"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
08/04/2016 at 11:32 • Filed to: None
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"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
08/04/2016 at 11:32 • Filed to: None | 1
| 10 |
By now, everyone knows about Pokemon Go. If you don’t, you must be living under a rock since there have been at least 15 articles about it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and over !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to it here in Oppoland. We’ve been !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about playing it while driving and we’ve been taught how to do it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
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The one warning we haven’t received is how Pokemon Go kills your mileage. I’m sure that there are some inferences about killing the environment too, but it can’t be too bad, right?
I’m here to tell you that it is bad. Really bad.
Since I’ve started taking my son around for some drive-by Pokemoning, the fuel mileage in my car has dropped between 1.2 to 2.8 miles per gallon. That’s mostly due to the slow speeds, frequent stops, and excessive idling while I wait for him to play the game.
The financial impact isn’t significant in the short term, but if we were to to do this year-round, it would cost me somewhere between $125 and $250 in extra fuel! That really puts a damper on this activity. I’m so cheap I won’t even pay for an annual XBox Live membership and that costs half as much.
School is starting soon, so that should help quench some of the Pokemon enthusiasm, but I have another plan in mind. I signed us up for some kayaking lessons! It costs way less, includes everyone in the family, and sets us up for some fun outdoor time without any pocket screens.
Now it’s time to look into the cost a couple of good kayaks and the right adapter(s) for my roof rack.
Yeah, looks like fun.
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 11:34 |
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I actually walk while playing. Which sucks because where I live isn’t very walking friendly.
The Dummy Gummy
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 11:37 |
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Huh... I honestly would have though a user with the name TheRealBicycleBuck would have used a bike for Pokemon. You get the steps and easier to maneuver than a car.
415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 11:43 |
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I’m afraid you need a Prius for that activity. I am a bit too old to know anything other than who Pikachu is (I lived in Japan so I know what the yellow thing is). I don’t really know anything about the cartoon though. I’m more a Cowboy Bebop kinda guy. Your new car:
Takuro Spirit
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 11:43 |
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If I’m not walking/biking I only stop at stops that are along my commute. I can usually hit 3 or 4 per drive, providing my GPS doesn’t wonk out.
I’d hate to check my mileage still. I try not to idle TOO much waiting to catch mon or wait for stops to reset.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> The Dummy Gummy
08/04/2016 at 11:48 |
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We live in a rural area, so the pokestops and gyms are few and far between. If I were playing the game by myself, riding wouldn’t be much of an issue. But this is an activity with my son and we aren’t keen on exposing him to the risks of riding in traffic just to play a game.
We found a few places that have enough stops to make it worth driving to, then walking around, but all of them are at least a 20 minute drive away.
jimz
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 11:51 |
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in yet another sign I’m getting old, I downloaded the game, and after 5 minutes I was like “really? this is what people are going crazy over?”
plus my city has had problems with players going into people’s yards, even late at night.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> Takuro Spirit
08/04/2016 at 11:54 |
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I’ve been known to hit a few stops along my commute to pick up supplies so he can play at the house. If I don’t, then he runs out of pokeballs pretty quickly. He is feeling pretty jealous of one of his buddies. This kid has two pokestops within walking distance of his house AND he has an activated phone with a data plan so he can wander without his parents. The only way my son can play is if he stays within wifi range of the house or if I set up a personal hotspot through my phone.
As expected, he’s making a bid for an activated phone for his birthday.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> jimz
08/04/2016 at 11:58 |
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A good hose will fix that problem.
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The Dummy Gummy
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 12:09 |
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Fair enough. I was more or less just joking about the username and scenario. I dig that you use it as a bonding activity. Good on you Dad!
20mins away, thats rough.
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Takuro Spirit
> TheRealBicycleBuck
08/04/2016 at 12:25 |
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My kids are in the same boat. I let them use the iPad but its WiFi only. We have a few stops within walking distance of the house, and we go out every once and while.
Our latest walks have been nearly 3 miles. I’m surprised they can make it that long.