Driving Report: To the Top of Snoqualmie Pass!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Feb 12 2007, 11:52 AM) [snapback]388946[/snapback]</div>

Cool! Glad to see my car could perform well in the mountains, if I ever get a chance to drive in some. It seems to take the Houston overpasses pretty well, though.

Have fun on your trip in June, and let us know how the Prius performs.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Feb 12 2007, 09:52 AM) [snapback]388946[/snapback]</div>

I could give you more of a challenge. Head east to the Columbia river at Vantage. Head west on that. It's steeper than most of the eastbound approach to Snoqualmie summit and continues that way for about 10 miles. The last time I did it, I reached a state of WOT (wide open throttle) as indicated by CAN-View. I was traveling 65-70 mph at the time, but it still maintained the speed. Of course, the mpg during that stretch was really low. The overall trip from Cheney to Olympia and then round trip of Olympia to Aberdeen and back was still 52 mpg (on MFD) though. By the time I got home, the trip from Olympia to Cheney only averaged 42 mpg. The temperature was cooler on the east side. Also, ups and downs are many and give a net rise of about 2500 ft. from Olympia to Cheney.

I still agree with that "What a car."

Dave M.

 

Mountain driving can be a hoot!

On the east side of San Francisco Bay is a little hill called "Mt Diablo." It's 3,849 ft. high. As you might suppose, the road to the top is uphill almost all the way - - this can produce an impressive MFD display when you go back down - - 100% full to the top, yellow bars, all the way across! When the last one showed up, we cheered!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Feb 12 2007, 09:52 AM) [snapback]388946[/snapback]</div>

At 4,183 feet, “The Grapevine†(Tejon Pass) is only ~ 1,100 feet higher than Snoqualmie Pass.
Siskiyou Pass is a little higher than that at 4,310 feet.
But, because of their more northern latitudes, Snoqualmie and Siskiyou are much more treacherous winter passes than Tejon.

If you really want to give your Prii's lungs a good workout while in California . . . visit Yosemite National Park and enter or exit the park from the east. At 9,941 feet in elevation, Tioga Pass is the highest auto pass in California. If you do, first check to see if they finished clearing the snow and opened the road. The last two years it opened on June 24 and June 17 respectively.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/trip/tioga.htm#dates

When you are at “The Grapevine,†be sure to thank the San Andres fault for saving you from having to climb over a much higher pass. Most people don't know that that is the San Andreas' handy work.
http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=276672

P.S. The Prii does fine going over the Tioga Pass. And if you are going down into Yosemite Valley, you will have maxed-out 5-minute bars on the MFD BEFORE you reach the valley floor.

 

Don't forget to try the Steven's Pass drive. A little higher, but, the downhill should be fun.