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Hi guys an unfortunate update, went down today to fill my 5 gallon can for my weed eaters and chain saws, finally finished today what I wanted about 300% beyond the requirements for the forest service but sense Ive nearly been burned out before I am very careful now. Anyway a long story short, Southeast Sierra's Central California is now at $4.49.9 for regular unleaded, we are currently running $.03 above the cheapest stations in Bakerfield for transportation cost the 150 miles round trip to deliver here. I have been told we will peak above $5 before the end of the month, great for the long 4th of July weekenders trying to take a little vacation. The Forest Service last year increased camping fee's 100% locally from $7.50 per campsite to $15.00, reservations mostly required, they book solid with nearly 500,000 visitors on holiday weekends, but this year the bathrooms will be closed, the trash cans are gone, and the pickneck tables removed. They wanted to remove the fire pits, but just didn't get it all done, it was all party of US Forest services downsizing. So Im gonna expect alot of problems this holiday weekend. They did increase the first offense littering fine from $500 to $1000 and Im told the local authorites will have every officer in the field dawn to dark writting tickets. We have already had two major fires within 10 miles, and fire season doesn't start till tomorrow. I did have all the local guys from the fire camp up for Pizza and soft drinks tonight, something my brother in law next door and my two immediate nabors and I fund now, pizza is kinda cheap up here as are sodas and the local guys when they are not fighting fires like the interaction. A big bonus for us is they all know who we are and where we live, it helps and only costs us about $100 each, money very well spent. I suspect its gonna be a way bad year. Anyway gas prices are soaring here, Ive heard some crazy things lately from some people who have proven right. I hope not.

Hi Andy, yea its getting to be crazy with the gas prices here. Im honestly thinking electric. Two ways, one of those two seater highbreads for highway where you can carry a cleanex box as lugage. But for local stuff and local off road an electric dug buggy basically. Back just before I retired the City of LA through a "test" contract with Cushman I believe or perhaps a Japanese (Dihotsu) Company partnered with them, was suppling our mechanics with what looked like a full sized volkswagon dug buggy, but where the back seat was it was turned into a 4ft by 4ft mini pickup bed (over the battery area). Had a three speed automatic/manual shift transmission and some form of power generation returning energy to the battery with something attached to the wheels or axles. The mechanics liked them so well they converted the golf cart wheels and tires to larger ATV offroad style with wide mud and snow tread. Those little suckers were powerful, just like a real ATV or dun buggy not a golf cart. Batteries would easily last the whole day although they were not being run the whole 8 hours, however they did have hour meters on them so we could report actual battery life and recharge time. Of course we had charging stations everywhere so if you had a problem you just pluged in at your next stop for quicky charge.
In any case it was found that they got several hours of running time on a full battery charge and of course mechanics' being mechanic's there was a lot of experimentation including "adjustment" to the governers. Those little suckers could speed along easily at 40mph after our mechanic's had them for several months. For the local trip to the post office and country store, or almost 90% of my fishing here they would be perfect.
A few years ago the Island of Santa Catalina was giving away free Burro's and goats to anyone who had over an acre of land and would provide controlled access and population growth. Several of the people up here I guess as a lark got some. But within two years the ferrule dogs and mountain lions had killed all but one. That last one died when a do gooder thinking the animal was hungry gave it one of the 1 pound tubes of dry uncooked and hydrated Quaker Oat meal. The animal of course eat it and then drank, well I don't think I need to say more. I was unpleasant.
I hear ya though, its beginning to effect my plans for comming trips outside my little valley here where Amtrac, Airfare and of course gasoline is now becomming a very major consideration.
Thus far in the past two years Ive switched from Propane home heating to Electric. This last week I finished switching from propane to Electric Cooking, (wood stove backup for power outages). We are going down to the big city tomorrow to price and perhaps pickup an electric water heater to replace our propane one. If its a done deal then I will be all electric by the middle of next month. The cost of Electric power to do the same things as propane here is only 1/3 and tied to the price of natural gas which is the major sourse of power plants here in California. As such that price is about 1/3 of the relative cost of propane or home heating oil here. Guess we are going electric here.
Richard