Cup O’ Joe: Gas spike leads to alternative thinking

The recent spike in gasoline prices has surely impacted families where it hurts most – their wallets. With the price now hovering over $4 per gallon, many households are probably thinking long and hard about hopping into their vehicles to make a trip to town.
    I’m sure some are also reconsidering their summer vacation plans. That is the case in my home. In the past, we’d think nothing of piling into the car to head to Bangor or Presque Isle just to spend the day shopping. Now, I find myself second guessing making even a simple trip up North Street to go to the grocery store. Do I really need to go get that carton of Houlton Farms Dairy lemonade? Or can it wait until later in the week when we do our large grocery run?
I suppose that current gas crisis could actually be a good thing for smaller convenience stores; especially if others are thinking twice before driving “uptown” to the grocery stores as we are. I have found that I am more likely to visit the local convenience store on my way home from work to grab a carton of eggs or jug of milk.
Here at the Pioneer Times office, we started keeping track of the price increases on March 1. It has became something of a sad game of sorts as whichever person spots a gas station raising their prices phones the office so we can add it to the board.
On March 1, gas was selling for $3.49 a gallon. Two days later, it was $3.69. By April 1, the price jumped to $3.79 and by May 3, it has peaked at $4.07.
I fondly recall the days of my youth when the “it” thing to do on Friday and Saturday nights was to drive the loop from the movie theater parking lot to McDonald’s and back again in a seemingly endless circle. Back then, you put $5 in your tank and rode the loop until the gas ran out and it would last you practically all night. If you were really ambitious, you put in $10 and added a quick trip on the Interstate from the North Road on-ramp to the exit just before customs and over to Drake’s Hill Dairy Bar to see who was hanging out there.
Youth today have no such luxury as excursions such as these would probably set them back $40 or more in a single night.
Cutting back on travel here at work is also exceedingly difficult. It’s awfully hard to report on the news without actually going to where the news is happening. Sure, you can make phone calls or email to follow up, but it’s not the same as actually being there in person.
I’ve toyed with the idea of riding a bicycle to work, but the thought of riding down the road carrying thousands of dollars worth of camera gear on my back is probably not a smart move. How professional would it be for a reporter to show up for an interview on a bicycle, covered in sweat?
And as my luck typically runs, if I did ride a bike to work, that would be the day that a massive fire broke out in Danforth or Stacyville.
What are some of the creative ways you and your family are coming up with to beat the pumps?
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.