Tourist town tremors

A friend is in Illinois this weekend visiting her sister and called back to say gas is $4.269 per gallon.

That is more than gossip in a place like the Dells that is built on tourism that is heavily impacted by the cost of travel. I have heard rumors from the businesses downtown that things are running thirty to forty percent less than the same time last year. At the railway things are off about ten percent, so we are actually doing well by local standards.

One couple who were in today mentioned that they brought their camper as usual, but this year they are not eating out -- they are doing all their own cooking. Another family that comes up every year decided that camping out would have to do instead of a stay at one of the waterpark resorts.

Those economic stimulus checks are not going to go towards a waterpark vacation at the Dells, but towards debt, food and gas this summer.