Utahtea waves to ellen_griswold :)

We were in Death Valley in April and gas was up to $4.50 when it was only $3.60 at home...I can't imagine what the price is in Death Valley now that gas is reaching almost $4.50 in my area.

Utahtea

Summer = road trips

We will be a little late starting the road trip this year due to health issues. Its much to hot to stay in Florida all summer long.
We plan visiting family and friends in NC, TN, VA, and OH prior to heading west to IA. From that starting point have not decided but will most likely visit the Black Hills Area (again) and if time permits on to our favorite, Yellowstone. No camping this year the due to the health issues but it will still be the same Yellowstone, there is always next year to pitch the tent.
We don't consider the extra $1.00 or so a gal increase in gas that much of a hindrance. It will only add $4-500 or so to the entire trip. Not much considering the overall costs from years past. We will be staying off the Interstate as much as possible. To us getting there is half the fun.. Lodging costs less in the smaller towns of Mid America and the West.

We live in Venice, Florida and our summer house is in Long BEach, WA. This will be our third cross country trip. Unfortunately business here in Florida is delaying our start this year so we will be in a hurry to go cross country (minimum distance 3260 miles as I recall)and we won't be doing as much sight seeing as we would like. Our goal is to see all the National Parks, so we always try to include those in our route if we can. Every one of them is amazing. Interestingly it seems that Europeans are keener on visiting them than we Americans are. We have traveled extensively all over the world and I started meeting Europeans who had seen more of the US than I had. With the US dollar as weak as it is right now, I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would go to Europe this summer. Gas may be high, but so is jet fuel and so is everything in Europe. Stay in the US! Help our economy! Lord knows it needs it! Use the internet to order travel books from your home state and surrounding states. Read thru them and look at the pictures and enjoy all that this great country has to offer.

Hi Katie - thanks for asking. Yes, we are planning a 3 week long road trip in late September from Pittsburgh to New Mexico - probably taking a more southern route out west and a more northern route back.

I'm excited by the Route 66 article featured on Fodors this week.

We are just going to have to grit our teeth and pay the gas price. We are conserving in other ways, in the meantime, forgoing some short weekend trips we would have otherwise taken and thinking twice before running to the store for just one or two items.

Yes, flying to Chicago for 4 days then driving to Milwaukee and then Minneaolis. 4 baseball games.

Still trying to figure out how to limit the driving.

We've just returned from 3000 miles(!!) through Arizona and New Mexico. After driving Route 66 in 2002 we wanted to explore these two state more, and given the dollar-euro rates we decided now was as good a time as any. Ok petrol was more than last time but still a lot cheaper than in The Netherlands. We avoided the Interstates as much as possible and stuck to scenic byways and other two lane roads.
Anyone inspired to drive Route 66 - do it! Make sure you have good maps and a clear description of the route too. Take your time over it and really get to see places along the way. We drove it in 2 and half weeks, with chill out time in Ca at the end, but if we did it again (and we'd love to) we would take longer over it.
PCH is next on the list though - maybe next year?

Fewer than last year and shorter distances. In May I did my annual trek up to the Bay Area, barely avoiding $4/gallon. About $50 to fill up the tank, and now it's probably $60. And I have a small, fairly fuel efficient car.

It's more likely that I will combine shorter trips, and fly to a city like Chicago or Montreal where I wouldn't need to rent a car.

Katie_H

Just did ours: 800+ miles from BWI airport to Old Rag Mountain, Charlottesville, and Lexington, Virginia; then to Fayetteville, West Virginia for whitewater rafting, and on to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and Antietam battlefield in Maryland before returing to BWI. Started our trip report here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35136330

my husband and i just got back from driving route 66 -- we started in joplin MO and drove the route to Flagstaff AZ. It was wonderful!

Just got back from a road trip from Tennessee to the Outer Banks, then I'm driving to Wisconsin in July and to Arkansas some other time this summer. You just budget for it and go on. But we are driving less locally, running fewer errands or combining trips.

My husband, myself and our 3 sons are leaving in 3 days driving from Sacramento to the Grand Canyon, on to Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Las Vegas, and home again in 12 days. It's 2100 miles total. Wanted to do a cross-country road trip, but DH can only take off 2 weeks, so we came up with this idea. Then the price of gas went up. We're going to appreciate it even more, knowing "road trips" could become a thing of the past.

We've just returned from 8000 miles trip across the country and getting ready for a road trip to Alaska. Actually we are driving one way then taking the Alaska ferry.

There is no way we would cancel our trip which we planned for so long. We're adjusting our traveling habits though. Staying in hotels where breakfasts are included in a room rate. Booked a number of our accommodations in cabins/inns/hotels with kitchen facilities. We always enjoy going to local markets, especially farmer's market to get fresh ingredients and then make our own meals. We eat plenty of salads so making own dinner while on the road is not too complicated. Staying for a few nights in each place whenever and wherever possible. We always take our picnic lunches with us so nothing changes here. This new year's resolution was to eat out less once we are at home. We don't buy coffee at Starbucks. We saved so far around $1400.00 hence it should be enough to cover any additional cost of higher gas and food prices.

RedRock, please take care of yourself. I'm new to this board but I read many of your recent posts and newbies like me need you here.

Thank you for being concerned.

It sounds like you travel and eat as we do while on the road.. We don't buy coffee either. We have two pots we drag along. One electric for motel use and one we use with a one burner gas stove that comes in handy while camping or picnicking..Happy Motoring..:)

I thought of taking a driving trip from Santa Fe to Denver, but with the cost of gas now, I will defer it. I just can't justify using that gas on a whim. I just can't do it. I use enough gas <i>necessarily.</i>((*))

It's been a LONG time since I've seen an RV on the road? Anyone else?

Yeah, the 15 in a row I passed on my way to Baltimore 2 weeks ago. It was at that point I realized that NASCAR was in Dover that weekend.

We'll go to the OBX twice this year (about 300 miles from home) as well as to Williamsburg (separate trip) and possibly to northern New England this Fall..all by car.

We'll probably cut down on the short weekend trips we take in the RV, but the price of gas won't stop of from going on long trips when we can spend a month or so on the road. We have a tow vehicle that we put almost as many miles on as the RV so that's a big savings. When you are spending 6 weeks on the road, it's cheaper to pay for gas than hotels and eating out!

Utahtea

Hi Katie,

I'm in the middle of one as we speak. I spent about a week going through Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton NP's.

Now, I'm in eastern Kansas getting ready to follow the Santa Fe Trail from Council Grove to Santa Fe along the Bent's Fort route.

Gas has cost as little as $3.85 (here in Salina, KS) and as much as $4.60 in the West Yellowstone area.

Utahtea waves to dwooddon,

Have a good trip!

Utahtea