Love SUVs? Me too.

But things like energy-efficiency, global warming, and rising gas prices are starting to make me think twice when it comes to motoring around town in an SUV.

We drive a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, so it's not one of those gigantic SUVs or anything. Still... it's not the best on gas mileage. And there are certainly pro's and con's to choosing a Jeep Wrangler, as with any other vehicle on the market these days.

Nevertheless, it's hard to deny the fun-factor that comes with driving a Jeep!

For those trying to make an informed choice when it comes to SUVs, here are some interesting facts & figures about SUVs...

A visitor to this site (from Australia) contacted me after he read this article I wrote about oversize loads.

He also sent me a bunch of pictures showing some of the super-sized vehicles that he works with on a daily basis!

In his own words:

I actually do this kind of thing for a living in Australia and I like when I see or hear that someone is impressed with the size of the machines I transport around the country.

Here is his story...

Many thanks to Randy, who shared the following photos with us, after he read my post about the oversized load.

Here's another example of one heckuva oversized load... with pictures!

...well I'll say!

Jim's starting to think just like me when it comes to photographing all the strange and unusual stuff you see out & about on a given day.

These photos were taken on his trip to Michigan last weekend. Can you get what it is?...

Have you spotted one of THESE yet?!

It's a 2006 Xtreme Ford F650 SuperTruck.

This one was parked in the Golden Corral restaurant parking lot in Cool Springs, Tennessee.

Just look at how BIG it is, compared to the other cars parked next to it!

Tips for saving your brakes when driving down steep grades, including how to use "engine braking" instead of pressing the brake pedal to slow your vehicle down.

We just returned from a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee -- home to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Many of the roads between tourist traps (I mean "sightseeing destinations") are INCREDIBLY steep and winding. Some roads wind UP one entire side of the mountain, then require that you drive back DOWN a narrow winding road on the other side.

Needless to say, with the amount of traffic over the 4th of July holiday, and the sheer number of mountains which exist in the Smokies, we had SEVERAL occasions to test our downhill driving skills (AND our brakes!) this weekend.

There must've been about a BILLION cars all traveling single file down those narrow mountain roads -- all attempting to spot the biggest black bear in the Smokies (well, more on that later)...

"It's An Automatic... I Don't NEED To Downshift, Right?"
Wrong.

There are times -- even in a vehicle with automatic transmission -- that you SHOULD manually downshift. Those times are: When you are driving down steep hills.

Sure, I'd seen it done before...
On our family vacations growing up, Dad would drop the old-fashioned dashboard gear shift lever down a notch every time he went down a steep winding hill. Then kick it up a notch at times. Then, back down again. He played this fancy game of gearshift knobbing virtually every time we drove from Indiana to Florida. (Come to find out, this was usually while traveling through the mountains of Chattanooga, Tennessee.)

Back then, I thought it had more to do with the fact that we were pulling a boat trailer than it did with actually saving our brakes.

Fast-forward some 30 years... and I find myself being properly educated about the use of "2" and "1" on my automatic gear shift. And this applies to ALL vehicles... not just those pulling trailers.

Maybe it's a guy thing. After all, guys are the ones obsessed with size... right?

I'm not sure this Dodge ad saw the light of prime time television, but it has been floating around the Internet.

It's pretty good... check it out.

DRIVING ODDITY #3:
People CARE How You Drive!

Check this out!...

I'm driving home from work today, and I'm behind a pickup truck with the bumper sticker, "How Am I Driving?"

You know, you've seen these for years on the back of work vehicles.

Strange but true...
I've always wanted to call the number just to report that "the driver is driving really well at the moment". I mean, it specifically asks "HOW am I driving?" so they're wanting to know about the "good" and the "bad"... in my mind.

Anyway, this afternoon I called. For those of you who are curious as to what they're interested in & how their demeanor is on the other end, here's how it went...