The price of gas and toys

Right now the price of gas is pretty darn low. That’s nice, but don’t get too comfortable. Do I have any special knowledge? Nope. I’m just a pessimist. Okay, I’m not such a pessimist that I didn’t just buy a used Chevy Blazer that tops out at 20 mpg on the highway. In my defense, I can’t pull my sailboat and trailer with a motorized baby buggy. We still have my lovely wife’s little four cylinder econobanger that gets almost 40 mpg. That’s the daily driver.

Speaking of sailboats, I’ll still be able to use mine if the price of gas skyrockets again. I’ll only need enough gas to tow it to the ocean. Then I’m set. A few years ago I replaced the 6 hp gas outboard with a 55 lb thrust 12 volt electric. The boat’s battery is charged with a solar panel. Nice. Even with I used the gas motor it averaged out to less than half a gallon a day. I ended up walking the gas can to car service stations. It was embarrassing to fill up at a marina and purchase 3 gallons. The boat next to me would have 3 or 4, 300 hp outboards and take a long time to fill up.

In the past when the price of gas shot up, the tourist industry would collapse. People are a lot less likely to drive across the country in a big RV. Purchases of gas burning toys, everything from RVs, to ATVs plummet.

In the past I’ve owned a few snowmobiles. They are fairly hard on gasoline. They are vehicles with large tracks that are always under power. During a gas shock many years ago, the snowmobile was parked and I took up cross country skiing.

Actually, that energy price hike might have saved my life. I’ve scars from being stitched up after a snowmobile accident. My lovely wife never told me not go snowmobiling, but each season she’d buy extra life insurance on me. I might have gotten a bit crazy with those machines from time to time.

It just makes sense to me that eventually prices will rise again. There are many things that could cause shortages. When prices rise, people cut back to only buying what they have to buy. The gas burning toys get put away.

-Sixbears