Gas Prices Are Dropping! It's Time To Go Rv'ing!!

I'm reading on America Online that five states are already BELOW $3 a gallon:

Oklahoma
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
Missouri
Ohio

The prices are between $2.71 and $2.94.

It's time to go RV'ing! However, I would still keep doing the "gas saving" tricks, like keeping it to 55 mph, etc. when travelling......

I wanna go somewhere!!!! (However, I substitute teach and the need for subs where I work is pretty desperate this year..... I'm only a sub and I love it that way, don't want to be a "real" teacher, but I feel guilty leaving the kids with no one to teach them!!!!)

JJ

 

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Oct 13 2008, 04:38 PM) [snapback]13520[/snapback]

I'm reading on America Online that five states are already BELOW $3 a gallon:

Oklahoma
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
Missouri
Ohio

The prices are between $2.71 and $2.94.

It's time to go RV'ing! However, I would still keep doing the "gas saving" tricks, like keeping it to 55 mph, etc. when travelling......

I wanna go somewhere!!!! (However, I substitute teach and the need for subs where I work is pretty desperate this year..... I'm only a sub and I love it that way, don't want to be a "real" teacher, but I feel guilty leaving the kids with no one to teach them!!!!)

JJ



Hi there, obviously I am new to this forum and I am from the UK, I guess you are asking why a Limey is interested in a RV park Forum, well, since 1992 I have rented a nice big Class 'A' from Elmonte Rv and travelled all over the place every year, just got back in fact and I cant believe how much gas has dropped, when I arrived in LA on 16th Sept it was around $3.90 a gallon, in Vegas similar, when I returned the RV 3 weeks later it was about $3.30 and now $2.99 in Vegas a week after that, its great news indeed.

If it makes you good folks happier, we pay around $10 a gallon here in the UK currently and typically our pump prices are falling VERY SLOWLY.

RV already booked for next year so I hope it continues its downward trend, I can still remember paying 77 cents a gallon in Nevada in 1993!!

Agreed about the light right foot too, I kept my RV (A 36 Foot fleetwood Fiesta LX with 2 slides) to around 60 mph and got around 10MPG or more, ignoring all the rigs who were blasting past me up hills at around 70mph, foot hard down in the carpet, doing gallons to the mile.

Comming from such an expensive country I tend to try save gas wherever possible, and letting the RV find a speed on hills that 'shes' happy with returns great savings.

Good to chat with you all and hope to have good discussions of all things RV!

Cheers

Ross

 

HI Ross, welcome to the forum! Hmm... you don't RV in the UK, you come over here? WOw, that's interesting!

JJ

 

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Oct 13 2008, 10:52 PM) [snapback]13525[/snapback]

HI Ross, welcome to the forum! Hmm... you don't RV in the UK, you come over here? WOw, that's interesting!

JJ



We do some RV'ing in the UK, I used to have an old Tiffin Allegro we used to keep at our farm to use for horse events etc, but trust me, although there are nice places here, its not the same, fuel too expensive, sites not that great etc.

Most Rv'ers here are what are known as "Caravanners" basically they tow lightweight, crappily made trailers behind cars not suitable, little four bangers etc, so they crawl along at 20mph holding everyone up while they head for a wet weekend in Cornwall, its just not the same at all.

People in the UK seem to have no idea how to tow, I myself use a Range Rover or even a 1990 F250 Diesel I recently bought, but most seem to use a teeny tiny European city box with predictable results, theres even a wonderful video somewhere on Youtube showing someone towing a twin axle "caravan" up a steep hill with a tiny Renault 5, you can imagine what happened....... burned out clutch......stalled engine........drivers underwear full........trailer and car wrecked in ditch.

I adore travelling around the US and have been to some amazing places and met many great people, rarely had a bad moment at all.

 

We had a place last week about 10 miles south of Charleston that was selling it for 2.83. They said they weren't selling below cost, they were hoping people would come in and buy their fried chicken.

That was all over the news last week. In Mt. Pleasant (just north of Charleston, where the prices are usually higher then the rest of the county), they were ~3.62 at the time. Last night they were 3.29, and this morning I noticed they were all down to 2.99 - yet this morning downtown Charleston was still 3.29.

How come the national news isn't reporting that gas has dropped a dollar in the last month or so, while they gleefully reported when it was rising?

 

We cancelled or postponed our large summer/fall trip for this year and are planning on making it in the spring. The economy and the stock market are still a show stopper for us. Our income depends a lot on the stock market and we are in kind of a limbo as so many others are. To me, this is a lots more important that the fuel prices. On our recent 3 month plus trip we used 1300 gallons of fuel. A dollar a gallon difference is $1300, but this is not much compared to what we have lost in our net worth recently or for that matter, the value of our 2004 coach. It is very hard not to become overly concerned about these big losses.

 

QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Oct 14 2008, 10:52 AM) [snapback]13528[/snapback]

We cancelled or postponed our large summer/fall trip for this year and are planning on making it in the spring. The economy and the stock market are still a show stopper for us. Our income depends a lot on the stock market and we are in kind of a limbo as so many others are. To me, this is a lots more important that the fuel prices. On our recent 3 month plus trip we used 1300 gallons of fuel. A dollar a gallon difference is $1300, but this is not much compared to what we have lost in our net worth recently or for that matter, the value of our 2004 coach. It is very hard not to become overly concerned about these big losses.



Wow. You must have been really on the go! I traveled for one month and only used 150 gallons, but I stopped and stayed awhile at each place.

JJ

 

QUOTE
but I stopped and stayed awhile at each place.


Stopping and staying is definitely our new way of travel. We went 9200 miles in a little over 3 months at an average of about 100 miles a day. Generally stayed a day or 2 and then traveled to the next destination as determined by my chief navigator, decision maker, wife. We went from central Florida to Port Townson, WA and back the very long way through Brownsville,TX and every point in-between. We have decided to try and stay a min of two nights at each stop now and probably many more. I did not keep track of the fuel in the toad, but I suspect the toad total mileage was about the same.

 

QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Oct 15 2008, 08:44 AM) [snapback]13539[/snapback]

Stopping and staying is definitely our new way of travel. We went 9200 miles in a little over 3 months at an average of about 100 miles a day. Generally stayed a day or 2 and then traveled to the next destination as determined by my chief navigator, decision maker, wife. We went from central Florida to Port Townson, WA and back the very long way through Brownsville,TX and every point in-between. We have decided to try and stay a min of two nights at each stop now and probably many more. I did not keep track of the fuel in the toad, but I suspect the toad total mileage was about the same.



Port Townsend? I could have come to say hello! Just 20 miles and then a short ferry ride for me. BUt if you were on the go that much, probably not much time. Oh well....

JJ

 

Our local gas station was down to $2.69 and usually Walmarts and HEB's (grocery) are even lower. The problem is as good as that sounds now, there was a time when that was really high. And I'm still afraid this down turn won't last. Time will tell. :huh:

 

We stayed at Port Townsend for 5 days, but only spent the night there 2 nights as we went to Bainbridge Island to see a good friend and then got stuck on the wrong side of the sound when checking out the tulip festival which was very nice. That area is truly beautiful. We were enthralled most of the time. Below are some photos we took in the area.

http://www.linandnancy.com/sanjuan1.html

http://www.linandnancy.com/bainbridge2.html


I am also of the opinion that fuel prices will be going up. Looks like congress will be baning oil drilling when they go back. I'll need a sail on my coach.

 

Lin,

Loved your pictures. And after hearing about your paint pole antennae I think you probably really could rig a sail for your motorhome. Be sure to post pictures of it, too.

 

I couldn't believe my eyes! We went to a nearby town today to do some Christmas shopping. An Exxon station there was advertising gas for $1.17 IF you used your Exxon credit card. We almost went home to get the motorhome so we could fill up. The other stations in the area were at $1.46, and we thought that was great, too. I doubt this will last into next summer, but we can hope.

 

I keep a spreadsheet of all my gas fills, and by my spreadsheet, usually gas jumps 30-50 cents in the summer, then comes back down. This summer was the oddity, it jumped WAY too much. It just went up up up up up!

I like these prices! I think I am going to say, TO HECK WITH SUBSTITUTE TEACHING, I had just better RV while the prices are down!

JJ

 

It is a 1.46 here right now. Wow. I love filling my truck for under 40 bucks... and the diesel prices are 2.23 so woohoo no more 500 dollar fill ups this year I hope.

What a Christmas present>>>

 

QUOTE(John S. @ Dec 25 2008, 03:19 PM) [snapback]14615[/snapback]

woohoo no more 500 dollar fill ups this year I hope.
What a Christmas present>>>



Last I filled my RV, it took only ONE credit card transaction and it was significantly under $100. YES YES YES, WOO HOO!

Last I filled up gas was $1.69, but that was two weeks ago, and I've been housebound for 8 days in snow, haven't left my house!

JJ

 

I'm presently running along I-10 from Texas to the east coast. Diesel can be had for $1.98 at a few places, but typical price is around $2.24 at most truck stops.

Speaking of truck stops, Flying J recently filed for bankruptcy and their typical lack luster service has gotten worse. I stopped at two in last couple days. First one at the RV pumps where fuel flow was at dead turtle speed. After about 10 minutes and 10 gallons, I packed it in and left. At the second one I tried to used the truck pumps. None of the card readers worked. At both places the parking lot was virtually empty of 18 wheelers. Guess they figured it out before I did.

Lots more RVs on the road now. Get out there and enjoy the road while we've got these gas prices!!

 

Right be sure for everyone to run right out and full up with fuel and hit the roads so the prices can quickly rise and go back thru the roof.

 

QUOTE(Lee and Fran @ Dec 27 2008, 02:20 PM) [snapback]14629[/snapback]

Right be sure for everyone to run right out and full up with fuel and hit the roads so the prices can quickly rise and go back thru the roof.



Surely you understand that is the way we Americans do things. We never seem to learn our lessons from history. I'm figuring they won't get to be unbearable again until just before we hit the road again in mid May.

 

Um.... now the gas prices are going to go back up. The prices have hit bottom. From what I'm reading, should be $2 by spring. Of course, we are all saying to ourselves... "$2, is that ALL?" When gas first hit $2 a gallon, we all screamed!

JJ