Fuel prices!!!

[Handysam]

Just wondering if gas/diesel prices are affecting anyone's camping, or travel plans. Seems to continue to go up, and history says prices go up even more during the summer months.

[THedges]

Yep, diesel prices are killing me. Sad to say, but it will not affect us going out. Taking out the TT on the weekends is what gets me through the week, so I guess I'll be taking what ever abuse the gas companies dole out. :)

[jq1031]

WOW, here in Southwest Florida $4.05 for diesel, & it's going to get worse. To be more specific SAM, the fuel prices has GREATLY effected our summer travel plans. Originally we had a trip planned that was taking us through Las Vegas, on to Portland, OR. across the US to Western NY State, visiting our children in all locations. We'll that's all off........Instead, our kids are coming east & we'll visit in Buffalo, NY & Cap Cod, Mass. during July & August.
I'm sure the diesel costs will still be like a couple house payments.....JOE

[hankpage]

WOW, here in Southwest Florida $4.05 for diesel, & it's going to get worse. To be more specific SAM, the fuel prices has GREATLY effected our summer travel plans. Originally we had a trip planned that was taking us through Las Vegas, on to Portland, OR. across the US to Western NY State, visiting our children in all locations. We'll that's all off........Instead, our kids are coming east & we'll visit in Buffalo, NY & Cap Cod, Mass. during July & August.
I'm sure the diesel costs will still be like a couple house payments.....JOE

Joe, We just filled up in Nikomis, Hess was $4.05. We have another week before we head north and I know fuel prices will be climbing as we go. That is not the only thing that makes me want to stay ...... the weather this month has been perfect .... only ran the A/C three nights and that was mainly because of sun burn. :D We sure do love your neck of the woods, Hank ..FYI, Seffner Flying J was $4.19 last week.

[jq1031]

Joe, We just filled up in Nikomis, Hess was $4.05. We have another week before we head north and I know fuel prices will be climbing as we go. That is not the only thing that makes me want to stay ...... the weather this month has been perfect .... only ran the A/C three nights and that was mainly because of sun burn. :D We sure do love your neck of the woods, Hank ..FYI, Seffner Flying J was $4.19 last week.

Where are you staying while here, just curious.......Sarasota Sunny South near Siesta Key? (GREAT PLACE BTW). Also, make sure you stop for dinner & a drink 2-4-1 at OPHILIA'S, just another block past that Hess Station at Lorral Rd....in the plaza to the right. VG food & equally good prices. While your there, get a haircut from my buddy John Farina(N Jersey) who has the barber shop next door, tell him Joe (with the Glock pistol) (don't be alarmed everybody carries down here) sent you!

[hankpage]

Where are you staying while here, just curious.......Sarasota Sunny South near Siesta Key? (GREAT PLACE BTW)

Sun-N-Fun in Sarasota. Been coming here for about 16 yrs. and can't wait to retire and winter here. I think I was born to be a "Snow Bird". BUT!!! Have to work a few more years. :(

[JRTJH]

We had planned a 2 month trip through Ohio (kids) and on to North Carolina (kids) then back up through New York, across to Canada and back here through the UP of Michigan. Not sure if we'll do it with gas prices. We're paying $4 a gallon for regular and $4.35 for diesel. It gets a little cheaper toward Detroit, but not much.

Ohio is around $3.72 for reg and $3.99 for diesel.
North Carolina $3.65 and $3.99

Like most, I think gas will rise the more demand we have during the summer.

What scares me is the trip back through Canada. It's about 25 to 40% more in Canada (using US dollars) so, if we do the trip, it'll probably be back through NJ, Penn, Ohio and back home.

[Festus2]

Fuel prices in Canada are indeed more; and, like the US, it varies from region to region. Now that our dollar is slightly above the US$, the exchange rate might have some, slight negative impact on US travellers who pay for gas in US funds.
The last time I checked, our fuel prices were, on average, approximately 25%-30% higher. I haven't seen any 40% difference but there well may be.
Regardless of which side of the border you live on, it hurts just as much when you pull up to the pump.
And just to think that Easter usually marks the beginning of the price increase. It will get worse. Not a Happy Easter thought!

[JRTJH]

Nope, fuel increases is not a happy thought,

BUT !!!!! Happy Easter, just the same !!!!!

I'm stiil not sure which way we'll come home if we even make the trip, but either way, fuel will play a major deciding factor. Without getting into politics, I wonder just how much of this is real and how much is planned to reach a political objective?????? Either way, it hurts the travel budget

[cpaulsen]

Here in Northern California....regular unleaded is $4.37 a gallon and diesel is right around $4.45-$4.50 a gallon.

[pollockd]

You only live once, keep traveling and having fun. Gas is only a part of a trips expensive.

[Ruffus]

I paid $4.89 in Paso Robles California last month for Diesel. Paid $3.89 yesterday in Topeka Kansas and they don't have their own oil production up here. What a State Cal is, they drill their own oil, refine it double the price. I'm a Native Californian and have never been able to figure that one out, I guess they call it Smog Control.:confused:

[jq1031]

I guess one of the thinks we can do to help the situation is slow down. 60 MPH is going to be my top speed.

[DEW]

Yes the gas price is a little disturbing. I have seen some comments about the Canadian Price being 40% higher.
If the reference was per gallon, one needs to make sure they compare to the correct gallon.
The US gallon is about 3.85litres, The Canadian gallon is 4.5litres.
Our current gas price is $1.35/litre. (So about $5.20/ US gallon)
Sorry I do not know what the price is for deisel....

Current US dollar being below parity with the Looney will mean an extra hit for our US friends driving above the 49th Parallel.

[Festus2]

Using your figure of $5.20 per US gallon, that price is $1.40 per gallon higher than the lowest price I could find in Detroit, Michigan ($3.80) . This works out to about 37% higher --- close to 40%! - in Ontario. By the time you factor in the current exchange rate, any American travellers are probably looking at paying 40% more if they were to drive in Ontario. In Alberta where the gas is the cheapest of all provinces, it would be close to 33-35% more.

[campingcpl]

We are paying about $4.29 a gallon here in northern Indiana for diesel. It is going to slow us down a little when it comes to the longer trips and will probably end up camping closer to home but shouldn't stop us from camping. We have a trip planed to South Dakota in the fall so we are hopping the fuel prices will be back down to reasonable rate by then.

[2011 keystone]

We will be leaving our tt in storage at a close to home campground this year. the way i figure it. It will cost me 175.00 usd to leave it there. I will spend more than that in 2 trips for gas pulling the trailer.

[jq1031]

Just when the economy seems to be on the upswing, we get blindsided by the oil companies. I guess me & you, Mr & Mrs. JQ Public better just keep licking our wounds, as we always have!

[Ruffus]

If we could get everyone in North America to stay home for one day and not drive I think we could wake up these speculators. If we could do it for 3 days we would have enough oil that they would have to lower the price because they couldn't store anymore. Just ny 2 cents worth!!:rolleyes:

[hoffbrew]

$4.68 today in Fresno, CA !!!! Gotta love it. This has not put a huge damper on our outings, but gas is in our conversation now where before it was just part of it and dealt with it. Lets bring this up again in a few months!!

[jq1031]

Sun-N-Fun in Sarasota. Been coming here for about 16 yrs. and can't wait to retire and winter here. I think I was born to be a "Snow Bird". BUT!!! Have to work a few more years. :(

I know you're about ready to head North, so I just wanted to wish you a safe & smooth journey! Don't know you Hank, but I think we would get along! JOE

[JRTJH]

Using your figure of $5.20 per US gallon, that price is $1.40 per gallon higher than the lowest price I could find in Detroit, Michigan ($3.80) . This works out to about 37% higher --- close to 40%! - in Ontario. By the time you factor in the current exchange rate, any American travellers are probably looking at paying 40% more if they were to drive in Ontario. In Alberta where the gas is the cheapest of all provinces, it would be close to 33-35% more.

Years ago when we lived in Duluth, MN, we made an annual "pilgrimmage" to Thunder Bay every summer. Back then, we pulled a small tent camper with a small car. We always looked forward to that 2 weeks and had hoped to repeat that "ancient journey" this summer. However, with gas where it is, I really don't think we'll do it this year. Hopefully things will normalize and in coming years we'll be able to repeat those wonderful trips. It's not a lack of desire that keeps me out of Canada, it's strictly cost. <sigh>

[DTJ9610]

Putting gas into the truck was quite a sticker shock the first few times. I was coming from a oyota Sienna that was getting about 21 mpg. Our biggest trip this year is from Buffalo, NY to Gettysburg, PA. Figure the gass is going to cost me about $400ish... JOY!!! However the family loves the camping. The wife is already talking about a trip to Disney with it (have to do some research on that to compare driving/camping v flying /hotel)... Happy Camping!!

[Outbackmel]

That fly/hotel thing is always something to consider on any trip of distance these days. Lot's of "specials" going on Disney area hotels...another thing to consider is the www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner). We have used it several times and had good experiences. Some condos are available very close to the Disney entrance; like 10 minutes by car. You also need to consider a rental vehicle if you plan to be in the area more than a few days.
Lot's of interesting things to do and see in the Orlando area.

Just like camping....planning and the trip are at least 1/2 the fun....in the end; dollar wise; I'll bet the choice comes out about even :)

Good luck....

[hankpage]

I know you're about ready to head North, so I just wanted to wish you a safe & smooth journey! Don't know you Hank, but I think we would get along! JOE


Probably because of your well wishes we had a great trip home ... we left Fri. at noon and were home Sat. at 4PM.(1243 mi.) and to show my thanks I brought home about 50 lbs. of your "Love Bugs" on the front of my truck and trailer. :eek: If you look closely you can see thousands of little tiny smiling faces of those that died in the act of doing the only thing they were born to do. (I think the moderators will allow me to say that)

To get back to the original idea of the thread fuel was right around the $4 mark at most FlyingJs' (I only stop 3 times and only FlyingJ ... at home and in Fla. I use only Hess) with SC being the cheapest for a "Bio Blend" that was the only thing available at the RV island. (Ran Great)

[jq1031]

Probably because of your well wishes we had a great trip home ... we left Fri. at noon and were home Sat. at 4PM.(1243 mi.) and to show my thanks I brought home about 50 lbs. of your "Love Bugs" on the front of my truck and trailer. :eek: If you look closely you can see thousands of little tiny smiling faces of those that died in the act of doing the only thing they were born to do. (I think the moderators will allow me to say that)

To get back to the original idea of the thread fuel was right around the $4 mark at most FlyingJs' (I only stop 3 times and only FlyingJ ... at home and in Fla. I use only Hess) with SC being the cheapest for a "Bio Blend" that was the only thing available at the RV island. (Ran Great)

Hank, glad you had a good ( & quick) trip up north. Those Love Bugs, although they only last for a couple weeks are mayhem on a TV & RV. I wash the front of my truck every AM this time of year, if you let them remain there a couple days in this heat & sun there become part of your paint job. Dryer sheets (wet) are the best way to get them off without scratching the finish. Using these thin wet sheets, you feel the bugs come lose as you rub. Wash with soap after & back to normal. Maybe next yext year we can share a brew! JOE

[cumminsdad08]

fuel wont be stopping us this year, just trips closer to home. if i pull the trailer someplace local and back, i will use LESS fuel then if i stay at home and putt around town helping and visiting friends. for our longer trips we actually started shopping at weis and using the sheets rewards card. i filled my tank on the dodge diesel cheaper then the price for reg. 87;). so the way i figure i am spending the money on food anyway, and for every hundred we spend there its like 10 cents a gal less for diesel. and between me and my growing boy, a hundred bucks at the food store don't go very far these days. and to really top it off, the sheets is like a block from where i store my trailer:D so they cant keep me at home. i work way too hard to play with this camper in the driveway.:cool:

[mrxlh]

The one nice thing about having a company truck is that my TV doesn't use any fuel during the week, so sticker shock is not bad at all. Prices are not effecting my camping.

[cumminsdad08]

yea i hear ya there. its nice only putting in what i want to "play" with. they day they tell me i have to leave it at work and drive in everyday, will prolly be my last two weeks after that. i like my job, but that is one of the few things keeping me there.

[Devildogmom]

Yep, diesel prices are killing me. Sad to say, but it will not affect us going out. Taking out the TT on the weekends is what gets me through the week, so I guess I'll be taking what ever abuse the gas companies dole out. :)

I noticed yesterday that diesel prices, eventhough outrageous, are now lower than regular gas!

[JRTJH]

Might be because it's changeover time for gas. Time to change the formula from "winter gas" to "summer gas" So, if the refinery is shut down or on a slow down, they'll be producing less, thereby keeping the demand for available gas up. This would keep the gas prices up. If diesel is not being affected by a "slow down" then there would be more available and the price would be down, or at least not as high.

Seems like "old times" when gas was always higher than diesel, but I'd guess those years are waaaaay behind us and gas will fall enough to keep diesel up there.

Funny how when the speculators suggest oil will rise in a few days, fuel prices go up, but when the price of oil actually goes down, fuel prices don't follow as quickly on the downslide as they do on the uphill side..... Hmmmmm oil companies just keep working their profits any way they can :(

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

Just figured I'd throw in my 2 pennies.
Here in Central Utah price of diesel is hovering around $4.20 (5gal X$4.20 = $21.00) My tank holds 42 gal. or $176.00 for a compleate fill-up).
I try harder to fill near 1/2 tank more these days.
The part that bugs me is that diesel has less refining to it than gas.
The refining tree (as it were), is roughly diesel/ fuel oil (for your furness of "Off road <farm tractors, etc>), then afew other concoctions then right
near the end of the process is gasoline...

Kind of like buying Ladies lingerie ... The less there is the more it costs. :rolleyes:

hankaye

[JRTJH]

Hmmmmm Never thought of it quite that way, Hankaye.... Good analogy :)

[Festus2]

We all like to blame the gas companies for gouging us at the pumps. After all, they are the folks selling the stuff to us so who or what else could be possibly be responsible for these crazy prices? We've read the comments about it being summer - the time of year when we all drive more and the switch-over to "summer gas". Others have pointed the finger at speculators.

I am wondering if we should be pointing in a different direction - the price of a barrel of crude oil. If you consider nearly all of the factors involved in determining the price of fuel at the pump, the one that fluctuates the most is the cost of a barrel of crude oil. All of the others - marketing, distribution, refining, government taxes, and retailing - pretty much remain constant. When crude oil rises to $115/barrel, we pay more at the pump. When it drops to $80/barrel, we pay less.

It costs the gas companies more to produce a gallon of fuel when the cost of crude oil is high and those costs are passed on to us. When the price of crude oil drops, the price of fuel also drops. (But perhaps not in the same ratio as was pointed out in another post).

The price of a barrel of oil isn't determined by any one country -- it is set by many so in that sense the world says what the price is going to be not the gas companies. And that price is a market price. With the unrest going on in many oil producing countries, that price is going to be higher than usual - as we are seeing today.

If I thought that by boycotting a gas company for a day or two and not buy any gas would do any good --- I would be first in line. But the reality is ---- I am pointing my finger at the wrong people.

I have to put some diesel in my truck soon and I will mumble and curse as I watch the readout on the pump go into the triple digits. Not knowing who to blame sucks! Might go buy some of that skimpy lingerie that hankaye mentioned. No, that won't work either. At our age, more is better.

[hankpage]

Kind of like buying Ladies lingerie ... The less there is the more it costs. :rolleyes:

hankaye

Without the fringe benefits .... pun intended, The other Hank

[Jim W]

Howdy All;

Just figured I'd throw in my 2 pennies.
Here in Central Utah price of diesel is hovering around $4.20 (5gal X$4.20 = $21.00) My tank holds 42 gal. or $176.00 for a compleate fill-up).
I try harder to fill near 1/2 tank more these days.
The part that bugs me is that diesel has less refining to it than gas.
The refining tree (as it were), is roughly diesel/ fuel oil (for your furness of "Off road <farm tractors, etc>), then afew other concoctions then right
near the end of the process is gasoline...

Kind of like buying Ladies lingerie ... The less there is the more it costs. :rolleyes:

hankaye

Hank,
You are almost correct. But off-road diesel and on highway diesel is refined at the same time. The only difference is the off-road diesel does not have road tax applied and is dyed red. The large refiners are under mandate to refine all diesel to 15 PPM as of 2010. I do not know what classifies a small refiner but they do not have to comply until 2014.
See attached link:
http://www.clean-diesel.org/nonroad.html
The cost of refining two different grades of diesel and shipping to a terminal would be enormous and would lead to confusion. So off-road diesel will be 15 PPM the same as on highway unless it is left over from prior years.
Jim W.

[tribalsimba]

...the one that fluctuates the most is the cost of a barrel of crude oil. ....

I want to take comfort in this fact; but it seems to me the cost of crude oil is far from the rate of inflation; so why is it's market value permitted by OPEC to inflate so unrealistically. It's fuzzier math than Andrew Fastow's management of ENRON.

Given USA is the largest consumer of this resource; it seems we have the opportunity to influence on the end result significantly. Even in the last few weeks it has been reported that the price has finally reached the US consumer's threshold, causing US consumers to reduce consumption; ultimately restulting in the federal government to pay attention. All of a sudden there has been a freeze in the price climb.

Every time we boycot this energy recource, collectively for all retailers, we make a statement that does resonate globally, and impacts the market. They will continue to gouge the barrel price as long as we stand idley by.

For those like me that don't believe the retail price comes down when the barrel price does; here is some 'long-term' historicals that suggest otherwise, over the long haul.
http://www.GasBuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?city1=USA Average&city2=&city3=&crude=y&tme=72&units=us

[hankaye]

Jim W., Howdy;

Ain't gonna pick nits with ya, however the / between diesel and fuel oil in my first post was ment to infer that they were the same, just runnin' under different names (and the addition of red dye).
That's why some States will direct buses (both Commerical and Private ie.Motorhomes), to enter Weight Stations so they can check the tanks to see what fuel is being utilized.
Like I said, NOT looking to split-hairs nor am I wanting to detract from your statements. You have some good information in that post...

hankaye