Date:         Wed, 28 May 2008 12:39:07 +0000
Reply-To:     J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Gasoline
Comments: To: Rob <becida@COMCAST.NET>

<So your traveling days are over..... anyone else giving up traveling
because gas hit $4 a gallon?
Just curious.>

For this summer at least. There are two events that are always on my "must do" list, Everybus in Greensboro, NC (600 miles round trip) and Natural Bus, Natural Bridge, VA. (320 round trip). I was shocked this year at how much the gas cost to get to Everybus. Now, I am running a 2.1 in my '84, with the "hi-po" ECU and I use premium. On the way down, I admit, I had a hard time keeping it under 65 mph and my 12'x12' Easy Up strapped to the roof certainly didn't help the aerodynamics any. I got about 14-15 mpg. On the way home I managed to slow down a bit and that bumped up to about 16 mpg. I'm thinking about swapping the stock ECU back in this weekend to see how much of a difference it makes. I also found that according to my GPS when I was showing 65 mph on the speedo the GPS said I was doing 71. In the summer of 2006 I tried to organize a campout in Luray, VA. at the Jellystone campground, about 50 miles from my house. A few folks showed up, maybe 6 buses in all. Some balked at the
cost of the campground, $35.00/night with water & electric. But, the campground also had two pools, a huge water slide, mini golf and a game room. Not important for some, but with a teenager these things make a camping weekend much more enjoyable.( Now, time for a NVC rant: in the summer of 2006 gas was about $3.50/gallon. In this campground I noticed no shortage of extremely large motor homes and pickups towing 5th wheelers. That fall (2006) as the elections neared, gas went back down to about $1.90 a gallon. We were being told then, as now, it was demand from India and China that was causing the price increase in the market. If so, what happened to that demand in the fall? My conservative friends say people cut back, they bought hybrids, which lowered demand and therefore prices, to which I say bullsh...! If you don't think we're getting bent over by the oil companies and the current administration, please explain to me the drop in late 2006-so far no one has been able to) For no
w, I'd rather stay close to home, spend less on gas and more on a nice campground that has stuff to do than drive a long distance and spend a fortune for gas to go to campground that has nothing. And actually, $35.00/night is really not out of line from what I've seen-Hagan Stone park this year was pretty pricey and it has no amenities.   Jeff