While gas prices may seem high, holiday traveling may not decrease

By Jennifer Palmer

Published: May 23, 2008

Filling up the gasoline tank of the SUV, boat and RV for the Memorial Day weekend might make you cringe, with gasoline prices up more than a dollar a gallon from just two years ago.

But reservations for campgrounds are filling up and area lakes are preparing for a very busy weekend.

Gasoline prices statewide averaged $3.70 on Thursday. Marinas were reporting prices about 20 to 30 cents higher, with some as much as $4.55 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.

"With gas prices the way they are, people are wanting to stay close to home,” said Terry Gibson, assistant park manager of Lake Thunderbird.

He estimated 60,000 people will flock to the lake in east Norman for the weekend. "Memorial Day is always the first hoorah of the season,” he said.

Across Oklahoma, cabins and lodges at state parks are booked for the weekend, and campgrounds are expected to be at capacity by today, said state Tourism Director Hardy Watkins.

Daily availability information is available on the state tourism Web site.

Last Memorial Day, gasoline prices were up significantly from 2006. But it was rainy weather and flooding across the state that kept many from enjoying the outdoors.

"This year, the weather is definitely in our favor. We're expecting a large turnout” at state parks and lakes, said Lindsay Vidrine, public relations director for the state tourism department.

Temperatures are expected to reach between 80 and 93 degrees Friday, and could top out at 95 degrees Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. A slight chance of thunderstorms is forecast throughout the weekend.

Also last year, gasoline prices dropped over the holiday weekend. That's not likely to happen this year, some say.

At Catfish Bay Marina on Lake Texoma, a gallon of regular unleaded cost $3.99 Thursday, but that was expected to rise over $4 a gallon this weekend, said manager Sherri Williams. The pumps aren't designed to list a price over $4, so a note on the pump advises customers the price they see is actually half of what they're paying.

Gasoline prices are hitting the middle-income boaters hardest. Williams said those who own boats larger than 40-feet, which make up the majority of Catfish Bay's customers, "don't feel the crunch as badly.”

Two marinas on Lake Tenkiller were reporting gasoline more than $4.50 a gallon Thursday.

A road trip over 1,000 miles will cost about $20 more this year over last, assuming the car gets a typical 23 miles per gallon and uses 44 gallons of gasoline over the course of the trip, according to AAA Oklahoma spokesman Chuck Mai.

"In some cases, that $20 is going to be the tipping point, where families will say ‘Enough is enough. We've economized everywhere we can and we can't afford to go,'” he said.

Others will opt to cut expenses elsewhere and still go on the vacation.

Mai said it's possible the price of crude oil will drop in June and July, causing the price at the pump to decrease. Some families may hold out on their vacation until then.

Airline tickets and fees have also increased recently, as a reflection of soaring fuel costs. And rental cars jumped from an average of $31 a day in 2007 to $45 this year, a whopping 45 percent increase, Mai said.

So what's the good news? AAA recently ranked Oklahoma as one of the best travel values in the country. And although $3.70 for a gallon of gasoline sounds outrageous, it's still one of the lowest prices around.

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