Alaska

[mitch5252]

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Okay, FINE! I thought she somehow meant "our" Sarah, too...I just find it had to believe we were all bested by a blonde (BarbieDoll)!!!

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[bluepinecones]

Guess I knew who she was referring to with comment.
However, just for the record I've not been fortunate enough yet to even see the beautiful state of Alaska.

[JoanE]

I had to cancel out on the caravan due to returning to work. But Alaska will wait for me. However I heard on the TV this morning that gas prices are expected to go over $4/gal by spring. With the inflationary prices up in Alaska anyway, that is going to be some steep pricing. If there was a reason for me to be glad I'm not going, it is thinking of how much it would cost me in gas. I only get about 9 mpg. Yikes!

[chalet05]

I'll be leaving Arizona May 1 and headed toward Alaska. Have to be in Washington State Sept. 8 for niece's wedding. I just never could get around to making plans for the trip and I guess there was a reason since I met LeRoy. He started planning for a trip to Alaska in 1972 and had decided he would never make it because he wouldn't do it alone.

[Bethers]

I'll be leaving Arizona May 1 and headed toward Alaska. Have to be in Washington State Sept. 8 for niece's wedding. I just never could get around to making plans for the trip and I guess there was a reason since I met LeRoy. He started planning for a trip to Alaska in 1972 and had decided he would never make it because he wouldn't do it alone.

We may have to check the routes you're taking north - as I'll be on the road about that same time. Carefully - as it'll still be snowy too far north - but I do have to be in Alaska by around the 3rd week of May. We might be able to see some of the same sites on the travel north.

[sharon]

I had to cancel out on the caravan due to returning to work. But Alaska will wait for me. However I heard on the TV this morning that gas prices are expected to go over $4/gal by spring. With the inflationary prices up in Alaska anyway, that is going to be some steep pricing. If there was a reason for me to be glad I'm not going, it is thinking of how much it would cost me in gas. I only get about 9 mpg. Yikes!

I don't know how it is now, but when I went gas and diesel was cheaper in Alaska than they were in Washington. Canada was extremely high. There is a gas station in Canada that you can get a card for (free) when you get your first fill up and they mark it everytime you fuel. I ended up getting about 50 gallons free before I crossed the border into Alaska. Sorry, can't remember the name of the station, but I'll call my sister and see if she or BIL remember the name. They also give you a flyer that lists where all of them are and they were pretty common.

[sunshinecruiserTN]

Highest Diesel price 72 hours ago in Alaska was $6.72 lowest was 4.01
Regular gas price 72 hours ago was 6.34; lowest was $3.59
Info was from http://alaskagasprices.com/index.aspx?fuel=A

[BirdbyBird]

I always have appreciated Nick Russell's posts on the subject of high gasoline prices and the e-mail he gets from some of his readers telling him that they are putting up their keys or backing out of a planned trip. He does the math and then states that for the cost of an addition X? hundred dollars...he is not willing to stop traveling altogether or not going some place special. If it was just about money....very little of this would make sense.

[HorizonSeeker]

I have been to Alaska twice and still want to go back. I have not made plans to go this summer but if my house sells this spring I could be persuaded to rewrite my itinerary. At this point I plan to be here GA till early May. I have reservations in th Louisville area to camp with some geocaching friends for 4 days over Memorial Day and after that, hopefully I am headed to West Yellowstone to workcamp all summer. A stop in SD sounds possible. Homemade wine sounds intriguing.

[JoanE]

Highest Diesel price 72 hours ago in Alaska was $6.72 lowest was 4.01
Regular gas price 72 hours ago was 6.34; lowest was $3.59
Info was from http://alaskagasprices.com/index.aspx?fuel=A

Exactly! And you were getting the prices in the cities probably. I've heard from others who've been there that gas prices in the hinterland up there can be double what you would pay here because they are the only show in town and they can get away with it. So if prices hit $4.20 down here in the spring, just based on the prices you found, you could reasonably expect prices of $7.50 or higher.

Having said that the price of gas would not hold me back if I had the cash and the time. I just want to make myself feel better about not being able to go by saying I'll save all that gas money.

[AlmostThere]

http://www.alaskagasprices.com/GasPriceSearch.aspx
I think you'll find those extremely high prices to be more in the bush communities.

[mitch5252]

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What about Canada gas prices? That's a L O N G road through CA to AK.

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[chalet05]

- but I do have to be in Alaska by around the 3rd week of May.

Beth, I missed out somewhere - where are you working this summer? LeRoy and I had a little planning time today and we will leave from Montana - where you left last time I think. I was planning a leisurely trip to get to the border, but I'm not so sure yet he is. In his defense, he is used to having a 5er and quad behind him and uses the freeway - I avoid them! 'Course, I can always get him to take a second look - today he thought we should take I-25 through Denver but had to go look to see that I KNEW what I was talking about when I said we didn't have to go that far east!!

[snowball]

Going to Alaska was always a dream that my husband had with his cancer and quite frankly the lack of money for fuel
we will more than likely not make an Alaska trip but will be working in Island Park ID again so if any of you are planning
on going through Yellowstone on your way we will only be 25 miles south of West Yellowstone and would so love to see any of you
sheila

[Bethers]

- but I do have to be in Alaska by around the 3rd week of May.

Beth, I missed out somewhere - where are you working this summer? LeRoy and I had a little planning time today and we will leave from Montana - where you left last time I think. I was planning a leisurely trip to get to the border, but I'm not so sure yet he is. In his defense, he is used to having a 5er and quad behind him and uses the freeway - I avoid them! 'Course, I can always get him to take a second look - today he thought we should take I-25 through Denver but had to go look to see that I KNEW what I was talking about when I said we didn't have to go that far east!!

I'll be working the LuLu Belle in Valdez. It's 95% locked up - need to confirm in a couple weeks.

Don't have an exact itinerary planned yet - not sure if I'll be heading north from NM or from AZ - depends how far west I get But my thoughts are to head north into Canada at the same crossing as last time in Glacier NP into Waterton NP. Coming back will be another story as I intend to come down the west coast (remember, my plans are always in jello). We'll stay in touch ...

Gas prices - you can let them haunt you or not - but the really bad prices are places you won't be traveling. I paid $3.36 or 37 in MS today - not that far from AK prices and not some of the worst prices down here.

Let me put something else in perspective - the year I went to AK - I started that year in TX, traveled throughout NM and parts of AZ, on to CO, NE, SD, MT, through Canada and AK and back down to AZ and actually into Baja before the end of the year - I put 12,000 miles on my rig - the only vehicle I had (estimating here - but could go look and get exact). How many of you put that few miles on your vehicles? I'm guessing you paid more for gas than I did just driving around your hometown. And I was all over this lovely country seeing everything and anything I could. Like I said in Lori's post - we can use any excuse we want to not do something - but when you come down to it - it's not the money - it's not the miles ... you simply decide to not do it. You can use the same reasons to do things, also. There's not a wrong decsion - but let's not keep blaming the gas prices.