Gas prices

[Epbowen]

As summer is here and gas is soaring again, the TD makes more sense then ever for those of us who want to explore. Any great adventures planned this summer?

[Woodbutcher]

I am going to KY and TN with a couple other teardrop guys for 2 weeks in July. Not a great adventure but it will be fun.

[Nobody]

Wife & I spent last week driving the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN, & partway back. The parkway is seldom crowded even in 'high' tourist season but traffic was especially light last week. Seemed like many of the vehicles were local & just traveling a short distance before exiting the road. Campers (RV's) were seldom seen. Lotsa motorcycles, many with tiny trailers or camping gear. The 3 campgrounds actually on the pkwy, operated by the National Park Service, no hook-ups but nice level, paved pads, usually lotsa shade, flush toilets, no fee, were uncrowded. We were able to park near the bathrooms every night with no problems, so didn't have to erect the 'potty shelter'. We spent one night at Davis Lake National Forest C/G about 4mi off the pkwy, which has water & elect at each site, mainly for the showers. Even that place had lotsa open sites tho it was a weeknight. Locals said it usually has plenty of campers on weekends. After we exited at the northern terminus we headed west on I-40 where traffic was very heavy (on Thursday) but mostly large trucks; still very few RV's comparatively. We only went a few miles on the interstate then exited to check out a state park which proved unsatisfactory so we took a short cut back to the pkwy & spent another night at Meriwether Lewis NP C/G, & Friday headed south on the pkwy to Jeff Busby NP C/G near Tupelo, MS, then headed home on Saturday. Gasoline in this part of the south is probably considerably 'cheaper' than the national average; Don't think I paid more'n about $3.45 or so on the trip, usually several cents less, & these were at stations near the pkwy. I talked to a few 'touristy' folks at some of the C/Gs & historic sites, & most agreed that fuel prices had or would curtail some of their summer/vacation travel. We are hoping to make it to Slow Cowboy's Walk the Winds gathering near Pinedale, WY in August but gasoline prices will probably determine whether or not that works out...

[Vedette]

We can't wait to be headed south for the IRG so we can travel on cheap gas!
Washington State still has gas under $4.00 / gallon. Ours just hit $6.53 for Regular or $7.43 for premium.
Thus we plan to cross Washington state with Miss Piggy in tow, 10 times this year!!
Wine & Beer are soooooo cheap there too!
Just can't seem to understand what you guys are complaining about?
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[BrwBier]

when I was 16 and pumping gas it was between .28 and 32 cents a gallon. I was making between .95 and 1.10 per hour. When I quit last year I was making, lets just say more and now gas is about $3.65 a gallon. Now, is gas so expensive or not? Not by my math. If I'm wrong help me understand where.
Brwbier

[mustangcats]

In less than a month I will be taking a two week trip and heading west with my TTT. I will be going up through the Dakotas, across northern Montana and then down into Idaho. I want to spend a few days exploring the area around Salmon and Challis, Idaho...I've been reading on the internet all the historic and interesting things to see. Should be able to find cheap or free camping along the way. On the way home if there is time, I'd like to visit Grand Teton National Park since I didn't make it there last year when visiting Yellowstone. Way too much to see in the two weeks I have for vacation. I'm still a few years from retirement age when I could take all the time I want...but if prices get too high I may not be able to afford it .

[Vkkesu]

Gas prices is one reason we decided on a tear drop. We are heading to Colorado to take kids camping in a couple of weeks and hoping to pick up the tear drop if it's ready while on vacation, then in October to North Carolina (HOPEFULLY) with our new tear drop(new to us) to the Overland Expo. Was hoping for a cheap family vacation but have been shocked that unless we are off grid the camping is no longer inexpensive.

[Catherine+twins]

This weekend is the Great American Backyard Campout, so Saturday night we are going to drive all of 10 miles to our "backyard" National Monument campground for a free burger/dog and a ranger talk about the local area and some star gazing. However, we are going home to sleep in our own back yard (in our tent with the rain fly off so we can watch the stars) because I have to be at work at 7:30 Sunday morning.

I work every other weekend, which limits my weekends for camping. There are a number of camp sites here in the Jemez, though, so we may try some of them (as long as the camp grounds only have stage 1 fire restrictions and stay open). We enjoyed our weekend in Chama, CO, last summer, too, so we may head up there again one weekend. If we do that, we'll ride the train, too.

We'll take one weekend to meet my step-mom in Cuchara, CO, near La Veta Pass. There's a tourist train from Alamosa to La Veta (the town), too, and concerts on the pass. We'll probably stay in her mountain condo one night, then camp one night near Taos, NM, on the way back home.

Other than that, one of the local news stations has put out a list of places to go this summer. Some of them are silly, and some of them are city-things, but some look like camping trips.

We'll probably try to see Aztec Ruins (one of their suggestions) and Chaco Canyon (another one) one weekend (I'll make it a long weekend), and Four Corners (yup,that's on the list, too) if there is time. Can't do it over the 4th of July weekend, as I have to work that one, too!

Then, as the weather cools down in October or November, we'll head down south for about a week, do Carlsbad Caverns for one or two days, White Sands, Gilla Cliff Dwellings, and finally Glennwood Catwalk and Silver City area. On the way back we may finally stop at the visitors center for the VLA. In the past we have stopped on the road to take pictures of the huge radio telescopes, but I haven't been in the visitors center for 15 or 20 years!

That's probably more than I can convince my kids to do this summer, but it's a great goal!!!

Thanks for the incentive to put this list together!

Catherine

[Vedette]

So Just doing some simple math.
In 1968 I was working at a car dealership, pumping gas for $1.00/hr. The gas I was pumping was 48 cents/gallon for regular, and 51 cents for premium.
So lets round that up to an average of 50 cents per gallon. 1/2 of my hourly wage.
Let's fast forward 46 years!
2014 gas is at an average of $7.00/ gallon. That means I should be making $14.00 per hour to be at par with the times.
News Flash! I have not worked for as low as $14.00/hr. for at least the last 35. years!
So in comparison to what I make now (even in retirement) "Gas is almost Free"
Remember.....you can't take it with you!
And places like Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Dry Falls, Crooked River, McArthur Burney Falls, Mountains of Wyoming, Grand Coulee Dam, Columbia Ice Fields,Woods Farm,(and the list goes on) ......are way more impressive in person than in any photo you can ever see or take!
So, to miss these places because of the price of gas? That is just "Crazy Talk"
Go out and enjoy!!! Before you are too old!!!!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi
PS
We hope to meet all of you somewhere??? If only for a couple of minutes at a Gas Station while fueling up!

[gudmund]

so as not to scare any of us "Americans" away from Verdette's get-together the end of July with the higher gas prices he just stated in Canada - His place is located not that far into Canada and it is possible to fill up in Washington at the $4.00 a gallon, travel to his house and than back into Washington without having to buy any Canadian gas. Example from Sumas, Wash.(west side on the mountains) to his place and back to Tonasket, Wash.(east side of the mountains - Hy 97) its about 270 miles which is the route I will be going. My truck gets 20 mpg/19.5 gallon tank = about a 350 mile range give or take a gallon safely - I'm good!!! And to think in 1965 my dad was selling gas at his gas station during one of the common gas wars back than for 19.9 a gallon with trucks getting a 2.0 cent discount = 17.9 !!!! per gallon. His pumps only read to $9.99 total - you had to keep track how many times they flipped when filling the big trucks which most of the time held over 100+ gallons on a fill up, this was a time when a lot of trucks were still gas powered before diesel became the common thing.

[Redneck Teepee]

I'm on Brian's side here,.... yep gas is high and going up overnite. We take our annual Oregon coast trip next month in July pulling the 5th wheel with our usual group and from home port to home port we will burn in the neighborhood of 200 gallons of diesel fuel @ roughly 11.5 mpg while pulling. It will be a few dollars higher for fuel overall than last years trip, but we are still looking forward to it and would not even think about staying home.

When you reach a certain age you realize that you cannot do the things you did at 30 or 40, and while keeping in the back of your mind that some day you won't be able to do what you do now, even though for most of us up in age it's just a little slower and lot smarter.

My mother being a prime example @ 84 years old, her and my father before he passed on were avid RV'ers in their early retired years, after his passing she traveled with out an RV with her older sister to many places of interest in this great country of ours until her sister's passing on, and now with my mother on a walker and pretty much confined to home, she can no longer travel with ease. What I'm getting at is they all did it while they could and I'm happy they got to go while the gettin was good. The wife and I intend to do the same with the 5th wheel (she likes her room) and me with the teardrop on my fly fishing trips until we no longer can.

[Woodbutcher]

While I agree with the premiss that gas could be viewed as a bargain, even now. I have a couple points to make. Gas in Chicago runs 25-50 cents a gallon above the national average. The suburbs are selling regular right around 4 bucks a gallon, in the city 4.50-5.00 . Many of the jobs you guys mentioned would be considered minimum wage jobs today.
So that equates to an 8-9 dollar an hour job today if you double the gas price. There are many people trying to keep their heads above water with these or slightly better wages. Couple that with all the other added taxes that are in every part of our lives now, and many people will have to make choices. Most of us on this forum can afford to travel in our trailers if we chose to, and still fill the tank. But something has to give some where. I also agree that I will travel no matter what. Maybe I go out for dinner less or don't buy something I have wanted. Life has trade offs, it just seems to get harder to get by then it use to.

[doug hodder]

If you think gas is expensive, try filling your tank with coffee, just beans and water, no millions of dollars and regulations to get it out of the ground. People will stand in line to buy a cup of Starbucks and not even think twice on the price per cup on that stuff.

[Redneck Teepee]

If you think gas is expensive, try filling your tank with coffee, just beans and water, no millions of dollars and regulations to get it out of the ground. People will stand in line to buy a cup of Starbucks and not even think twice on the price per cup on that stuff.

Bingo Doug! ....I know several people who spend upwards of $50 a week at Starbucks, my brother being one of them, that would be vacation/camping trip if you just drank your home brew over the course of a year.

I guess it all boils down to priority's and what you prefer to spend your money on.

[Olddog1]

Dragging a 32' fifth wheel from Florida to Maine next month on diesel. One of the reasons I'm here and hopefully the last time I will be doing this.