The Dream of the Open Road Collides With the Reality of $5-a-Gallon Gas

Mike Letterman

Jun 11, 2022, 7:25 PM
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Since our trip began, gas prices have gone up almost every day. The average price of a gallon of gas in the country hit $5 on Saturday. We had no choice but to adapt to the high prices. Instead of going to museums and eating out in the big cities of the Southeast, we went to the road. It costs a small fortune to be on the road, so why not focus on it?

We decided to stick to the business routes, which were designed to take you through downtowns instead of around them, and back roads, which were the original blue highways, slowly crossing old, low bridges that put us at eye level with marsh, sweet-smelling honeysuckle hedges and local ice cream We got to see some rare slices of America when we took these less-worn roads. You get better gas mileage if you stay under 50 mph.

Thrifty Car Rental in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on May 12.

A Costco gasoline station in Raleigh, N.C.

We didn't see many people in the photos I took. Truck drivers, construction workers and a few nurses were some of the people we saw as we drove through small, medium and large cities.

Hot dogs at the farmers’ market in Raleigh cost $3.25 each.

People set up a grill, dartboard and chairs in the parking lot of a hotel on the edge of an industrial park so they could hang out without spending money.

A group of friends fishing in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Paloma, who is 10, at the Quality Inn in Alcoa, Tenn.

Inexpensive fun outside the Quality Inn.

We always had the roads to ourselves, no matter where we went or how far we traveled. I don't know if it was inflation or gas prices, but things felt sleepy, if not desolate. There's a parking spot next to a waterfall in the park.

Gas stations and restaurants were under staffed. There were signs that said "help wanted" A lot of restaurants eliminated indoor seating. There were a lot of "open" signs on businesses that weren't open.

Lodging outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee, N.C.

The skate park off the Beltline walking path in Atlanta was one of the places where more people showed up. People showed up at a comedy show and a car race in New Orleans. The Dollar General had no problem filling parking lots.

A skate park off the BeltLine walking path in Atlanta.

The Red Wolf Brass Band performing at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, La.

A man filling up his tank after running out of gas on Canal Street in New Orleans.

We went to a $10 music show at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans. The crowd that night was so small that the bartender urged us to come back again and again.

The musician Kyle Roussel counting his tips after performing at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans.

A BBQ Shrimp Poboy sandwich, which cost $15.95, from Liuzza’s by the Track in New Orleans.

This trip felt similar to when I drove across the country at the peak of the prevaccine epidemic. Even fewer people were out and about back then, and everything was very cheap, but on both trips I could sense the struggles. Things beyond my control forced many of my decisions, but they each brought me joy. The open road is likely to be the reason for it.