Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Gas Prices. How Many Trips Are U Planning?

Looks like maybe gas could go $5.00 a gallon this summer especially in the Inyo and Mono counties which are near that now. It's a 440 mile round trip for me, and even a Subaru Forester 4 banger doesn't even get that good a mileage. It does at 50 mph, but then you get speeders up your tail pipe!

Also going to White Mountain which is slightly closer. What worries me at both places is the THEFT of gas. Now that most of us have locking gas caps, the thieves are punctering gas tanks. That would be a killer at White Mountain. You can't call out for a tow truck.

Just curious. I think there might be a lot of no-show permits available this summer. Just wish I could get there more often.

Go less often, stay there longer. YMMV

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

This is during a commercial on the National Spelling Bee contest, so I have time to copy an email I sent out to my friends yesterday.

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Wanna feel a little better?

In the middle '60s, Sheila and I lived for a time in Palo Alto. Across the street from our apartment was a Beacon gas station. In the space of several years, the price never budged from $0.299 a gallon. So, at 14 mpg highway, our Dodge Dart went 100 miles for $2.14. Today I went to Federal Reserve Bank and learned that $2.14 then is $14.65 now.

But now we get about 30 mpg on the highway, and at $4.30 a gallon in Ridgecrest, that's 100 miles for $14.33.

Ain't math wonderful?

Bob

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Talk about off topic!

I am starting to believe that this bubble is going to burst. I believe there is a shortage of oil, but I also believe that many governments are subsidizing oil and that cannot go on forever.

Even with the low valuation of the dollar, it's hard to believe that so many people outside North America and Europe can afford to pay for gas for much longer. Sooner (or maybe a little later) the demand worldwide must move downward simply due to the high cost. It's already gone down in this country.

Hey, I am no expert, but how can the average person in China/India afford to pay these prices? The dollar cannot stay this low forever against the Euro. I am betting (wishing) on $3.15 by December.

I'm planning one trip. A 10 day trip that will include Death Valley, Yosemite, and Boundary Peak! Gotta use up those American Airlines Advantage Miles (before they start charging for THAT too)

BobR,
Great math!
I DO feel better.
As much as $4 hurts vs. $2, we are still spoiled by the HIGH availability and LOW cost of fuel in this country and continue to drive primarily alone (one per car). Higher prices will help us learn better habits.

That's AWESOME! Nothing like watching children lose it on national TV...



This just keeps getting better! ALMOST offset by the fact you lived in Paly. I miss home so much!



My sister's the Math PhD, not me, but at least I know what 1/2 of 1/2 is now for baking...

One of the reasons I moved up here was to be 'closer' to these magnificent mountains. With my new job, I'm cruising 400-500 miles/week just to see my patients! When I was in lala land, I walked to work. There was an interview in a professional mag last month on home health PT, and the 'rural' PT they interviewed was in PA, and said, "I might have to drive 20 miles to see a patient." Yeah, that's my AVERAGE.

I hate getting screwed when I don't even have the opportunity to enjoy it.

-L

PS: Nuthin' but luv, Bob!

PPS: Answer to original question: EVERY WEEKEND, BABY!! BRING IT ON!

Just so that you stop complaining:

I fueled my car yesterday. The price in Denmark is 11,5 DKK per liter, thats about 2,5 dollar per liter. Thats more than 9 dollars per gallon.

This is why I have s supernice bicycle, take the train to work and own a tiny car that goes far on the gallon, if I need to go elsewhere than where the train, bus or bike will take me.

The worst part is: Gas will keep getting more expensive. The easy to get oil is gone or owned by countries that would love to see you guys (and the Danes) dead, and chinese and indian people will start competing for buying the cheap oil there is around.

Take longer but fewer trips. Car pool. Get some nice, small cars that will take you around.

And I LOVE that the dollar is low. That's the reason we come to the US this year. Just shopping for new clothes and backpacking accessories will probably pay the airfare (which will probably not be that low again).

I am not going to let the high price of gas impact my planned trips for hiking. You can't put a price tag on the mental health aspect. I may not take as many trips out of town to go to Costco.

And the price of gas in Venezuela is .097 Bs.F. per liter for 95 octane. At 2.15 Bs.F. per USD, that's .17 cents per gallon. It's a bit better for 91 octane (regular) at .074 Bs.F. per liter or .13 cents per gallon. No one can remember the last time the price was increased.

Oh, and the last government that tried to raise the price was ousted and they now have Hugo Chavez.

But don't get the idea they have it so good, a new Toyota Four Runner (4 wheel drive) costs about $120,000 USD and delivery can take up to 9 months.

My car gets almost 40mpg. I usually either run or ride a bike to work. I can go a week without driving a car.

Gas could go to $7.00/gallon before it really bothers me. The upside is that I expect to see fewer cars on the road.

As is so often the case, Bob is right. He is saying that he can go the same number of miles for the same number of inflation-adjusted dollars because his current car gets twice the mileage per gallon. In other words, gas has roughly doubled in price in real dollars since the 1960s.

If you look at the inflation-adjusted price of gasoline, the highest (annual average) price ever (well, since WWI and before last year) was hit in 1981. The lowest price ever occurred in 1999. Actually, the real price of gas declined from WWI until 1999, with only a few small peaks and valleys and the major peak from the 1970s.

The peak in the 1970s was the result of OPEC's success in driving prices up by limiting production and, later, the law of supply and demand catching up with OPEC as non-OPEC production grew and demand shrank.

The price rise we have seen in the 2000s is due to the fact that world oil production has peaked. Back in the 1970s, we had a lot of energy-related research and an emphasis on efficiency and demand reduction. We gave that up in the 1980s in favor of using it all now. It has caught up with us. The Era of Cheap Oil is over. Sure, we have speculation going on and we may see some significant near-term price drops, but the long term trend is less oil consumption.

People talk a lot about new sources being discovered. Actually, oil discovery worldwide peaked around 1970. The oil we have discovered is what we have burned or have to work with. Over half is gone. This was all predicted. In 1957, Hubbert pointed out that US discoveries had peaked in the 1930s and predicted that US (lower 48, as that was the entire US then) production would peak in 1970. (Production is an echo of discovery.) No one believed him, but he was right. This analysis has been preformed successfully with other countries. Now we are seeing it applied to the world as a whole. One thing driving the price right now is that people in the oil game know all of this.

Remember when Bush went to the King of Saudi Arabia recently and asked him (for the third time) to increase production? The answer was that production was sufficient. The truth was that the Saudi's know they're running out of oil. That request by Bush was just to show that he was trying to help us. What got less play in the US press, but showed up in the UK, was that Bush told leaders in the Middle East a couple of days later that they must face up to a future without their precious hydrocarbons because supplies were running out. And he was right.

This is not meant to be political or apocalyptic. It is simply what is going on. People in the oil business and people who study the business know this very well. It has not been perceived as good business to spell it out, which is why the Saudis keep saying they have plenty of oil. But it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

This is obviously going to affect us for the foreseeable future.

I have a Prius that gets 50 mpg so gas prices aren't a consideration for me.

I can understand why people have gotten sucked into buying SUVs that guzzle. Years ago I saw those Xterra commercials with the SUV going into the great outdoors, kayak on top, etc. and I was thinking of getting one too. And heck, everyone else was getting SUVs and we want to be like everyone else and be accepted and admired, don't we? Boy I'm glad I was lucky and didn't take the bait.

Isn't it ironic that those SUV's are now a deterent to getting into the great outdoors!

Theft of gas...it's happened locally in NY recently.

"Mad Max" was ahead of its time huh...

With all these remakes of older movies, perhaps an updated more recent version of Mad Max would be appropriate??!

Point well put and well taking Ken.

Thanks,
wc

This summer, (with the wife’s permission), I was going to make two 10-day trips to Yosemite area, going back home to Sacramento in the middle just to mow the lawn, pay some bills, etc. Now with these high gas costs, I am forced to let the lawn get long…and just stay the entire 3 weeks up in the Tuolumne area.
Damn gas prices!

Lots of gas thefts in So. Cal. now. The SUVs and P/U Trucks are the eazy hits for the new kind of theft, because they are up off the ground and make it eazy access, they poke a hole in the bottom of the gas tank and catch the gas in a tub. Most of the newer vehicles have plastic fuel tanks now, they cost about $300/each + labor.......................yucKKKKKK...........steve

Maybe combine "Mad Max" with "High Sierra" so that we can work Whitney into it.

In the summer, I try to get out and hike once a week, sometimes twice. During the school year is just twice a month. I plan to take the Camry instead of the Tacoma whenever possible. Of course sometimes a sedan can't get you to some areas or trailheads very easily. I've managed to hike and carpool with friends a lot lately. I may also do more peaks in Kern county or close to home instead of venturing out as far. I do miss my Tercel which use to get about 40 MPG. I sold it right after I got the Tacoma. I think at the time gasoline was about $1.60 a gallon. Only a year after selling it I began to regret that I didn't keep it. I too covet a Prius. I just don't want two payments right now, and they are a little small for an active family of 4. I see a minivan in the not too distant future. Hopefully in another 7-8 years when I retire the Tacoma, there will be a hybrid version available.


Rafael....