Anchorage Daily News

At gas stations from Muldoon to Huffman, drivers gasped Thursday when the scrolling numbers at the pump came to rest. Filling up a car cost around $60. A truck? Try $100.

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Alaska rose above $4 a gallon on Wednesday, making it the most expensive gas in the nation. Faced with the steep price tags, Anchorage drivers were feeling the pain.

Over at the Carrs gas station in the Northway Mall, where gas was $3.85 a gallon, Cathy Lieser filled up her old Ford truck Thursday. It has two 15-gallon tanks. The pump shut off at $75, and she had to put her card in for a second round. Anchorage prices seemed like a deal to her, though, because she's from Cantwell, where gas was $4.25 a gallon, she said.

Lieser would like to drive a more fuel-efficient car, but she was afraid she couldn't sell her truck for what she put into it. Everyone is trying to unload a truck these days, it seems. If the price of gas keeps climbing, she's going to have to rethink her transportation, maybe buying a smaller used car, or she'll have to get used to thinking of gas as a luxury item.

"I have a girlfriend that says you have to think about gas like lattes. If we're willing to pay $3.50 for a cup of coffee, why aren't we willing to pay $3.85 for a gallon of gas?" she said. "I don't know if I can make that leap in my mind yet."

Anchorage is a big-car town. At any given intersection there's an extended cab, Excursion or Hummer. It's practical in the winter time, but big cars are also part of a rough-and-tumble Alaska image. How expensive does gas have to get before the truck-lovers have second thoughts?

More expensive than this, said Jerry Boyd, who was fueling up his newish, gold Ford F-150 near Lieser at Carrs. He expected the tab to come to $100. It was spendy, but he wouldn't think of driving anything else. Little cars just don't seem as safe, and they won't hold his fishing gear. Plus, he works construction, and most everybody he knows at work drives a truck.

"I've been driving trucks for 30 years; I'm not going to stop now," he said.

Not that he doesn't think about fuel costs. He did switch from diesel when he bought his most recent truck. Diesel is a good 40 cents a gallon more expensive than regular gas. For his next car, he might consider a hybrid. But, it would have to be big, he said.

There is no reason gas prices have to be so high, he said.

"I think we're getting ripped off by the oil companies," he said.

$100 A WEEK

At Costco, where savvy drivers were enjoying gas at $3.82 per gallon, Henry Bruneau filled up his daughter's Saturn. He drives a truck, but he plans to park it in favor of a used Saturn like hers. He'd just come from the car dealership, looking at the one he wants to buy. He commutes to work from Peters Creek and burns $100 of gas a week. That's basically four-hours pay. With the Saturn, he expects to halve that.

Gas prices have already led him and his wife to cancel a road trip to Seward, he said. And, he's been using his bike a lot more.

Nearby, Richard VanderMartin stood in the back of his pickup, filling two 30-gallon barrels with gas. He thought he'd do it before prices climbed even more, he said. He lives in Wasilla, where gas on Thursday was $3.96 a gallon, he said.

VanderMartin's been trying to cut down on using his car by combining trips and carpooling with his wife when he can. His family also bought another more fuel-efficient car, he said. Still, gas prices are cramping his budget. What he makes can't keep up with inflation, he said.

"My two teens are driving and I've been putting off getting their driver's licenses because of gas," he said.

At another pump, Michelle Williams expected to put $100 of gas in a camper van. She was in from Falls Bay, a small Prince William Sound community. Gas for her car was the least of her concerns. She fishes commercially for salmon, and gas prices for her boat meant fishing closer to home for the first time, she said.

"Fishing will be a drastic change," she said.

SECOND THOUGHTS

Over at the Midtown Chevron, as Anna Tanner gassed up her small truck, she felt a little buyer's regret. Gas costs were making her wish for a smaller car and think hard about the trips she was taking.

"I don't have a bike," she said. "If I did, I'd ride it."

Out on Boniface Parkway, Tijuan Wyre put $13 worth of gas in his old Chevrolet Citation. Two skateboarding helmets were stashed above the back seat. Wyre fills up almost daily, just a few gallons each time, depending on what he can afford. It helps him keep transportation costs within his budget. His system won't help him if the price keeps climbing.

Then, "We gonna be skateboarding," he said.

Find Julia O'Malley online at adn.com/contact/jomalley or call 257-4591.

Gas prices in Anchorage

Average prices in Anchorage

YesterdayWeek agoMonth agoYear ago

$3.89$3.78$3.50$2.87

Lowest prices of regular gasoline posted on www.anchoragegasprices.com as of 6 p.m.*

PriceStationLocation

$3.76CostcoW. Dimond Blvd. and King Street

$3.79Carrs/SafewayAnchorage and Eagle River locations & Fred Meyer(before discounts)

Prices around the state

Average price per gallon from Wednesday compared to same time last year.

MayMay 14,

Location20072008

U.S. $3.10$3.78

Alaska $2.95$4.02

Anchorage$2.87$3.88

Fairbanks$2.77$3.96

Juneau$3.21$3.91

Source: American Automobile Association

Average price per gallon from early May compared to same time last year.

MayMay 1

Location20072008*

Anaktuvuk Pass$6.25$7.90

Cordova$4.10$4.80

Emmonak$4.08$6.83

Gambell$4.85$5.85

Kake$3.53$5.08

Koyuk$4.34$3.98

New Stuyahok$5.46$5.75

Saint Paul$3.93$3.56

Tanana$4.79$5.99

* Bulk price or retail price.

Source: Alaska Municipal League

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