Park Hoppin' vs. High Fuel Prices

[Mr. D.T.]

A lukewarm energy supply in the country and higher fuel prices expected this summer makes me help but wonder: how is this gonna effect your park hoppin'? Will the park admission and food prices increase? How about airfares?

For me, this may affect me a little. It would be a nightmare if you went camping and you had to tow a trailer.

State your opinions here, but promise not to start a flame war. I beg you.

[ihauntu2]

Its going to hurt my long range plans. Parks more than 200 - 300 miles away probably won't get visited. I may also have to cut back on frequent trips to SFSTL & SFGAM.

I already spend $250 - $300 a month in gas according to my last 3 credit card expense reports. I live 15 miles from the nearest city, and I cummute 25 miles one way to work each day. Summer travels usually add $150 - $200 more a month.

I am putting new plugs, coils packs, and a new injector in my car soon, but I will probably still be cutting back.

[Mr. D.T.]

It's a sad story. I'm sure this is gonna dramatically affect many travel plans because of price gouging. Though AAA claims many Americans will deal with it. But there may be an intervention which can drop the prices of crude oil. It's my guess and all I can say is 'we'll see what happens'.

We've gone through these troubled times before and things eventually turned out bearable.

[SammyTheSparerib]

Will it really be any higher than in recent years? Even if gas prices were at 1990s prices, it would still be a major cost factor for long park trips.

There isn't much to say about gas prices now because they'll vary wildly within the season. Regular was around $1.80/gal for a Labor Day weekend trip, but was up to $2.05/gal for the last weekend of Sept.

[w00dland]

I've heard that it may go all the way up to $2.50 a gallon this summer. Up in Milwaukee prices have been between $1.90-$2.20 a gallon. They jump up...go down over a period of 2 weeks, then jump up again. Last week I went to basketball practice and prices were at 1.92, on my way home it jumped 17 cents!

[FParker185]

Go on Roadtrips with enough people and gas prices really become irrevelant, split gas amongst 4-5 people and 50 cents a gallon rise ends up costing a few bucks at most. So, I'll have to go with no it wont affect my plans most likely.

I do however wish gas was still 78 cents a gallon like it was back around 99-00 I think it was.

[sixflagsguy5]

I don't think it will affect me at all, because I don't pay for gas. I either get a ride or take a bus to SF.

[coastermadness05]

Yeah road trips arent looking good this year. I drive a new truck with a v8 and gas is going to kill me going to all the parks.

[Mr. SFGAm]

Gas prices are definately be the deciding factor on how many new parks I get to this year, as well as how many times I can get down to Great America. It wemt up to $2.06 here last Friday, and will probably get worse as it's already $2.09 in Green Bay. The worst it got last summer was $2.17 here, and I couldn't afford that, let alone what I've been hearing, as w00dland stated...

[FParker185]

Actually didnt realize most are considering SFGAm a road trip, I definately won't be visinting SFGAm much at all with high gas prices(at least compared to my # of past yearly visits), I'd rather save $$ to get to other far away, less often visited parks.

[w00dland]

Jumped to $2.27 today, the highest it's ever been around here...

Then again maybe I should be happy, while in LA this summer prices were normally at $2.30 and went all the way up to $2.69.

[SammyTheSparerib]

¿Qué? IllinoisGasPrices.com is only showing $2.24/gal as the highest price.

Gas is cheaper in Southeast Ohio (PKI) and Southern Indiana (HW). If you're concerned enough with gas prices on your trip, a little planning on where to fill up can help. If you've been running on "empty" for a while and you don't like the prices at the next station, you only have to fill 'er up with enough to get to where the gas is cheap.

[Chitown]

Crude oil just jumped up to over $55 a barrel and it is being passed on to the consumer right now. Regular unleaded is now over $2 a gallon in most of the Chicago area and we haven't even gotten hit with the summer formula gasoline to reduce emmissions which will drive the price per gallon up even higher.

[Chitown]

Lovely.

The average price increase for a gallon of gas increased by .20 a gallon. IN ONE DAY!!!!

[Aero737]

Ouch, I havent been driving in the past 3 months so I don't know what the gas prices are like (I never see a gas station).

Gas prices infuenced me a lot last year and cut my trips almost in half from the previous year. This year it's looking like I might not go at all.

[Galvan]

It will be business as usual for me, theres nothing you can do besides price shop at stations.

[w00dland]

When I think about it I'm really only putting in another 4-5 dollars every time I fill up (small car and a small tank) so I don't think it will effect me much.

What do you think the government should do about this? (Without bashing any certain Presidents)

[Galvan]

Nick, they will sit on there asses and do nothing. Just like all the previous presidents and leaders in Government.

Belgovich and Bush are more worried about other things at the moment eg. Bush is screwing up Social Security and Belgovich is worried about putting a 3rd airport in Chicago.

Pretty sad considering i voted for the two.

[Ilovthevu']

I know everyone is complaining about gas prices, and thus they won't go to SFGAm (at least) as much, but I would rather cut back on something else to get there.

Maybe, instead of spending money on food at the park, go somewhere cheaper outside the park. Maybe, you guys see a lot of movies ($7.50 at night), skip some. There are many ways to get around this (if you really do want to go SFGAm a lot), it is just trying to make the one that fits your needs.

[SammyTheSparerib]

Oh, boy. Looks like it's time for John Stossel:

"But the reality is that the "record high gas prices" are a myth. The U.S. Department of Energy records show that when you adjust for inflation the price of gas is now lower than it's been for most of the twentieth century. Prices are lower now than they were 25 years ago. Yes, they price is up from the 1998 all time low of $1.19, but they are a dollar lower than they were in the early 1980s.

When I told this to people at the gas station they didn't believe me. And why should they? The media keep telling us about the record high prices — they're just not adjusting for inflation!"

[Chitown]

We shouldn't have to adjust to inflation on a product that we are basically at the mercy of.

Sure, they have some vehicles that partially use gasoline or even not at all but the fact is the corporations manufacturing vehicles aren't pushing these products harder to make people convert or even mass producing them while slimming down the gasoline guzzling vehicles.

If I could convert my Olds Alero into a vehicle that uses no gasoline, I would have done it already.

[Galvan]

I agree with you Scott.

Its Washington who should step in and fix this mess, and that doesnt mean drilling for oil in Alaska either.

[twixmix0303]

I think GM needs to hurry up with that hydrogen fuel cell...

[Galvan]

^ How would they hurry? Its not going to be availible next week, and even if it was, the cost associated with those cars would be astronomical.

[w00dland]

You'd think with prices going up less SUV's would be sold but thats not the truth. Instead of people buying the full sized SUV's they buy the midsized, which still get crap gas milage. I honestly don't think that will change until a major global warming summit is helded again. Until countries have to cut back on emmissions we'll be driving huge cars.