Gasoline prices on the North Olympic Peninsula are lapping at the $4 a gallon mark for the second time in three years.
And nobody knows when the fluctuations will end — or how high prices at the pump will go.
The last time gas prices were so high — early summer 2008 — were followed by a sharp downturn which found prices back below $3 by November of that year.
Regular unleaded in Clallam County ranged between $3.939 at the 76 at 331 W. First St. and stretching up to $4.169 at the Texaco, 232951 U.S. Highway 101 near Port Angeles on Monday, according to Motortrend.com, which tracks gas prices town by town nationwide: http:// www.motortrend.com/gas_prices/31/washington/index.html
Jefferson County isn’t faring as bad with prices ranging from the low of $3.759 at Safeway, 2611 E. Sims Way, Port Townsend, to $3.899 at the 76 at 2342 Sims Way according to Motortrend.com.
The Texaco price on U.S. Highway 101 near Port Angeles was the highest listed for the North Olympic Peninsula, but the website didn’t show some stations in Forks, Chimacum and other outlying points.
None would give prices over the phone.
Diane Schostak, executive director for the North Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau, said she didn’t think that rising gas prices will significantly harm tourism numbers this summer.
Pointing back to 2008 when gas prices rose to $4.20 in early summer, visitor numbers remained steady, she said.
“Our market is very focused on the Puget Sound region — King, Snohomish and Pierce counties — therefore, our primary focus is always working to keep awareness up and try to do what we can on our limited marketing budgets,” she said.
“What I have always found is that tourism has always been up in the last couple years in spite of the economic downturn and rising gas prices because we are in a close market.
“So when people get spooked by long distance travel and airfares that are going up, they often look around home and might go do what might be a two- or three-day trip.”
She said Port Townsend makes for a good day trip for Seattle residents, and Olympic National Park offers the camping, wildlife and rugged adventure others might be seeking at distant national parks but decided to stay closer to home.
Russ Veenema, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, agreed, saying the message of the close vacation was already out there.
“In this economy, we are all just rolling with the punches — it is unfortunate that these gas prices are coming just as we are coming out of the recession, but I think that we’ll do OK,” he said.
In Forks, Marcia Bingham, executive director of the Forks Chamber of Commerce, recalled that the town set tourism records in 2008 because of the Twilight phenomenon.
She expects that this summer will stay busy for the same reason, especially as another movie in the “Twilight” series is released.
“I think these fans are hardy,” she said. “They will find a way.
“Even if they have to pack more of them into a car, they’ll make it out here.”
Although last year’s numbers broke all previous records including 2008’s, November and December did see a slight downtown.
This November, the first segment of the final “Twilight” movie will be released, which Bingham said she believes will give some new life to the teen vampire phenomenon — high gas prices or not.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
