Yes, I was quite fortunate that the wind vector had an easterly component. Here is the wind data for Laramie, Rock Springs and Salt Lake City for that day. If anyone is wondering how much impact aerodynamics has on mileage, this is food for thought because I actually lifetime average in the low 50 mpg range but this tank gave me 65.5!
Below, the wind speed is to the left of the direction:
Weather Conditions for KLAR (Laramie WY)
Tabular Listing: July 25, 2008 - 8:00 through July 26, 2008 - 09:00 MDT Time(MDT) Temperature Dew Relative Wind Wind Wind Quality Pressure Sea level Altimeter Weather Visibility Precipitation Precipitation Precipitation Ceiling
Point Humidity Speed Gust Direction check pressure conditions 1hr 6hr 24hr
° F ° F % mph mph in in in miles in in in feet
8:53 66.0 51.1 59 8 S OK 23.15 30.00 30.32 clear 10.00
7:53 60.1 51.1 72 8 S OK 23.15 29.99 30.32 clear 10.00
6:53 55.9 52.0 87 14 S OK 23.15 29.99 30.32 clear 10.00
5:53 55.0 52.0 89 14 S OK 23.15 29.99 30.32 clear 10.00 0.01
4:53 55.9 53.1 90 20 SSE OK 23.15 29.97 30.32 clear 10.00
3:53 57.0 53.1 87 18 SSE OK 23.16 29.98 30.33 clear 10.00
2:53 57.0 53.1 87 18 SSE OK 23.16 30.00 30.33 clear 10.00
1:53 57.0 52.0 83 17 SSE OK 23.16 29.97 30.33 clear 10.00
0:53 57.0 52.0 83 14 S OK 23.16 29.97 30.33 clear 10.00
23:53 57.0 50.0 77 14 S OK 23.17 30.00 30.35 clear 10.00 0.00
22:53 57.9 51.1 78 13 S OK 23.17 30.01 30.35 clear 10.00
21:53 62.1 51.1 67 14 ESE OK 23.17 30.01 30.35 clear 10.00
20:53 62.1 53.1 72 14 E OK 23.16 30.01 30.34 mostly clear 10.00 0.00
20:39 62.6 53.6 72 13 21 ENE OK 23.16 30.34 mostly clear 10.00 0.00
19:55 69.8 46.4 43 15 30 W OK 23.15 30.32 mostly cloudy 10.00 0.00 7500
19:53 72.0 46.9 41 17 30 W OK 23.14 29.98 30.31 lt rain 10.00 0.00 8000
18:53 75.9 46.0 35 30 43 S OK 23.11 29.94 30.27 mostly clear 10.00 0.00
17:53 77.0 48.0 36 29 36 S OK 23.12 29.97 30.29 lt rain 10.00 0.00
16:53 80.1 51.1 37 26 35 SE OK 23.12 29.95 30.29 clear 10.00
15:53 79.0 46.0 31 28 33 SE OK 23.14 29.98 30.31 clear 10.00
15:12 78.8 51.8 39 21 28 SE OK 23.15 30.32 clear 10.00
14:53 73.9 54.0 50 22 31 ESE OK 23.16 30.02 30.33 clear 10.00 0.01
14:43 75.2 55.4 50 24 35 SE OK 23.16 30.33 mostly clear 10.00 0.01
14:40 75.2 55.4 50 25 38 SSE OK 23.16 30.33 lt rain 10.00 0.01
14:01 78.8 48.2 34 6 SE OK 23.14 30.31 mostly clear 10.00
13:53 81.0 37.9 22 0 OK 23.14 29.95 30.31 clear 10.00
12:53 82.0 39.9 22 0 OK 23.15 29.95 30.32 clear 10.00
11:53 81.0 42.1 25 9 E OK 23.16 29.96 30.33 clear 10.00
10:53 78.1 42.1 28 8 NNE OK 23.16 29.98 30.34 clear 10.00
9:53 72.0 43.0 35 5 NNW OK 23.16 30.01 30.34 mostly clear 10.00
8:53 66.9 45.0 45 0 OK 23.16 30.01 30.34 clear 10.00
MESOWEST STATION INTERFACE
Weather Conditions for KRKS (Rock Springs)
Tabular Listing: July 25, 2008 - 8:00 through July 26, 2008 - 09:00 MDT Time(MDT) Temperature Dew Relative Wind Wind Wind Quality Pressure Sea level Altimeter Weather Visibility
Point Humidity Speed Gust Direction check pressure conditions
° F ° F % mph mph in in in miles
8:54 69.1 43.0 39 3 OK 23.57 29.99 30.27 clear 10.00
7:54 64.9 39.9 40 3 NNE OK 23.56 29.97 30.26 clear 10.00
6:54 61.0 39.0 44 3 ENE OK 23.55 29.97 30.25 clear 10.00
5:54 60.1 37.9 44 3 ENE OK 23.55 29.96 30.24 clear 10.00
4:54 62.1 37.9 41 5 ENE OK 23.54 29.95 30.23 clear 10.00
3:54 62.1 37.0 39 3 E OK 23.54 29.93 30.23 clear 10.00
2:54 64.0 37.0 37 0 OK 23.54 29.93 30.23 clear 10.00
1:54 66.0 37.9 36 8 S OK 23.54 29.93 30.23 clear 10.00
0:54 69.1 36.0 30 6 SSE OK 23.54 29.93 30.23 clear 10.00
23:54 70.0 36.0 29 6 SSE OK 23.55 29.93 30.24 clear 10.00
22:54 71.1 37.0 29 6 ESE OK 23.54 29.93 30.23 clear 10.00
21:54 72.0 37.0 28 9 SW OK 23.53 29.93 30.22 clear 10.00
20:54 75.0 36.0 24 10 SW OK 23.51 29.92 30.20 clear 10.00
19:54 81.0 36.0 20 13 SSW OK 23.51 29.91 30.19 clear 10.00
18:54 84.0 35.1 17 18 S OK 23.51 29.92 30.19 clear 10.00
17:54 81.0 35.1 19 22 31 S OK 23.51 29.93 30.19 clear 10.00
16:54 82.9 35.1 18 22 S OK 23.52 29.93 30.21 clear 10.00
15:54 89.1 33.1 14 17 S OK 23.53 29.92 30.22 clear 10.00
14:54 84.9 35.1 17 24 SSE OK 23.54 29.94 30.23 clear 10.00
13:54 86.0 37.0 18 20 25 SE OK 23.55 29.94 30.24 mostly clear 10.00
13:30 84.2 33.8 16 5 16 OK 23.55 30.25 thunder 10.00
12:54 84.9 37.0 18 5 OK 23.56 29.96 30.26 clear 10.00
11:54 84.0 41.0 22 9 18 SE OK 23.58 29.98 30.28 clear 10.00
10:54 78.1 43.0 29 8 E OK 23.58 30.00 30.29 clear 10.00
9:54 73.9 45.0 36 13 ENE OK 23.59 30.01 30.30 clear 10.00
8:54 69.1 48.0 47 8 ENE OK 23.60 30.03 30.31 clear 10.00
http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/rom...LOCAL&stn=KRKS
Weather Conditions for KSLC (Salt Lake City, UT)
Tabular Listing: July 25, 2008 - 8:00 through July 26, 2008 - 09:00 MDT Time(MDT) Temperature Dew Relative Wind Wind Wind Quality Pressure Sea level Altimeter Weather Visibility Ceiling
Point Humidity Speed Gust Direction check pressure conditions
° F ° F % mph mph in in in miles feet
8:53 84.0 50.0 31 12 SSE OK 25.71 29.83 30.02 partly cloudy 10.00
7:53 81.0 48.9 33 9 S OK 25.70 29.80 30.01 partly cloudy 10.00
6:53 79.0 46.9 32 16 SSE OK 25.69 29.79 30.00 mostly clear 10.00
5:53 79.0 46.9 32 13 SSE OK 25.67 29.77 29.98 partly cloudy 10.00
4:53 79.0 48.0 34 13 S OK 25.67 29.77 29.98 mostly clear 10.00
3:53 80.1 48.0 33 13 SSE OK 25.67 29.76 29.97 partly cloudy 10.00
2:53 82.0 46.9 29 6 SSE OK 25.67 29.76 29.98 partly cloudy 10.00
1:53 82.0 44.1 26 10 SSE OK 25.66 29.75 29.96 mostly clear 10.00
0:53 80.1 42.1 26 7 SE OK 25.66 29.75 29.96 mostly clear 10.00
23:53 81.0 42.1 25 9 SSE OK 25.66 29.75 29.96 mostly clear 10.00
22:53 84.0 42.1 23 9 SSE OK 25.66 29.75 29.96 mostly clear 10.00
21:53 84.9 41.0 21 9 SSE OK 25.65 29.75 29.95 partly cloudy 10.00
20:53 84.9 43.0 23 7 NNE OK 25.63 29.74 29.93 partly cloudy 10.00
19:53 96.1 34.0 11 9 N OK 25.63 29.72 29.93 partly cloudy 10.00
18:53 99.0 30.9 9 12 NNE OK 25.63 29.72 29.93 partly cloudy 10.00
17:53 100.9 32.0 9 12 N OK 25.64 29.73 29.94 partly cloudy 10.00
16:53 100.9 33.1 10 8 NNW OK 25.66 29.75 29.96 mostly clear 10.00
15:53 100.9 33.1 10 13 18 NNW OK 25.67 29.77 29.97 mostly clear 10.00
14:53 99.0 32.0 10 3 OK 25.68 29.79 29.99 partly cloudy 10.00
13:53 99.0 28.9 9 6 20 ESE OK 25.70 29.81 30.01 partly cloudy 10.00
12:53 96.1 30.9 10 13 16 S OK 25.72 29.83 30.03 partly cloudy 10.00
11:53 93.9 37.0 14 14 S OK 25.73 29.84 30.04 partly cloudy 10.00
10:53 91.9 39.9 16 15 SSE OK 25.73 29.85 30.04 partly cloudy 10.00
9:53 84.9 41.0 21 10 SE OK 25.73 29.85 30.05 mostly cloudy 10.00 13000
8:53 82.0 39.9 22 10 SE OK 25.72 29.85 30.03 mostly cloudy 10.00 13000
http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/rom...LOCAL&stn=KSLC
Any hypermilers who want to examine trip performance vs. wind direction can find this wonderful tool here:
http://www.wxusa.com/wx1/wx.php?conf...C+UT&Submit=GO
I don't use a tach or Scangauge. My most valuable instrument is a $4 garden pot bird with spring-loaded wings that I mounted to my cowling with the wings straight into the airflow. The faster you go, the more the wings fold up. You get good mileage when they are out, lousy mileage when they are up. If there is a cross wind, the upwind wing will point up and the downwind wing will lay straight out. If you want to draft someone, they start flapping in the wake turbulence. If you draw up real close, the wings open - even at 70 mph!
I'm not kidding when I say that if you offered me a tach, Scangauge or the bird, I'd take the bird without hesitation.
Follow this link to see the bird in a news video
http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_ne...ry/487709.html