[Corporal_Punishment]

Just about a month from now I'm going to be headed down to Florida for a week. I'll be driving, yet again. I just kind of wanted to know, and I'm sure that this will change, how the gas prices are as I head south. I'll be taking 95 and I won't want to stray far from the highway to get gas. The wife and kids will be with me and the less amount of time in the car the better. Thanks in advance for the help.

Ben

 

[blitzoid]

Hopefully you can make it to NJ on your first tankful. It's dirt cheap there.

check this out... seemed pretty nifty
http://www.usastar.com/i95/gasprice.htm

 

[bbottomley]

Agree with the recommendation regarding New Jersey!

Coming down the Jersey Turnpike, get off at Exit 7, Bordentown/Trenton. Left at the fork after the toll plaza, following the signs to I-295 by way of US-206. Cheapest place on the entire East Coast is the Pilot station where you make the right turn off of 206 onto the back road that takes you to I-295. Next cheapest (normally by a penny or so) is the Sikh-operated Mobil station on 206 just after the turnpike offramp. And they are all full service, by law!

See map at http://tinyurl.com/75eaf .

Then continue south on 295, which exactly parallels the turnpike and is free. Just keep your wits about you when it briefly merges with I-676 near Camden. Stay in the right lane and you'll stay on 295.

My Forester easily makes it from a fillup in Claremont, NH, to the stations in Jersey, so you shouldn't have any problem coming from Bennington.

Gas in MD right now is about $2.33.

Be sure you have an E-ZPass.

 

[SubaJew]

Chevron 93 has been running around $2.499/gal here in southern Palm Beach County.
Try to fill up in SC as well; they're pretty cheap as far as state prices go.
STAY AWAY FROM THE "SOUTH OF THE BORDER" PLACE! (Do not pass go, do not collect $200)
Once you hit FL, the prices go up again.
Do use the I-295 bypass around Jacksonville; especially if you're passing through during the day.
We make the round trip to NYC once or twice a year at least.
How far down are you comming?

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

Chevron 93 has been running around $2.499/gal here in southern Palm Beach County.
Try to fill up in SC as well; they're pretty cheap as far as state prices go.
STAY AWAY FROM THE "SOUTH OF THE BORDER" PLACE! (Do not pass go, do not collect $200)
Once you hit FL, the prices go up again.
Do use the I-295 bypass around Jacksonville; especially if you're passing through during the day.
We make the round trip to NYC once or twice a year at least.
How far down are you comming?

Sarasota. Thanks for the tips. I never stop at South of the Border though. From the looks I would need a tetness shot when I left.

Ben

 

[Hinch]

Ben, where are you planning to cut over to 75? I ask because the obvious choice, I-4, is a notorious parking lot much of the time. I would suggest 95 to W 10 (Jax area), then taking 301 south to Waldo, where 24 goes SW towards Gainesville and I-75, and Bob's your uncle, you're in Sarasota.

'Spect you'll get differing opinions on this.

BTW, both the burgs of Waldo and Starke on 301 are famous speed traps. If the signs say 35, *go* 35. Otherwise, 301 is 70mph.

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

Ben, where are you planning to cut over to 75? I ask because the obvious choice, I-4, is a notorious parking lot much of the time. I would suggest 95 to W 10 (Jax area), then taking 301 south to Waldo, where 24 goes SW towards Gainesville and I-75, and Bob's your uncle, you're in Sarasota.

'Spect you'll get differing opinions on this.

BTW, both the burgs of Waldo and Starke on 301 are famous speed traps. If the signs say 35, *go* 35. Otherwise, 301 is 70mph.

Thanks. I would have taken I-4 but I may have to reconsider that. Now that you mentioned it I think I was stuck on I-4 at a dead stop for a couple of hours last time I went down. IIRC it was 4 teenagers that ran for the police and decided to end themselfs by slaming into a bridge. Your way sounds much better.

Ben

 

[Hinch]

We go to Fernandina Beach just north of Jax occasionally. The 301/24 drive is fast and pretty traffic-free most of the time. Except for the speed traps...the hard part is going the speed limit *as you pass the speed limit sign*...don't start coasting down after.

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

We go to Fernandina Beach just north of Jax occasionally. The 301/24 drive is fast and pretty traffic-free most of the time. Except for the speed traps...the hard part is going the speed limit *as you pass the speed limit sign*...don't start coasting down after.

It's the same way here with the speed limit changes. And the police like to sit about 19 feet beyond the speed limit sign too.

Ben

 

[SubaJew]

If you can time your entry into FL for the wee hours of the AM, you can avoid all of the traffic.
Are you going straight through or stopping overnight?

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

I normally stop @ about 7am no matter where I am. Sorry, I leave here at 5pm. 14 hours on the road. 4 hours sleep. Then the rest of the trip. I made it home in 20 hours last time. The way home is non-stop.

Ben

 

[SubaJew]

For me the stop is usually around 5am until first light.
Lately we've been staying overnight in SC (either Florence or Turbeville {x135}).
If you stayed overnight and left at 11am (latest check-out time), you'd get into FL late enough to avoid most of the traffic, but not at an unG-Dly hour.
BTW: Our last trip in December, we made it to NYC in 17.5 hrs non-stop.
This is not the norm for us; we were trying to make it to a funeral on time.

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

For me the stop is usually around 5am until first light.
Lately we've been staying overnight in SC (either Florence or Turbeville {x135}).
If you stayed overnight and left at 11am (latest check-out time), you'd get into FL late enough to avoid most of the traffic, but not at an unG-Dly hour.
BTW: Our last trip in December, we made it to NYC in 17.5 hrs non-stop.
This is not the norm for us; we were trying to make it to a funeral on time.

I about 4 hours past NYC so that timing is just about right. I think that the last 2 time I went down I stayed in Rocky Point?, NC.

Ben

 

[SubaJew]

That 17.5 figure included a 1 hour battle through city traffic.

SC is a little cheaper.
Check with your favorite travel website.

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

SC is a little cheaper.
Check with your favorite travel website.

Thanks for the tip.

Ben

 

[SubaJew]

I about 4 hours past NYC so that timing is just about right....

And we're about 4+ hrs south of Sarasota.

 

[Corporal_Punishment]

I about 4 hours past NYC so that timing is just about right....

And we're about 4+ hrs south of Sarasota.

Didn't speed at all did you. :wink:

Ben

 

[SubaJew]

I believe I'm covered by the Fifth Amendment on that one, but do the math.
We left Saturday night after dark and there was not a lick of traffic until we got into NJ.
Cruise was set on 80 the whole way.
We didn't even have to slow down through DC!
There was no one out!
We were home 72 hours after we left.