A hard road for the U.P.

June 8, 2008

The impact of the increase in gasoline prices seems to follow a pattern. When the price per gallon hit $2 a few years ago, the reaction of tourists to the Upper Peninsula was taking shorter trips. Now with gasoline nearly $4 a gallon and even more for diesel, the impact will probably be the same: more travelers from Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin, but not so many drivers coming from farther away. Detroit is about 600 miles from my home town of Houghton in the U.P. Those folks may opt for Traverse City or Petoskey instead.
The fuel price will hit especially hard on those folks driving massive RVs and towing a dinghy. I asked at a national park where a big rig driver was headed to next and the answer was: “Depends on the direction of the wind.”
Bucking a headwind while pushing a big, boxy RV can drive the miles per gallon down, in some cases as low as four or six miles per gallon. Plus, it can cost $600 to fill up a motor coach. Many of these vehicles have 150-gallon diesel tanks.
My old 1956 VW bus with a five-speed gear box had a top speed of 48. Against a 30 mile headwind we’d have to floor it to break 25, shift down to third gear and second on the upgrades.
Already the price of fuel has put the bite on RV sales, which have taken a drop of 20-40%. And boaters who run around the lakes with twin screw diesels will think twice before leaving the dock. Luckily, my sail boat needs only about eight gallons a summer


ON THE OTHER HAND...
But even an increase of $2 a gallon for gasoline would run up the cost of a full tank in my Taurus by only about $26 for a 300- plus mile run. Although it’s only a 1995, under cruise control at 55 mph in Michigan, I get over 30 miles to the gallon.
When a family of four can easily drop a hundred bucks for dinner at a nice restaurant, an extra $30 for a day’s gasoline doesn’t look like a budget buster. What hurts the typical working family is the cost of commuting, day after day That adds up.
For campers who stay in one park for a week, the extra fuel cost to get there and stay put doesn’t amount to much, relatively speaking.
True, there will be some reduction in the tourist traffic, but there are ways to double your gas mileage.
If you like rabbit starts and find yourself hitting the brakes for every traffic light, you’re wasting fuel. The trick is never to press on the gas pedal hard enough to break an egg, and anticipate those red lights so you gradually coast to a near stop. Better yet, time yourself so the light turns green before you come to a complete stop. To start from a dead stop takes extra energy to overcome that inertia.
Forget about breaking the speed limit and charging down the highway at 80 or 85. Above 50 miles an hour the wind resistance is a serious factor. It would save millions of gallons of fuel if the 55 mile an hour speed limit were enforced all over the country instead of 70, for which people generally drive five miles faster.
At 55 you might actually be able to see something of the scenery instead of keeping your eyes glued on the tail lights in front of you. After all, a vacation is supposed to be relaxing. Take it easy. Make that engine sip fuel instead of gulping it. The increased price of fuel will stay in your comfort zone..