Like millions of people, I will be wanting to visit family over the Christmas Holiday. We are a scattered bunch and we don't get to see each other much. Thus, I have made tentative plans to break for Christmas by visiting parents and grandparents and my VERY pregnant sister from ~Dec. 20-Dec. 26. This entails a long (~14h one way) drive from Virginia to the Vero Beach / West Palm Beach area of Florida.

My question is this: What do you think will be the status of gasoline and travel restrictions during that time? Do you think I will be stranded down in Florida with my DWGI parents if I plan to be back in Va. on the night of the 26th? Do you think the authorities will give us more than a day's notice on the nature of the restrictions (if any), or will they be late in implementing them--only reactively to news of disruptions and not proactively?

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), November 04, 1999

Answers

I hate to sound nasty but why are you asking anyone on this forum for opinions on what we think gas restrictions or travel will be. We havent got it right at all during the past year. I am not attacking anyone because I also got all my "predictions" wrong even though they were much more tame than others here. ALL predictions about awareness, preparation, panic, bank runs and stock market levels were wrong, unless you took what was then seen as a "polly" view of the future.

I am just sitting back and looking for evidence it COULD be bad and nothing is popping up. I dont believe all of the happy-face reports but I dont believe they ALL must be lying either.

-- hamster (hamster@mycaage.com), November 04, 1999.

I think that intentionally planning travel out of your hometown after about 12/20 is imprudent, to say nothing of traveling a double-digit # of hours out of state. I wouldn't do this if I were you; you have to make your own decisions, though.

www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

Hamster: your points are well taken. Nevertheless I want to get a gauge of what all of the people here who are much smarter than I would do or plan on doing.

M: Being a youngin it is my duty to honor and respect my parents, whom I see only about 3x a year. I have to come to them, not vice versa. And I can handle 14 hour drives alright. It's no picnic but I've done it before and can do it again. And if I get drowsy, I either find a place to stop or let my Better Half take the wheel.

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), November 04, 1999.

coprolith,

We always do x-mas with my wifes family up in Albany (about 2hrs away). This year we're doing it at home 'just in case'. If things work out we can go see them in January, if not, well, then we made the right choice.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), November 04, 1999.

Coprolith - I don't see how they would DARE set restrictions like that over the XMAS holidays - it would wake too many people up and greatly piss them off. It would be a HUGE admission that something terrible could actually go wrong. OTOH, there might be some announcements closer to NYE not to go overboard topping off gas tanks.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

Can you store any gas along the way?

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

coprolith, Please, if you're in Vero, let me know and we can visit and talk about doom. I'm here on the beach side. From what I read yesterday, gas shortages may start mid-December (my thinking ONLY). Again, my email works...

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 04, 1999.

No one can really answer your question, co-pro. But if you do go, it is possible that you may NEVER return.

dave

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

No one really knows, co-pro. But if you do go, it is possible that you may never return.

dave

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

big gamble i think. why not visit one another for thanksgiving instead? unless the movie has an impact at the end of thanksgiving. i was told by a virginia law enforcement agent, that they were told to keep their gas tanks full beginning dec 1 at commercial gas stations not the state pumps (so they can keep the state pumps full). this may be standard across the country??? maybe this will have a noticeable affect immediately.

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), November 04, 1999.

Coprolith,

If the authorities imposed restrictions preemptively, I would guess that they would do it either before the 25th, or after the 26th, precisely to avoid stranding the many holiday travelers. If such restrictions were reactive, I would guess them to happen later.

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), November 04, 1999.

I dunno. I fully intend to spend the Christmas weekend seeing the Spouse's family Friday and mine Sat. There are several hundred ways into PA from NY and the same into Ohio from PA that do NOT involve I- 90, I-81, US17, US20 etc.

Chuck who MIGHT just try to find an easy way around Syr. and Buf.

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 04, 1999.

Hi Coprolith,

For years we've been travelling to visit somewhat distant relatives over Christmas.

But not this year. We're going to do our travelling (driving) over Thanksgiving, saving Christmas for local celebrations (I hope they'll be celebrations).

Of course, this means making sure we've finished our Christmas shopping earlier than normal, and sorta forces our relatives to do the same.

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moines (dtmiller@midiowa.net), November 04, 1999.

I agree with those who think there will be no gas rationing during the Christmas holiday. That would be too controversial, and the government is still trying to tell us that it will be safe to fly on January 1. Everybody wants those tourist dollars to circulate, after all.

Based on what DD said, I would expect TPTB to "get it" the first or second week of January. After that, expect restrictions, but not before rollover. Just my $.02.

-- Margaret J (janssm@aol.com), November 04, 1999.

In my not at all humble opinion, Chuck has the answer if you go. Know how and where to get off the beaten path if you need to. Carry an extra 10 gal. of gas safely in the trunk. Most of all, GOOD LUCK.

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), November 04, 1999.

Travel restrictions don't really make sense before rollover. It would precipitate a panic, which is what the whole Y2K gov't PR plan is about avoiding.

-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), November 04, 1999.

We plan of traveling over Thanksgiving, only because my job situation lets me off for Thanksgiving and not Christmas or New Year's. That said, we will be prepared for making a backroads return journey, just in case.

But one point made earlier, TPTB don't want to take pre-emptive action should change. The current power structure is following a government version of Fix-On-Failure (FOF); React-On-Failure, Late of course (ROFL).

They can't politically afford to take action that might be wrong. Just look at the political reaction to the Hurricane Floyd evacuations after the hurricane blew past. People didn't thank the politicians for taking action that MIGHT HAVE saved their lives. They bitched and complained because there were inconveniences involved.

The national politicians paid attention and you can bet that they won't do anything that could make them look like the political boy who cried wolf. They won't make any fuel restrictions until the oil compnaies start crying out loud and the oil companies won't want to make waves until any failures have occurred and been quantified.

I'll say go ahead and make the trip. They didn't stop people from walking out on the deck of the Titanic when the iceberg was near.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), November 04, 1999.

With all due respect to FLAMEAWAY's statements, I posit that storing any amount of gasoline in the trunk of your car is an extremely unwise action. A miniscule imperfection of the container's seal could allow vapors to escape. They will build up in the trunk until they reach the proper mixture, anytime after which the smallest spark will ignite them. Stepping on your brakes (and thereby sending current to your brakelights) could be all that is needed. If you are committed to traveling at such an importune time, and feel you absolutely must transport extra fuel, do not attempt to store the fuel anywhere in the interior of the vehicle.

-- PKM (.@...), November 04, 1999.

Nawww, don't even worry about travel cuz the chinese are gonna nuke us during Thanksgiving dinner!!

-- Porky (Porky@in.cellblockD), November 04, 1999.

Monitor the situation closely and you you will see if there are any indications of fuel shortages. People who are concerned about y2k are not going to wait until Dec. 31 to fill thier gas tanks. They will do it in mid-Dec. and then keep them nearly full. What we don't know is how many will be concerned about y2k in late Dec.

-- Dave (Dannco@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

This will be the first year that we have not driven from WI to Buffalo, NY to be with family at Christmas. Seems to us that right after Christmas could be the time when the populace finally gets real jittery about Y2K. Christmas is such an emotional highlight in the U.S. When the day has past, there is sort of a emotional let down. Unless the populace is going to cruise right on over the cliff without ever waking up, seems to us that could be the time.  Seems possible that folks could think "Well, I was gearing up for Christmas for months. Now Christmas is over. Gee. What's next? Oh yeah, Y2K. Hmmmm. Maybe I should stock up on a few things, just in case. Now that it's just days away, I guess I'd better do just a few things...." If millions should do this.... we wouldn't want to be stuck someplace on the road when the populace gets out of hand.  Our families understand completely why we are not coming this year. We saw them last summer. And hope to see them next summer.  I strongly suspect there will be more than a few preparations that we will still be busy with, ourselves, at that time. We seem to keep thinking of more things to do, and time seems to be passing more and more quickly. I doubt I'd enjoy it much even if we went. Just seems like a good time to stay close to home.

-- Shivani Arjuna (SArjuna@aol.com), November 04, 1999.