We rekindled our love affair with road trip vacations in 2001 when our son was finally old enough to endure 3 days of driving at a time, and we were able to afford more dependable transportation. Instead of our usual 2 hour drive to some favorite State Park for 2 weeks of camping, we graduated to visiting various National Parks out west. It has been great.

Because of our road trip habit, I've payed attention to gas prices. Beginning in 2001, when prices spiked in late spring, I would wring my hands with everyone else and worry how high they would go by August (the time of our departure.) But it seemed every year, gas prices went down about 40 - 50 cents/gal by the time we hit the road. (Good reason to plan your driving vacation late in the summer.) Photo shows $3.79/gal on July 25, 2008 at Speedway on Greenfield and Sunny Slope Road, that is about .50 cents lower than earlier highs this summer. 

Experience taught me to not fret too much about what would prices be by the end of summer? I would assure myself the price would come down later in the summer, and they did. Unfortunately, the lower price of August was usually .25 to .50 cents/gal higher than the year before! 

I checked my travel journal for some past August price examples*. You can see the prices increases nearly every year:  2003 - $1.59/gal, 2004 - $1.83 to $1.93/gal, 2005 - $2.53 to $3.47/gal (California' price), 2006 - $2.99 to $3.19/gal, 2007 - $2.85 - $3.09. Notice the prices in 2007 were cheaper than 2006, but that was the exception to the norm.

The AAA agent told me Monday, the price this summer is $1.19 higher (nationwide) than last year's gas prices. That is a higher jump from years past. Some other market forces are at work.

USA Today attributed the oil prices drop to fewer miles driven in, Cost at pump dips as demand, oil prices fall,

Drivers in the USA logged 9.6 billion fewer miles in May than in May 2007, the government reported Monday. It was the third-largest monthly drop in 66 years.

But to me, that alone cannot account for the downturn in oil prices. If you look at the graph to the left, you see that oil prices started declining more steadily around the time the President announced he was removing the moratorium on offshore drilling. I believe if the Congress would approve domestic drilling, we would see more declines. 

If you look at the chart from this 2nd article, US drivers Log 9.6 B fewer miles in May, you see that Americans have been driving significantly less all year. May did not even mark the largest downturn, March did. If the price of oil was so dependent on driving alone, March's decline should have triggered a crude oil price reduction, shouldn't it have?

The data released Monday show that Americans drove 29.8 billion fewer miles in the first five months of this year compared with the same period last year, a 2.4% drop. The dip continues a seven-month trend beginning in November. Americans have driven 40.5 billion fewer miles from November through May compared with the same period a year earlier.

I believe we must start drilling in America if we want to see oil prices really decline. (Domestic drilling would also keep  billions of US $ at home, but that is another subject!) We are on a hair trigger as it stands now, where any natural or man-made disaster could push prices up. 

Unrest in non-OPEC countries, such as Nigeria, could push prices higher. Militants in that country sabotaged two oil pipelines Monday, driving crude prices for September delivery up $1.47 a barrel. A major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico also could send oil prices higher.

"We could always have a spike to $150 a barrel," Smith says.

For right now, we can relax just a tiny bit and enjoy the typical price decrease of .40 to .50 cents/gallon in August. Too bad it is still .70 cents a gallon more ($1.19 nationwide) than last year!

*In 1979 gas prices were under 50 cents a gallon in the early summer! (Good thing.This was our 5 1/2 week, 8,000 mile Way Out West camping trip.)

Click here to sign the DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. PAY LESS domestic drilling petition and see the latest links to related oil news (updated every day).

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As I mentioned yesterday, I made my 2008 Yellowstone reservations too late in the season. (I never dreamed mid September 2007 was too late!)

I should have known better. We have gone several times in recent years. The first time we went with our son in 2001, I trusted the information from the Travel section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and made late August/early September 2001 reservations in Dec. 2000. I could get all of our dates except one. I made the reservation anyway and booked a cabin across the park for the one problem date. Despite checking at the desk every day for a early cancellation (once we were there), I never caught it. We had to move for one night and then come back, which ate up at least an entire day. Argh.

The next time we went I reserved in October. No problem.

But now that our son is no longer homeschooled, we have to go during the more popular time of year and getting all the dates is tough.

So old so soon, so late so smart? The light bulb finally lit. I just made my summer 2009 reservations now. Starting May 1st, you can do that for the following year. For the first time ever, you can even reserve the actual cabin number if you know it. Pretty great.

If you are at all thinking of going to a National Park next summer, consider reserving now. They will bill your credit card for one night, but they will give you a full refund if you cancel within 48 hours of arrival. (This might vary with each park.)

The internet makes it very easy to reserve through Xanterra, however, not every National Park uses Xanterra. Other park concessioners have online reservations too. Check with the park website; they usually have a link to lodging.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these accommodations follow the 3 rules of real estate: Location, Location, Location! The rooms vary from quaint to I can't believe they can get $145 a night for this!  But the setting (location) cannot be beat.

Believe it or not, bathrooms are an option. Being cut from camping stock, we often opt for no bathroom. It saves about $30 - $40 a night. I was glad we decided on a bathroom in Yosemite though. There was a visiting bear outside our bathroom window two nights while we were there. I don't think I would have had the nerve to make the midnight trip outside to the little house with him or her around! 

Even though frugal is my middle name, there is something very special about staying right in the park. It makes a big difference in your total park experience. We enjoy attending the evening ranger programs in the parks, so adding sometimes 2 hours travel time to that is difficult. Park roads are usually very narrow, dark, and winding. So we tend to cut back in other areas (food is one) in order to afford staying in the park. Plus, it saves on travel time in and out and gas. 

If you are planning on going to a specific park, feel free to comment or email me. I have been to many National Parks and Monuments west of the Mississippi, plus Mammoth Cave, Smokey Mt. and Everglades. I am happy to share information.

Past Posting: Make Reservations Now For Summer 2008 Includes park websites and helpful book titles

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Although summer 2008 seems a long way off, it is already getting late in the season for making National Park lodging reservations! Popular parks fill up faster than the lesser known parks.

Yellowstone (our family favorite) is already showing no vacancy dates for various days throughout next summer. Don't let that discourage you, sometimes you can still work out your itinerary by staying in two locations. This happened to us our first trip in 2001--we had to move for one night in the middle of a 2 week stay. That was a huge waste of time though, and time is money when you are on vacation.

I recommend, if you are even just thinking of going, that you make your reservations now. It is easy to do. Most parks have online registration. They will charge your credit card the first night's rate but will refund it in whole if you cancel within a certain time frame (usually 48 hours prior to reserved date).

Our favorite place to be at Yellowstone is right on the geyser basin at Old Faithful Lodge cabins. We stay in the budget cabins (no bathroom--much like camping) but they do have other cabins with a bath. These accommodations are rather simple, but fit the three main rules of real estate: location, location, location! Last summer we must have seen Old Faithful erupt 100 time from this superb location. Can't beat that!

So mouse around on the National Park website and find the park of your choice. If the park has in-park lodging, there is usually a link to it. Park hotels and lodges are managed by a private company, not the National Park Service. These private companies usually manage several of the parks in a region. Yellowstone, for example, is managed by Xanterra.

Sometimes it is fun to stay in one of the more famous historic lodges, but they are too pricey for my budget. Their room rate did not prevent us from enjoying a meal, sitting by the fire in the lobby, or enjoying a tour though. There was a PBS series called Great Lodges of the National Parks, which gave detailed information about the famous lodges and their history. It is a wonderfully done production with a companion book that is a treat to page through. Our CAFE library system has both the book and the DVD.

I also own 2 very helpful books by David and Kay Scott. Their Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges book gives very practical advice on what each park accommodation is like and even includes their exact room or location preferences. I've found their suggestions helpful. Their other book, Guide to the National Park Areas gives a thumbnail sketch of each park, with map, and other helpful planning information. Our library system has both books. 

Just writing this post makes me want to start planning my next trip and packing my suitcase!

Again, if you have any questions or want any other information, just email me. I enjoyed hearing from you regarding my Mammoth Cave post--hope to hear from some of you again.

You can also reserve campground sites, mule rides or other special activities in advance too. Be sure to check the cancellation policy first.

PLEASE BE AWARE that as a rule, the cabins, hotels, lodges, etc. are NOT luxury accommodations. They usually do not have a TV or phone and often no air conditioning. In fact, hotel owners in the private sector would never get away with what they offer if it was in any other setting. The most we ever paid for a room--ever--was in Yosemite at Curry Village. The cabin was $145/night. OUCH--painful for a frugal girl like me. It had the worst, ratty bathroom I ever saw, but we were right in the valley with the granite bluffs just outside our cabin door. Can't beat that view--remember the 3 rules of real estate? It also had a black bear that visited at 2am. Staying on grounds in the park really does enhance the whole experience--after all, you aren't going there to spend time in the room! The lobbies and common areas of the lodges are usually quite charming.