Gas Prices Hit New Record High

May 10, 2022 Hunter Wallace Alt-Center, Economy, Energy, Politics, Populists, Progressives 17

Pray for me.

My wife decided months ago that we were going on our long planned road trip through the Southwest in early June. My son’s birthday is coming up soon and he has been telling his classmates all year that he is going to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. We booked all of our hotels well in advance.

Axios:

“The national average price for regular gasoline jumped to a new all-time high of $4.37 a gallon on Tuesday, breaking the previous record set in March by four cents, according to AAA.

Why it matters: The new record, which isn’t adjusted for inflation, comes as rising prices put pressure on the Biden administration to help consumers. Diesel prices also hit a new high of $5.50 a gallon.

President Biden is expected to announce a new plan on Tuesday aimed at helping Americans mitigate the costs of inflation. …”

We couldn’t have picked a better time to drive from Alabama to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the Pacific and back. It sounded a lot more fun before this war in Ukraine. My wife loved those long distance road trips in her childhood and she wanted to do something similar.

Note: I’m going to be on the road from June 1 through June 14. This shouldn’t be much of a problem because I am always updating the site through my smartphone anyway.

17 Comments

  1. Their reaction to Covid wrecked the economy with lockdowns, closed businesses, massive unemployment and shortages. Their “solution” to it created trillions of dollars of debt money triggering inflation. The first thing Biden did as president was to shut down the pipeline and fuel costs immediately began to rise. The Ukraine war has only exacerbated this. Build Back Better is here. Expect little or no help from Republicans if they take over in Nov.

      • I live on five miles of lava flows. The layers can be interesting. It just paves right over whatever was there before.

    • There seem to still be some incredible gold placers in the Aussie desert. Been watching some finds on J-Tube. Opals and other good stuff too. Literally fortunes still to be made. Now that we have satellite imaging your odds are much better. Platinum, cobalt and even uranium.

  3. Yes Hunter but, but but, . . . what about your carbon footprint? How many pounds of CO2 will you produce from driving your infernal horseless carriage? Think of the children!

    I hope your family has a great trip.

  4. >We booked all of our hotels well in advance.

    I’ve made many such road trips and never found that necessary — while I had a general plan and timetable, I had little idea of exactly where I would be on any specific evening — I just spontaneously stopped and always easily found a free room.

    • West Coast hotels fill up early. Everyone has their favorite spot. You can still get Motel 6s but the nice places are mostly full.

  5. A trick on these long road trips is to find gas stations a bit off the interstate. The gas stations right next to the interstate will usually jack up the prices, especially if they’re in touristy areas like Williams AZ near the grand canyon. If you drive a mile into town you’ll often find gas stations with the normal price.

  6. Brad, when you’re in Arizona try and make it over to Tombstone and visit the OK Corral. I think your son will like it.

  7. Highly recommend Highway 8 to San Diego over Highway 10 to Los Angeles. One of the most beautiful drives in the country. Jewgle Fosters point if you want a quick day hike on the ridge. Amazing views of the desert side. It feels like you could just jump off with a hang glider on the canyon updraft and fly to Mt Whitney. North County beaches are nicer than touristy La Jolla but La Jolla is nice for a day. Fossil shop and restaurants.

  8. Good road trip. I did two of those types of “Out West” road trips in December 2017 and July 2019. Some tips for where you’re heading:

    -The drive on the I-70 from Denver through the Rocky Mountains is an experience in itself. I stopped in Glenwood Springs, which is along the highway, and drove 30 miles south from there to Aspen, the famous ski resort town. I’m not a skier, but Aspen is worth visiting just to walk around. Glenwood Springs has a cute little downtown area too.

    -I’m assuming when you guys visit the Grand Canyon that you’ll hit up the National Park. If your hotel is in that little area nearby to the south, just be warned that some of the restaurants close early (like, 6:00). One of the hotels there has an indoor mini botanical gardens by the pool area, although you did say you booked your hotels already.

    -When you reach California, I highly recommend finding time to make the drive up the Highway 1 from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara. Its about a 90 mile drive, and you can turn around and make it back to LA the same day. The scenery is incredible, especially when you first come out of the tunnel from the I-10 to the Highway 1. Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara has an ice cream parlor at the end of the pier that your son would like.

    -Alternatively, if you guys are heading to San Diego instead, there’s more then just Sea World and the Zoo. I adore Balboa Park, specifically the Spanish Arts Center, and Gaslamp District has good walking views and lots of restaurants. Old Town is also fun.

  9. I once took a road trip through AZ and found a gift shop that was run by a lady who was one of the original Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Then we saw Mel Torme at the Tropicana in Vegas. Or was it Wayne Newton?

  10. Bisbee is close to Tombstone and also worth a visit. Basically an unspoiled copper-mining town from the late 19th to early 20th century, with some decent remaining architecture intact. The Copper Queen mine (not active anymore) and nearby museum is a fun tour for kids too.

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