Living WAY up a long hill above the small town that is my new home, I often wonder what will happen if auto's don't cooperate in 2000.

Of course, we're planning back-up's -- including a horse, if need be!

Has anyone caught any recent updates from insiders in the automobile industry? I haven't caught anything recently.

Stockpiling Horseshoes?

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), April 02, 1999

Answers

Most speculation is that autos will work fine. Gasoline and oil may be in short supply. Arrange your life so the trips you need to take to town will be as few as possible. Stash a few 5 gallon containers if there is a safe spot not in your house. Stash some cash so if gasoline is expensive, you can still buy a few gallons.

-- David Holladay (davidh@brailleplanet.org), April 02, 1999.

I'm using my mountain bike more often for personal jaunts under 10 miles (visiting neighbors, grab a beverage). It's good for your health, saves wear and tear on your car.

It cracks me up to see people get in their cars to go two blocks when they could walk.

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), April 02, 1999.

Sara, you live in Hawaii, I assume from your addy. Think about the electrical generator stations on each island running on fuel brought in by tanker. Think about how most of Hawaii's food gets to the Islands. Re-read the Commander of the Coast Guard Congressional testimony from back in Dec(?), probably down in the Transportation Threads archives.

-- Mitchell Barnes (spanda@inreach.com), April 02, 1999.

What will you do when you get to town?

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), April 02, 1999.

Hi Sara,

Nice to see a neighbor. I'm keeping my eyes on the oil situation, as Mitchell suggested. My family also is perched above town (Haleakala) and with the steepest ascent in the world, riding down on a bike may turn out to be a blast, but I can just see myself standing down at the intersection of Hana Hwy and Haleakala looking longingly back up, thumb out, waiting for the next paniolo on a horse to come along and take pity on me!!!

I'm going to have a couple of 5 gal. containers of gas set aside for emergencies, but without proper storage, any more would be a hazard. If we do have shortages, I expect to see different scenarios...perhaps Roberts buses and hotel vans picking up at the community centers early in the morning and dropping off in the evening to get workers up and down the mountain to central points in Lahaina, Wailuku, Kahului and Kihei/Wailea. Just think....public transportation at last!!! What a novel idea...

If fuel is available, but at a higher cost (we pay $1.70 now for regular), sounds like it will be time to get together with others in your area to coordinate trips to town. If fuel is not available at any cost (let's not go there!) it is moot to speculate how we will get down the mountain for jobs (what jobs?), food (what food?), hospital (what hospital?).

Sara, I'm stocking up on the essentials, getting my garden in shape, setting up a water cachement. The feeling of uncertainty is gone now that my preparations are in order. What I can't control, I monitor, and adjust my plans accordingly.

We have a lot of pluses in Hawaii, from what I read in this forum; weather ('nuf said), aloha, riots (what riots?), urban crime (?), etc, etc... When I read about people on the mainland preparing to protect themselves from roving bands and hungry hoards, I get the feeling we must be living on a different planet.

I think we are very fortunate, Sara.

A hui hou aku,

Susan

-- susan (mainaga@maui.net), April 02, 1999.

Hiking boots & bicycles. (Look into the solar-powered Zap unit for bike riding uphill).

It's the oil supply, potential rationing and rising fuel prices that could be the transportation kicker. (In your case compounded by maritime shipping lagging behind in Y2K remediations -- not to mention the port authority dysfunctions).

Remember, the supply chain interdependence means if fuel costs go up, prices for goods and services go up too. Chances are, unemployment will rise as more organizations sluff the fluff. (It's not just computers that are triaged as mission-critical. Employees will be so designated, as well, IMHO).

In the S.F. Bay Area just a small reduction in gas supply due to three downed and/or partially closed oil refineries ... 15 to 30% ... has caused prices to escalate dramatically and dealers to be rationed.

It's a pre-Y2K lesson. For those who choose to observe. Our nightly newsmedia even has consumers calling in daily about where theyve spotted the cheapest gas around the Bay Area. Of course, thats where the gas lines form.

Got alternatives?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 02, 1999.

Mahalo, Susan. Thanks, all.

We're in North Kohala, Susan, in case you're headed this way, please email me so we can meet. We have been in communication with the Kuai self-reliance group, and I'd love to find out what you've got going on there. I can see Haleakal from our windows, so wave!

Mitchell, the reason I relocated from the East Coast to this hand- picked spot in Hawaii is to be in a place where we can live more easily as they did BEFORE the advent of so much industrialization, if need be.

That still doesn't prevent me from wanting to boogie down to town to barter my produce or homemade goods with other gardeners and craftspeople. For the reason of enjoying community, as well as barter, I hope to make the trip down the hill often. It's still the "up the hill" part I am concernd with.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), April 02, 1999.

Since it will be winter, we may have to use dog sleds here in the upper mid-west.

-- winna (??@??.com), April 02, 1999.

BTW, Mitchell, I would like to read the Commander of the Coast Guard Congressional testimony you mentioned. Have searched the archives to no avail. I must have missed the original post in December, as we were house-hunting during the holidays.

Ref: electrical dependency on the grid: wind and solar are viable energy alternatives here. Some of our neighbors are off-the-grid or partially off now.

Also, that's "Kauai"... guess I need Robert Cook's spell checker after all.

Diane, from what I hear, the Zap is not that powerful, not for steep uphill climbs. Horses, dirt bikes, hiking boots still seem to be the best alternatives. Paniolo's are 20 minutes away from me.

I suppose, for a family, we could take a tip from the Amish, and hitch up a wagon or carriage. We may need to put the wagons in a circle anyway, if things get too rough (!)

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), April 02, 1999.