Detroit Free Press: This summer's travel stops at the gas pump

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This summer's travel stops at the gas pump
Prices take fun out of road trips
BY BRENT SNAVELY • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • July 27, 2008



This year, Donald Lile canceled his trips to Sault Ste. Marie, as well as his vacation to Florida, because of high gas prices.

And even though gas prices have declined rapidly over the past week, he doubts he will resume long road trips anytime soon -- unless gas returns to about $2.50 per gallon.

Lile illustrates how this year's $4-per-gallon gas has had a deep impact on travel and purchasing habits. This summer, Americans have cut back on everything from vacations to casual social trips to purchases of pickups and SUVs. They used 2.4% less fuel over the past four weeks than they did last year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

"If I go to Toledo, that's a fuel vacation now," said Lile, 74, of Detroit. "I used to go to Florida on a regular basis and I used to go Up North two times a year."

After one of the fastest oil price run-ups in history, the price of light, sweet crude oil peaked at $145.31 per barrel July 3. Since then, oil has declined more than $20 per barrel to close Friday at $123.26. Meanwhile, gas prices declined from a statewide record of $4.21 on July 17 to $3.95 on Friday.

"It almost feels cheap," Shanita Moore, 23, of Detroit said Friday as she purchased gas at a Citgo station at Fort and First streets in Detroit, where gas was $3.79 per gallon for regular.

But she said she isn't fooled by the lower prices.

"Nowadays, when it goes down, you know it is going to go back up," Moore said. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807270561