Driving To Maryland Wed Evening. Give Me A Gasoline SITREP Please

[Guest]

Sheslinger and I are driving home this Wed. for a Wedding.  We will be taking 40 East through TN and then 81 North through VA and eventually 66/495 etc. into Baltimore.

For those of you who live along that route give me a gas station situation report.  I am not all the concerned about the prices I just don't want to run into a bunch of gas lines or closed stations.  

The fuel should be flowing again so the panic should be dimished by then IMO.

So give me a heads up.  

Thanks so much,
Chris

[K Frame]

It's expensive, but available.

There were some rumors that gas stations were shutting down on Friday, which panicked a lot of people, but so far only a few stations have run out of gas, largely due to the panic on Friday.

All the stations I've seen in Northern Virginia (I'm right off 495/66) have gas.

Mtnbkr is in Roanoke this weekend. He'll be back and should be able to let you know the situation on Monday evening or Tuesday from that direction.

[mtnbkr]

Still in Roanoke...

There's plenty of gas in SW Va (along I81), but it's running about #3.19-$3.39 for regular.  I didn't buy any between NoVa and SWVa on Friday, but I saw nothing to indicate a shortage.  The real shortages are occuring south of the Va border in NC.  

When you hit NoVa, let us know, mebbe we can grab some dinner...if we can afford the fuel to get to the restaurant.

Chris

[K Frame]

Count me in on dinner.

If I have gas.

If I make dinner, I'll definiately have gas.

[Norton]

Chris,

I'd be sure to hit the fuel stops along I-81 before hitting NoVA.  I usually make that run a couple times a month to get either to the wife's family in Waynesboro or to our land west of Roanoke.

Usually you will find the gas to be cheapest between Harrisonburg (exit 243, 245, 247) and Tom's Brook (exit 293).  I find that the Sheetz in Mt Jackson (exit 273) is most consistent with low prices.  I haven't been for a few weeks now so don't know what things are looking like with the current weirdness.

If you want to top off when you get to NoVA I usually head for the Sheetz at Haymarket (exit 40) off of I-66.....may be better deals around, but I haven't been running around NoVA for the last several weeks.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the I-81 corridor.....lots of commercial traffic and the last thing TPTB want right now is any SNAFU that disrupts our commerical carriers.

[Guest]

Thanks so much for the updates.  The price will be what the price will be, not much I can do about it and that I can expect and handle.  I was just worried about any wide spread shortages or gas lines.

As for dinner we are actually driving up through the night on Wed. so we will not be able to do dinner, as much as we would both love to.  

Thanks again,

Chris

[Guest]

We will be on our way back to TN on Monday.  If anybody wants to do lunch around noonish we might be able to do something.  Roanoke is about 4 hours or so from Baltimore correct?

If so let us know.

Chris

[mtnbkr]

Roanoke is roughly 5 hours from B-more.  

Where do you plan to be around noon?  I'm back in NoVa now.

Chris

[Guest]

We plan to leave the Baltimore area around 8:00 AM.  So that puts us about 4 hours out by noonish.  We take 695 to 495 to 66 to 81 to 40.

Chris

[K Frame]

Leaving 8 a.m. on Monday, down I-95 towards 495...

You should be able to meet up with us right around noon for lunch.

I'm not joking. Some mornings the traffic is that frigging bad.

Do yourself a favor.

Leave at 10 a.m. and stop in Northern Virginia for lunch. I work right near mtnbkr.

In the long haul, you'll only lose about an hour by not having to sit in horrendous morning rush hour traffic on 695, 95, and 495.

[Norton]

Chris,

Not to contradict Mike because he's right about the morning traffic down there, but if you take I-70 out past Frederick it will probably be smooth sailing.  You end up coming out at exit 315 on I-81 instead of I-66 at exit 300.  It's a pretty drive as well.

Just do I-70 to Frederick, then Rt 340 south through Harper's Ferry.  Stay on 340 until Berryville where you pick up Rt 7 west and it takes you to Winchester and I-81.

Just another option if you want to get an early start.

[Guest]

Mike, send me a PM over at THR with a phone number and we will see what we can do.

Chris

[saxman357]

Chris,

Not to contradict Mike because he's right about the morning traffic down there, but if you take I-70 out past Frederick it will probably be smooth sailing.  You end up coming out at exit 315 on I-81 instead of I-66 at exit 300.  It's a pretty drive as well.

Just do I-70 to Frederick, then Rt 340 south through Harper's Ferry.  Stay on 340 until Berryville where you pick up Rt 7 west and it takes you to Winchester and I-81.

Just another option if you want to get an early start.

I was about to suggest almost exactly the same thing, except I would probably take US340 south to I-66, just north of Front Royal.  Rt 7 into Winchester should be a little quicker, though.  You couldn't pay me enough to drive the capital beltway unless there was absolutely no other option.

[K Frame]

Chris,

I just e-mailed you at your comcast address.

I don't do THR.