Fuel and Gilboa

[PvtStash]

for me its not Just the fuel costs but they Do impact on my overall decision on Which quarry to go to; considering that Monroe, Whitestar & Portage quarries are ALL closer than Gilboa.

I think currently all the quarries pretty much have the same entry price (or within $1), but if Gilboa raised its prices AND its the farthest away it would probably be enough for me to choose one of the closer quarries, especially since I'm such a new diver my diving needs are small (I'd be perfectly happy with a 40' bottom for instance).

 

[parrothead600]

At the current fuel prices, it costs me 250 to make the trip. That is fuel cost alone. At that price, I won't be making the trip as often as I would like.

 

[crpntr133]

The only way that I could make it feasible to go to Gilboa is to car pool. But I am probably one of the few that has a long 6 hr drive. Most others that I have seen post are from Ohio.
Gas will affect how often I dive no mater where it is. No more one day trips.

 

[schu1842]

I'll probably do my traditional trips to Gilboa this year ( one will probably be the Meet & Greet and I'd also like to do the DUI Day) Gilboa's primary competition is Whitestar and Portage. I like all three for different reasons. Whitestar and Portage are more convenient for me in terms of travel and are cheaper to dive and camp. On a typical dive weekend the other two just seem less crowded. Fuel won't make any difference to me but I guess fuel, facility costs, and crowds could start to reduce crowds at Gilboa in favor of the other two.

 

[Notso_Ken]

I have a meeting with Mike next Tues. a.m. and he's a little concerned about the rising fuel cost and how it might affect his turnout this season. I'm wondering:

Will the rising price of fuel affect the number of times you will dive Gilboa this season?

The only quarries closer to me are Natural Springs and Circleville. I won't go to them over Gilboa regardless of the cost.

Portage and White Star are further to go, and Blue Springs is about the same. Given that competition, of course it will be Gilboa.




Ken

 

[trucker girl]

So was my math good or no? I didn't check it... Ken?

I'm wondering how many times the guy from Japan is planning to come to Gilboa. I imagine the price of jet fuel might get steep...

PvtStash, most of us who dive at Gilboa stay out of the deep side- in fact, you almost have to talk Mike into letting you dive over there (even if you're certified/qualified/gearified). Most of the sites are in the 35-40 ft range. I've never been to WS but I've been to Portage. I've been to lakes in Arkansas, Blue Springs in Indiana, Natural Springs (about 20 minutes from home), and Dutch Springs in Pennsylvania.

I just have a thing for Gilboa- I'm lucky to be so close. It's bout 15 minutes closer to me than Portage- but if Portage were 15 minutes closer and half the price, I'd probably still pick Gilboa most times. I won't go back to Natural Springs, though erparamedic has almost talked me into it a few times- I'd rather drive all the way to Blue Springs to meed up for diving than settle on NS.

Others will definitely disagree with me on all that. My own dive instructor won't go to Gilboa unless he needs to do a deep certification. People complain about the prices, the parking, the rules, but mostly I find that people will complain about anything.

Diving isn't a cheap sport.

 

[trucker girl]

At the current fuel prices, it costs me 250 to make the trip. That is fuel cost alone. At that price, I won't be making the trip as often as I would like.

$250 for gas alone? What were you paying last year at this time for the same trip? If you're averaging $4/gallon, that's 62.5 gallons. You're paying $62.50 more for $4/gal gas than you were for $3/gallon gas. Cut out dinner and a movie for two just once and you come out even.

I'm all for conserving and car pooling, but I see far too many people pointing at gas prices as the cause of their financial woes when other decisions (movies, shopping sprees, dinner out) have a far more negative effect (this is not a comment on the quoted post/poster- just a random observation). (See Ken, I'm all for car pooling)

Last summer I figured my average dive trip- was about $60. Fuel, tanks, fills, entry fees. If that goes up to $70 per trip, that extra $10 isn't going to stop me. I won't be diving as much this summer as I did last summer, but that's for other reasons. The price of fuel doesn't factor in as strong as the price of the rest of my life. Diving isn't cheap. Never was. Never will be. I know people who spend far more on pass times that aren't half as fulfilling to them as diving is to me.

I refrain from buying frivolous things- things I might otherwise splurge on- so that I can spend that money on diving instead. That's the price of doing what I love, and I'm paying it. Gladly.

 

[Notso_Ken]

So was my math good or no? I didn't check it... Ken?

I think your math was OK, and I haven't had a beer. Yet.

It's Parrotheads math I'm wondering about. I can drive (using summertime with the A/C on mileage - roughly 35mpg) about 2,684 miles on $250 worth of gas, at todays prices (3.26 at the corner station).


Ken

 

[MrSmitty13]

Well I'm willing to carpool if anybody is interested.... Just throwing it out there... I live in Allendale, MI (between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven). I have a small car that gets 30-35 mpg so it isnt too bad. PM me if you are interested...

 

[trucker girl]

I think your math was OK, and I haven't had a beer. Yet.

It's Parrotheads math I'm wondering about. I can drive (using summertime with the A/C on mileage - roughly 35mpg) about 2,684 miles on $250 worth of gas, at todays prices (3.26 at the corner station).


Ken

Okay, good. I was prepared for a calculated (ha ha) flaming!