Does the price of fuel at the pumps have you all fired up? It seems that over the last two years this has been a major topic in the headlines over and over again. In a time where the price of fuel has broken the three-dollar mark and is...

heading up the cost scale it seems no one can stop talking about it.
Some speculate the costs are because of the war in Iraq and others blame it on the government. Yet some say it is the fuel companies taking advantage of the situation and making larger profits. It was announced that the fuel companies did make the largest profits in the ’05 year than any other year. So the question is who is really to blame? The sad thing is I don’t think we will ever really know. The unfortunate part is that we are all going to be affected in more ways than we realize.
The cost of me driving back and forth to work has gone up significantly over the past year and now it is at the point where I spend in the neighborhood of $60 a week to fill up. Multiply that by two if you have a spouse that works and then through kids into the mix and wow you are spending about 5-6 hundred dollars a month in fuel. That just represents the cost of gasoline for your vehicles. How about the cost to heat and power the house, the cost of goods such as groceries has gone up and will continue to. Now is the season for boat sales and I’m sure that this industry is suffering. Who can afford to buy a boat and then fuel that 200-gallon tank? In my industry I have seen a great decline in customer traffic and it seems that the sale of very fuel-efficient vehicles is what is selling. In the past 6 months a major buzz has been around the hybrid vehicles. I’m sure all of you can look at the product or service the company you work for or own offers and see some major affects this will all have. In a country so dependant on oil and fossil fuels it seems the effect will be staggering and downright depressing.
The only thing I can say is thank God I have a bike and can shave a little bit of those costs down. The question I pose is will you be using your bike more or do these costs at the pump mean the rides are going to be less and more for transportation than for enjoyment. I know riding for me is what keeps me grounded and level headed so I couldn’t stop the leisure rides. However I’m sure I’m not in the same position as all of you out there. Will I be going cross country or riding out of state much? We shall see! In the mean time I will just keep shaking my head every time I pass a gas station and mumble oh well.
All Feedback is welcome. Feel free to email Joe or Dan if you have comments or questions.