Getting Gassed In Texas Is Way Cheaper Than Getting Gassed In Washington

 A couple days ago I listened to a Washingtonian whine about gas in Washington inching towards six bucks a gallon.

Yesterday I went to ALDI and saw the station where I regularly buy gas has dropped back under three bucks a gallon.

It is interesting how one gets acclimated to the price of gas.

I can remember way back in the previous century filling up the tank of my 65 Mustang for 25 cents a gallon, in Mount Vernon. I remember when an oil embargo in the 1970s caused gas to go over 50 cents a gallon.

And to cut consumption the freeway speed limit was lowered to 50 mph. 

That did not last long. 50 mph seemed so slow.

The last time I drove back to Washington, in early August of 2001. I filled the tank in Amarillo for, if I remember right, 74 cents a gallon. Two days later I needed gas again. I was in La Grande, Oregon. All the gas stations had gas at over $1.75 a gallon.

Outrageous, I thought.

So, I got enough Oregon gas to get me to Washington, where I was sure it would be cheaper.

It wasn't.

I ended up filling up in Prosser, Washington for a little under two bucks a gallon.

Gas prices rose the entire month I was in Washington.

On my return to Texas I once again needed gas, in Amarillo, went to that station where gas was 74 cents a gallon a month before, to see it was now $1.44 a gallon.

$1.44 a gallon sounds cheap now.

$2.99 a gallon sounds cheap, compared to what it costs in Washington, and the rest of the west coast.

And now the Middle East is once again in extreme turmoil. That always seems to cause the price of gas to rise...