With gas at 3.69 a gallon in January we have changed our summer vacation plans. We planned on taking the travel trailer down to Biloxi Ms and hanging out on the gulf shore this year. However getting 11 MPG at four bucks a gallon or better made us think twice. Now we are going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan instead to visit the family cutting the trip in half at least. Still on the water just much colder. Pure greed, no oil shortage, the US consumption is down as well as China's. Just sucks. I'm glad I bought a little four banger for running to work and around town.

It really just changes which vehicle we use. The comfy Tahoe will sit idle and we will pack in to a smaller vehicle.

I expect to see fewer of the "I got this deer/antelope/elk tag so I could get away from the wife and drink beer for a week." afield

I don't plan anything.

At $8 and change a gallon, it hasn't slowed me down. I have to do what I have to do and pass those expenses on to those that can best afford it. No one loses in this economy. One hand washes the other hand.

3.69 up here today, brinky. That's up from 3.27 the week before Christmas.

Gonna cut into our camper hauling, too.

After parking the 5er for two years, it's coming out early July and I'm hauling it to SD for at least a week in Spearfish.. Screw the fuel cost.. I should get +/- 12 hauling.. It's about 600 miles one way - that equals about $400 for fuel on the trip (plus any side trips)..

Other than that, whenever the weather permits, I'll ride the motorcycle - I get 40+ mpg with that..

As to overall fuel costs, all one can do is raise prices to compensate.. I had to raise my rates on some things last year - first time in five years I've raised prices.. I hope it's the last.

The cold temps and neck deep snow has done more to slow me down than the price of gas. Once I get dug out I plan on riding my sled this weekend and having some fun in the steep and deep.

Yup, i've been unemployed since Dec 16th. Had to miss going to see the family and still cant do anything but sit in this little rat trap of an apartment in between
Job interviews. Just cant have fun no more sheesh!

Curtailed our plans to drive to Alaska this year; probably go no further than visiting my WY friends in May & Oct.

in general, big city folks will probably choose to recreate closer to home. gasoline costs, either reflected through pump prices, or mpg for the vehicle are a direct cost for lot's of recreationists. but, if one has unlimited resources in terms of money to spend, none of that really matters.

i mean, if ya gotta ask what it costs, ya probably don't qualify to begin with.

as for me, i would almost give my eye teeth for a V8 Toyota. i settled for a 6 cylinder. looking back, if a 4 cyl had been available, that'd probably have been a better choice than the v6.

Dude you live in paradise!

Whatcha gonna do, go down to detroit to put things into perspective?

gas is brutal; Avgas prices are a painal.

Going to D town this weekend to watch the Redwings and Blackhawks. Usually Detroit has better prices on gas. Sure hope that town gets better,it could really be a nice place to visit if they ever got smart and cleaned it up.

I don't foresee that ever happening... short of a nuclear explosion and starting over.

Paid $3.07 for reg this morning. We do not take any more quick trips (weekend) to the cabin. Just not worth it unless you burn a Friday and/or Monday to turn it into a 3 or 4 day.
As far as running around, we try to plan the Costco, Lowes, HD, Wally World in one trip so we aren't backtracking. Both of us driving a V-8 it makes a big difference. If you need to run to the store to grab something, it better fit on my scooter (1/2 rack, loaf of bread).

your points resonate with many of us. it's not an issue of whether we like what is happening or not. it's the reality that it is happening (rising gas prices) whether we like it or not.

how to adjust in an orderly fashion, that is the challenge.

if we can't come up with alternative energy resources pretty quickly, well, Katy Bar the door. but, we can change, and adapt. it's easy enough to do. Playing, and cooking out in our own backyards is a peice of the puzzle, as families choose to recreate together.

how are one's neighbors choosing to adapt to the changing economics of travel? they might have something to teach us?

I use the much cheaper "pink diesel".

Having "Farm Status" has it's benefits up here.

So you can legally drive a diesel p/up truck up and down the highway in Canada using red diesel ?

No changes here.

I paid something like $2.60 for regular a couple of days ago, so I am surprised to hear of the prices others are paying. But, even when it was over $4, it never affected us because most of our "road trips" are within 150 miles.

A couple weeks ago it dropped under $3. down to 2.96 this morning. It's usually higher here than in other parts of so. Idaho but no one can explain why. We're right on the pipeline.

I live 13 miles south of Detroit, it hit $3.63 today!, a week ago it was 3.24, Just plain SUCKs

fuggit,..

Ha! Funny you should say paradise because the road I live on dead ends at the shore of Paradise Lake just 300yds from my driveway, really. I know what you mean though, I live in a really nice area and if it were up to just me I'd be content to stay home and seldom travel anywhere except to visit family on occasion. Mrs. Bruinruin however has strong feelings about owning an ooverpriced camper so we can burn lots of gas every other weekend of th summer and neglect our little slice of heaven.

BCBrian, you gonna answer the question?

It doesn't.

Me too.

Since he won't answer my question ( I can probably venture a guess as to why), will some Canadians please do so.......my question to him is, can you legally drive up and down the Canadian public roads and highways, in a diesel powered car or pickup truck, burning red diesel instead of clear diesel fuel? How much Canadian tax is levied on highway diesel fuel up there?

That would make two of us

I figure the mental health bills of me not going out and enjoying myself when I have free time are much higher than the cost of gas.

It's been $4.45 for awhile now where I live. Heating fuel ain't much cheaper. My fuel bill for the boat, car, and house was 8k last year.

I didn't go to my small place in Montana this summer, and I haven't been chuckar hunting this fall. A 400-500 mile RT drive to the chuckar spots I like plus jeep trail roads when I get there eat up too much GA$. The quail around my place have caught h@ll, though.

well, I am not worried about Lay-offs this year.

Taxed diesel(#1) is about $4.29 here, around $200 to fill up the work pickups but they go 10 days or so on full tanks just putting around feeding cows.
We never go anywhere outside of work anyway so 'recreation' fuel doesn't amount to much.


Hate to say it but I hope oil stays 'high', little rig activity going on nearby which is good for the local economy.

We usually fly any distance. Gas is not too high here in DC. I bought premium this morning for $3.89.gallon; better then $4.00+.

Since moving to CO where gas i more expensive...we have saved money. Course working from home instead of commuting in Dallas traffic...might'n have something to do with it. But price of gas has never changed when/what/where I drive. Usually cheaper than milk...something else I won't be denied...

my plans won't change. i'm retired (and extremely Blessed) and can afford to go, so i'm going just like i have in the past.

Never seen a luggage rack on a hearse.

Not in the least , I'm flying to St Martin next week to get on a boat for seven days in the British Virgin Islands.

yes ------------farm statis vehicles burn marked fuel --gas or diesel, they are supposed to be on farm busness,,

on some construction sites marked is also run on hwys

norm

Didn't some of the ethonol subidies recently come to an end?

That's what my dad said I believe, something like .05 cents a gallon. And what did they do, raise the price .10-.15 cents. (What a joke)


It's been said a million and one times, but the fuel prices are really a crock of sh*t.

News today said the Iranian threat was enough to raise the pump prices about 15 cents per gallon at the pumps in the US. More in Europe. My fuel supplier, Crowley said it could go over $10 a gallon for me in summer delivery. I get a load by river barge.

While it hasn't altered my plans greatly, I can't wait for summer, so I can park my F350, and throw a leg over my 40+ MPG Harley! Uses way less fuel, and waaay more fun to ride!

Jeff

the same here in Columbus.
They are already warning of $4 soon. And more when the "much harder to make, summer fuel comes!"
What insane BS they try and feed the public!

I just buy less schit when I get there....

We're still waiting.

The question got answered, but not by BCBrian. Imagine that. BCBrian let his mockingbird mouth overload his whippoorwhil azz again. It turns out that he should now be considered a tax cheat, crook, and thief, according to his very own words.

The Titan stays in the driveway more, and the little gets to go almost everywhere....

As long as you have "farm plates" - it's legal here in B.C. to drive on highways using pink diesel.

I have those plates.

So, sorry to disappoint you - but what that means is I'm not breaking any British Columbian Provincial laws by driving my truck on the highway.

Therefore - I'm not the crook, tax cheat and thief that you accuse me of being.

Isn't it un-Christian to wrongly accuse people? Your tag-line says America needs more God...maybe all it really needs, is just more people treating one another - as they'd like to be treated themselves? I could have sworn I read sentiments similar to that somewhere in the Bible.

JGRaider - Your accusations appear totally un-Christian to me. Are they?

Who appears to have the "mockingbird mouth" that overloaded their "whippoorwhil azz" now?

Between the two of us - I don't think it's me.

Nope, don't even notice it..

The wife and I no longer do recreational driving (spontaneous trips for just sight seeing or entertainment). No effects otherwise. It simply makes most of what we do cost more.

It might put a cramp in the snowmobiling this winter. It takes a lot of gas for the little 5.3 Chevy to pull the 27 foot enclosed trailer up to the top of the Big Horn Mountains. Then to fill 4 sleds with fuel and oil and bring it all back home.... it adds up fast.

It plain sucks. There is no reason for it. No shortage ,no increased demand none of it. I don't have the type of job where I can pass my expense onto the cost of an end product to cover my bills. Not saying that's wrong that's business. What gets me is that these oil companies are making record profits and the rules of supply and demand don't apply.
I wish I could spend more of my money at local businesses in the towns I visit rather than give it to the oil companies. I guess I could beat my head against the wall all day about it but there is nothing I can do. My money will stay in Michigan this year I guess.

Well just hold on there brinky72. Their "record profits" are at 8-9%. That's a lot less than some other companies. And there are no government subsidies either.
Its easy to demonize them when other costs up the "food chain" add to it.
We have so much refined fuel that we are selling it to South America. The rules of supply and demand most certainly do apply.
The fact is the Straits of Hormuz has the markets a little jittery although WTI closed today just under $100.

The fact is that we do not have an energy policy. Certainly the Obama administration doesn't - other than to raise the price of gasoline, eg. Keystone and drilling moratoriums.
Obama would rather waste $250M on failed alternatives like Solyndra and $3Billion (yes!) on the Volt than pull together a responsible energy plan. Nov. 6th, 2012, the day of reckoning for this embarrassment.

I got all the way through this thread, six pages, and no one had complained about Obama NOT okaying the Keystone pipeline which has the potential to increase jobs in this country and LOWER the price of all oil products. Neither was anything said about the lop-eared one shutting down 87,000 jobs in the Gulf of Mexico on the oil rigs. Well, people, gas was well BELOW $3.00 a gallon when the lop-eared jackass got into the White House and look at it now! Quit your complaining and decide wether or not you are returning this dipstick to the WH come Nov. 6. Also, by the way, look up and review the NDAA act that Obozo signed on Jan. 2, 2012. You could be sent to and held in Gitmo now without representation under this character without charges, etc.! Good luck, come NOv. and beyond!

I'll take that as an endorsement!

That's not really true 1 minute. The cost of fuel is affecting the cost of transporting all the goods we buy in the stores. You can't just isolate it from your spontaneous road trips. There is an overall cost that is passed on to the consumer. In addition, the cost of energy in the manufacturing of goods is passed along as well. No one here can insulate or isolate themselves from this.

brinky2, yes there is something you can about it!!! Get involved politically in your locale and make your thoughts known. Go to your GOP caucus. Get involved. Politicos like Obama love it when people like you are resigned to your fate. Then THEY have won.
Hell no! Get involved and fight back!