$4 a gallon in Aspen, Colorado at highest prices ever

Associated Press

Saturday, May 19, 2007

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Drivers might want to take a trip to the Internet before going out to buy gasoline these days.

Some bigger cities have Web sites with the latest prices.

Headed to Aspen. You definitely should consider filling up before hitting the resort town.

On Friday, stations in Aspen were selling regular for from $4.07 to $4.09 a gallon for unleaded, a record.

"Every city in Colorado that we surveyed set an all-time record (Friday) for regular unleaded gasoline," AAA Colorado spokesman Eric Escudero told the Aspen Daily News. "The only exception was Glenwood Springs, which set its all-time high on Thursday."

Nationally, the price also set a record, $3.129 per gallon, according to the Oil Price Information Service.

"This is crazy," A.C. Cabral told the Aspen Daily News as he filled up at the Shell station on Main Street, which is also known as The Aspen Store. "Some say it's because of Bush. I don't know. There are a lot of crazy things going on in the world."

Escudero said Aspen's prices were the highest. Vail was selling regular for $4.50.

Producers have blamed the war in the Middle East and refinery outages. Colorado's gas is the 11th most expensive in the nation, said Escudero.

The prices aren't expected to keep people home this summer, though they might take the sedan instead of the SUV.

"People are still traveling despite the higher costs," said Sandra Barnes, AAA Colorado director of travel. "Travelers find other ways to save money such as staying in less expensive hotels, eating at less expensive restaurants, or traveling closer to home."

Last week Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill that allowed supermarkets to sell gasoline to their customers for below-market average prices.