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/1827/signature.png

See picture of my new dock at:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/share/image239.html

I think it was sincere. If they could spot an HCH they meant it IMO.

A few weeks ago I was stuck in a traffic jam and it was the fist day I picked up my "pre-owned" Insight. Up beside me pulls 2 "college-aged" kids, passenger was obviously drunk.

Passenger says, "Is that solar powered?".
Sensing his sarcasm I said, "Yes".
I guess that threw him a curveball as he said, "Really?"
Then I said, "No, I'm just f-ing with you"
He asked what engine it had. I told him a 3 cylinder about the same size as a sport bike. He immediatly asked about gas mileage and I told him between 60-70 MPG depending how long I was stuck in traffic jams like these.

In the end I got a thumbs up and they gave up going in the direction they were going and turned around at the next break in the median.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."