Road Trippin' My Way Back

The following was originally posted June 2,2008. As my family and I are driving back from Yellowstone today it seems appropriate for fond road trip thoughts. I've pre-scheduled all of the posts this week and as I post into the future for you to read today I can't even imagine how the trip went. And so I give you...

Death of the Road Trip? Not so Fast, Mister!
I love everything about summer. I especially love it when the temperatures reach sweltering. It's a dry heat, right? Anyone who's lived here long enough knows what a crock that statement is, but still I don't miss the humidity of the east.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania are summer drives. My dad was an auto-body mechanic so cars and driving were a big part of our lives. We always had different cars. There were the twin Chevy Corvairs, the VW Beatles, Mustangs, the Baracuda, Bentleys, Model Ts, Mercedes, and on and on. Sometimes on summer Saturday nights we'd hop into the car of the week and drive. We drove with all the windows down, radio blaring and my hair flying in my face. Sometimes we went to the country dairy for ice cream. Other times we just drove into the night until us kids fell asleep. It sure beat sitting around the fan in the living room.

The Lure of the Open Road
photo by Man in a bowler hat (Epzibah)...

Soaring gas prices have brought back one piece of this memory. Now I drive my kids around with the windows down and the radio blaring (see Edmunds.com re: the air conditioning vs. open widows debate). But we don't just drive for the fun of it. We think more about our driving now. Every trip in the car is planned to combine errands and reduce waste.

Mandatory stop for any road trip

photo by daveisnotmyname

So what about that other summer pastime: the road trip. Is it dead? Maybe not. Every society recognizes the importance of family vacations. Over the past 30 years air travel has taken preference and turned vacations into destinations. But airlines are suffering and their passing their misery on to consumers by instilling creative fees and rising ticket prices. Flying the family to anywhere can be a serious strain on the family budget.

A meandering road trip might still be affordable when you do the math. At AAA's website you can estimate the fuel costs for a road trip. You can even play around with car models to see which is more affordable. If you don't have a comfortable, affordable vehicle you may consider renting. For example if I wanted to drive back to this year's family reunion in Philadelphia I'd spend about $745 in gas for my family of 5. Of course you've got to add in food and a place to sleep.

But you can't put a price on the sites and moments along the way. Like when my I was a kid and we drove from PA to CA. Our vehicle kept breaking down and we met the most widely interesting people who helped us out. Or my husband's story of when they left his brother at the gas station (with 11 kids it's easy to miss one). Or when my own family went to Custer State Park and our car started to overheat while surrounded by buffalo. These are the things that make for great stories and build families.

Com'on kids, get in the car!

Will You Drive More Just Because the Price is Lower?

Gas prices slid down from just over $4 to around $3.85. So what's your reaction?

Is it...Whoo Hoo! Feels like gas is affordable again!

Or maybe...Better fill up before it goes up.

Or even...Big deal, it's still too much.

by Chris_J
Prices are likely to remain below $4 for a good while since barrel prices have steadily declined. Hurricane Dolly isn't expected to threaten supply and investors are pulling out of the oil market. The September barrel delivery is now down to $126.85 down from $147 just a week ago.

But the less sexy yet more exciting news is that of fuel demand. A study by MasterCard reports that U.S. gasoline demand dropped last week for the thirteenth week in a row. Demand fell 3.3% compared with the same week a year earlier, according to the survey. Since the start of 2008, gasoline demand is down 2.2%. And as investors view oil as less attractive to consumers they'll continue to consider it a less than desirable acquisition. In turn prices could decline.

Did the summer price spike increase your level of awareness? Will your new reduced driving habits continue? Or will your old habits return as colder weather arrives?

How Long Will You Work for Gas?

There's a timely scene from Dan in Real Life where he's pumping gas. While doing the deed he says something like "There goes Jane's college fund, and Cara's college fund, and Lily's college fund...". That's probably not the exact line, but you get the idea.

Don't we all feel the pain of wasted money as we watch those dollars just clicking away? But have you taken the time to figure out how hard you've worked just to pump gas into your car? Isn't it ironic that you're filling your tank so that you can get to work to make money to fill your tank. Okay, that might be way to philosophically mind blowing for a Monday morning. But if you're curious MoneyMusing's has taken the time to devise an Excel spreadsheet to help you estimate the hourly cost of filling your tank. (This link is safe. You may be asked by your computer to open it or save it. I've done both without problems.) Here's what the calculator looks like:

This calculator is indeed better than a similar one on CNN, which doesn't take into account several important factors--just as MoneyMusings points out. But I have to add a little caveat that this (and any) calculator may not be 100% accurate and is only provided as an estimate.

What I like about this calculator is that you can use it for any purchase. How long did you work for that gallon of milk? What about that vacation? New shoes? Just set the tank capacity to 1.

It puts a whole new spin on things when you think about how hard you've worked to earn something doesn't it?

What's in My Garage

My husband would probably be the first to admit that he's the spender of the household. But he usually clears purchases with me ahead of time. Not for small stuff, of course, but for bigger items we'll always check with each other. Not in a sick controlling way, just to sort of figure out whether the thing is worth the money.

But the other day I walked in the garage and saw this....

Okay it wasn't a total surprise. He did say that he was thinking about a motorcycle. But I tend to think about things for a long time, so I was a bit surprised.

And what led him to this spontaneous purchase? A 26 mile one-way commute each day.

Yep. Motorcylce purchases are no longer for the young and wild or the middle-aged in crisis.

More commuters are turning to two wheels everywhere. There are more bikes and motorcycles on the road this summer than ever. In Colorado motorcycle and scooter sales were up 24% this spring and are rising still. It's not hard to guess why.

Our Honda Nighthawk has a 3.2 gallon tank that fills up for around $12 currently. It gets 75mpg or about 240 miles per tank. It should be a vast improvement even over the good mileage Saab.

The only "but" in all of this is that motorcycle popularity has a pitfall. According the the Colorado highway patrol, in order to get a motorcycle license you must either:

1- Pass the written test at a Driver's License office, purchase a motorcycle instruction permit, pass a drive test at a Driver's License office or with a 3rd-party tester and pay the fee to add the endorsement to your license.The following is for the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles office list where each office lists the services provided, including whether or not they offer motorcycle drive tests. http://www.revenue.state.co.us/MV_dir/wrap.asp?incl=dlolist

2- Enroll in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) training course and, after successful completion of the course, present your MSF certification card at a Driver's License office. When you present your MSF certification card at a Driver's License office, the written and drive tests are waived. Pay the fee to add the endorsement to your license. Colorado law requires minors under 18 to purchase and hold a motorcycle instruction permit for 12 months before adding the motorcycle endorsement to their license. Minors under 16 must be under the direct supervision of the MSF motorcycle instructor at all times while driving a motorcycle.

If you choose option 2 there is currently a 3-week waiting list for an open class. That's astounding even to the facilities that offer the courses. Usually you buy a bike and sign up for a class right away. So unless Neil goes for option 1 summer will be nearly over before he can start commuting.

Meanwhile us 4 wheel-enclosed drivers (that's cars--though sometimes my bike counts for 4 wheels with trailer in tow) need to be more aware than ever for the safety of our 2-wheeled friends.

Death of the Road Trip? Not so Fast, Mister.

I love everything about summer. I especially love it when the temperatures reach sweltering. It's a dry heat, right? Anyone who's lived here long enough knows what a crock that statement is, but still I don't miss the humidity of the east.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania are summer drives. My dad was an auto-body mechanic so cars and driving were a big part of our lives. We always had different cars. There were the twin Chevy Corvairs, the VW Beatles, Mustangs, the Baracuda, Bentleys, Model Ts, Mercedes. Sometimes on summer Saturday nights we'd hop into the car of the week and drive. We drove with all the windows down, radio blaring and my hair flying in my face. Sometimes we went to the country dairy for ice cream. Other times we just drove into the night until us kids fell asleep. It sure beat sitting around the fan in the living room.

The Lure of the Open Road
photo by Man in a bowler hat (Epzibah)...

Soaring gas prices have brought back one piece of this memory. Now I drive my kids around with the windows down and the radio blaring (see Edmunds.com re: the air conditioning vs. open widows debate). But we don't just drive for the fun of it. We think more about our driving now. Every trip in the car is planned to combine errands and reduce waste.

Mandatory stop for any road trip

photo by daveisnotmyname

So what about that other summer pastime: the road trip. Is it dead? Maybe not. Every society recognizes the importance of family vacations. Over the past 30 years air travel has taken preference and turned vacations into destinations. But airlines are suffering and their passing their misery on to consumers by instilling creative fees and rising ticket prices. Flying the family to anywhere can be a serious strain on the family budget.

A meandering road trip might still be affordable when you do the math. At AAA's website you can estimate the fuel costs for a road trip. You can even play around with car models to see which is more affordable. If you don't have a comfortable, affordable vehicle you may consider renting. For example if I wanted to drive back to this year's family reunion in Philadelphia I'd spend about $745 in gas for my family of 5. Of course you've got to add in food and a place to sleep.

But you can't put a price on the sites and moments along the way. Like when my I was a kid and we drove from PA to CA. Our vehicle kept breaking down and we met the most widely interesting people who helped us out. Or my husband's story of when they left his brother at the gas station (with 11 kids it's easy to miss one). Or when my own family went to Custer State Park and our car started to overheat while surrounded by buffalo. These are the things that make for great stories and build families.

Com'on kids, get in the car!