On a holiday road trip to California, I took some snapshots of some of the gas stations along the way to see the differences in gas from here in Tucson, which was $3.28 at the Shell gas station on Valencia Road and 12th Avenue, to Whittier.
And here is a trip to Southern California in gas prices:
In Picacho Peak, on Picacho Peak Road, this Shell gas station is $3.59 per gallon, however the Shell gas station across the street offered a different price.
Hundreds of yards away, this Shell gas station is $3.69 per gallon, 10 whole cents more expensive than the same company’s station across the street.
In Eloy, the gas prices dropped slightly to $3.47 per gallon.
In Casa Grande, the gas prices at Love’s gas station dropped to $3.29 per gallon.
Across the Interstate from Love’s, at the Petro gas station, gas prices are $3.33 per gallon.
In Maricopa County, off of exit 151 at a small truck stop gas station, gas prices are up over 20 cents at $3.59 per gallon.
In Gila Bend, off of exit 119, the Shell gas station offers gas at $3.59.
In Buckeye, at another Shell gas station, gas drops to $3.45 per gallon.
In Quartzite, off of exit 17, at Pilot travel gas station gas prices drop slightly before crossing the border to $3.39 per gallon.
Across the border and into California, the Mobil and Shell gas stations offer gas at $3.89 per gallon; 50 cents more than the last gas station in Arizona.
In Banning, off of exit 17 at the Chevron gas station, gas goes up six cents at $3.95 per gallon.
Once in Whittier, the Mobil gas station sells gas at $3.71 per gallon, 24 cents lower than off the traveling freeway.
Across the street from the Mobil gas station, however, is an Arco gas station offering gas for $3.49, the lowest gas price I saw for the rest of the trip.
After four days, the gas prices at the Valencia Road and 12th Avenue Shell gas station back in Tucson dropped three cents.
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2012.
Isn’t capitalism grand? The system now has us all spending time and energy discussing the variance in gasoline prices and gloating over how “low” they are in Arizona. When I moved back to Tucson in 2001, the price of gas when I crossed the Colorado River was $1.35. How many people you know have had their income go up by 2-1/2 to 3 times in the last ten years? There’s never been more truth to the bumper sticker that says “If you’re not outraged, you haven’t been paying attention.”
What’s this contributor’s obsession with gas prices? Do you live in your car? Take a walk sometime.
One can only hope Serena Valdez doesn’t take up knitting.