Just when you thought gas prices wouldn’t go any higher, they have. I filled up our 1987 Volvo wagon yesterday for the first time in weeks, and the gas was $3.84 a gallon. Ouch.

As a city dweller, I’m fortunate to have access to great bus service, and use it every day for my commute. But I do love to travel around the Northwest, and I can’t take a bus to a trailhead (not many, anyway), bike to the Methow Valley, or take a train to the John Day Fossil Beds. Also, as much as I’d adore a shiny new Prius (light blue, please), I can’t afford a new, more fuel-efficient car (my Volvo gets only 25 miles to the gallon, highway driving, but it cost me only $1200!) My husband and I already decided to cut down on our air travel to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. With gas at nearly $4 a gallon, are we to quit traveling locally, too?

There is no doubt that Americans need to seriously curb our consumption of oil (We consume about 20.6 million barrels of oil per day, about 25% of worldwide demand. That’s more than double the consumption of China, the world’s second biggest consumer.) With skyrocketing gas prices, we now have another, more immediate incentive.

I hope you’ll be enjoying some Northwest travel this summer, despite the gas prices. Here are some tips for using less gas in your Northwest journeys. They’ll help you pump a little less carbon into the atmosphere, and a little more cash in your pockets:

• Tend to your tires. We’ve all heard this one before, but evidently very few of us have actually done it. Keep your tires properly inflated and improve your mileage by 3 percent, for a savings of 20 gallons of gas a year ($80 at current prices).
• Don’t put the pedal to the metal. The faster you accelerate, the more gas you use. Cut out the fast starts and rapid braking at highway speeds, and save as much as 80 gallons a year.
• Yeah, you can drive 55. Actually, 55 miles per hour is the optimum speed for most cars when it comes to getting the best gas mileage, so slow down.
• Carpool. Yes, on your vacation. If you’re taking a weekend getaway, ask some friends or another couple to come along. Not only will you save on gas money (when you split it, of course) you could save on lodging, too. (Get a cabin or suite that sleeps more people.)
• Travel light. You’ll get better mileage if you carry less weight, so clean out your trunk of stuff you don’t need to take with you.
• Try the train this summer. Although we wish there were far more options for traveling by train in the Northwest, there are a few. For example, from Seattle on Amtrak you can get to Portland, Hood River, Eugene, Spokane, Wenatchee, Bellingham, and Vancouver BC.

April is Earth Month, so we thought we’d highlight some earth-friendly affordable lodging in the Northwest. Email your suggestions to admin@nwcheapsleeps.org.

Our eco-friendly roadtrip begins on the central Oregon coast near the picturesque town of Yachats (pronounced YAH-hots), where dramatic seaside bluffs of basalt loom over beaches and tidepools waiting to be explored. There’s perhaps no better base from which to explore this wondrous nature than a beautiful and comfortable room at Ocean Haven.

If you drive a Hummer, you won’t be staying at Ocean Haven. “FOR REASONS OF HEALTH & SAFETY, OCEAN HAVEN CANNOT ACCOMMODATE SMOKERS, PETS, OR FOLKS TRAVELING IN A HUMMER.” Ocean Haven’s proprietors take their environmental activism seriously, but don’t let the seriousness of some of their policies fool you – proprietors Christine and Bill are some of the nicest folks you’ll meet.

Ocean Haven is perched atop one of the most scenic stretches of Oregon’s rugged coast, and the design of the rooms take full advantage of this. Big corner windows give way to panoramic ocean views, and a pair of binoculars are conveniently provided for your wildlife-watching pleasure. Cozy window seats put you so close to the action it feels as if the thundering waves might come into the room with you. When you’re ready to make direct contact with the ocean, pick up one of the provided beach blankets and walking sticks and head down the path that descends their bluff to the beach below. Upon your return, comfortable beds, a beautiful tiled shower, and a well-stocked library of nature books await you — all lovely touches that make Ocean Haven an extra special place to stay.

The rooms have kitchens with stoves, fridges, microwaves, teapots, coffee makers, and most every pot, plate and utensil you’ll need. Any time you feel the need for a cup of herbal tea or coffee and an organic snack, help yourself — the kitchen is well-stocked with extras. We particularly liked having the kitchen and comfortable dining area to cook our own dinners. It saves money, saves a trip into town, and at Ocean Haven, we’re talking the best ocean-view table you’re ever likely to eat at, cook up some pasta and sauce, open a bottle of wine and pull up a chair.

Ocean Haven is committed to reducing the impact on nature by limiting the number of guests and contributing a portion of the revenue from your stay to ocean conservation organizations. They recycle and compost, and don’t permit beach fires.

At $100 – $145 a night (rooms accommodate 2-4), the best rooms are a bit of a splurge, but occasionally a splurge is in order. Just make sure your splurge is for a place as wonderful as Ocean Haven. Free WiFi. Guest Phone in office. No room phones or TV (and you won’t miss it for a second.) Our favorite rooms are the north view and south view suites and the shag’s nest cabin, though the sky view and tidepool rooms are great, too.

Info and reservations: Ocean Haven website or 541-547-3583.

Traveling often requires a car. And when you drive to the Oregon Coast or to go camping at Mount Rainier, you’re hoping your car doesn’t break down on the way, right?

Maybe you’re already a member of an auto club, such as AAA, who will come and change your flat tire, give you discounts on rental cars, and tow your broken-down car to the nearest auto shop.

But did you know your auto club membership may support an anti-environmental policy agenda? It sure surprised me.

A few years back I joined the Better World Club, an auto club that offers great 24/7 nationwide roadside assistance. They’ve towed my car when I had a radiator catastrophe, let me into my locked car more times than I can count, and even showed up to fix my flat tire on I-90. I found them to be just as reliable as other auto clubs, with a rapid response time and fast service.

Membership in Better World includes eco-travel services, discounts on hybrid car rental, insurance services, free maps, auto maintenance discounts and bicycle roadside assistance. They donate 1% of annual revenues toward environmental cleanup and advocacy. They offer hybrid and biodiesel vehicle owners 15% off any new membership. And, they have a carbon offset program to help fight global warming by putting dollars into non-polluting energy sources.

But there is a even more important reason to pay attention to who you have your auto club membership with. Unlike AAA, Better World doesn’t use your membership fees to lobby against the Clean Air Act, bike paths or mass transit.

All in all, it’s a great service, and even greater to know that my membership isn’t working against greener transportation choices.

This past weekend I attended Green Festival in Seattle, a huge environmental expo featuring authors and educators, how-to workshops, and eco-friendly businesses and resources. The organic food was fabulous, I learned all about compact fluorescent bulbs, and was inspired to try a hemp chocolate shake. Yum!

It also got me to thinking about travel and its impacts on climate change and communities. My husband and I recently decided to limit our airline travel to one trip per year. We’d flown about five times last year, but then read that one round trip airplane ride from Seattle to New York contributes a hefty chunk to one person’s yearly quota of carbon (that is, if we had such quotas that set each person’s carbon emissions at a yearly sustainable level.) I mean, wow. Air travel is more damaging than many other emissions because the CO2 is directly released into the upper atmosphere. The rising cost of oil consequently pushing air travel costs up has made that decision even easier to stick with.

The trouble is, we love to travel. Vacations are a means of renewing and recharging in our hectic modern lives. Experiencing new places and connecting with new people are enriching components of that.

We decided we’ll keep traveling, but we’re redefining it a bit. Instead of two weeks in Costa Rica this year, we’ll take frequent, shorter trips much closer to home, and visit local, small businesses in our travels. On these trips we try to minimize driving, eat local and organic, and stay in inexpensive, family-run bed and breakfasts or small inns, or camp. To tell you the truth, we’re loving it.

I think local travel–taking shorter vacations near where you live and connecting with your local communities in the process–is a refreshing and progressive way to renew and recharge. And living the beautiful and diverse Pacific Northwest certainly makes it all the more enticing.