All Blog Posts from Eye On The Road

Independence, Mo., the hometown of Harry Truman. Did you know when Truman was president, gas cost a whopping 21 cents a gallon? When yeah when we left this week the national average was 3.72. It's now 3.79. And a lot has happened in those five days. It's a trip we made separately but a story I wanted to tell together with Jeff.

Jeff Glor: Our team began out west, where tall gas prices mean short vacations. Just look at Mike Morrasy. He packed up the RV, and drove a whole three miles away from home this year.

Nancy Cordes: After leaving New York's Central Park, our first stop was Pennsylvania's Hersey Park. It's one of those regional attractions that's banking on Americans staying closer to home this summer.

But the food industry may be feeling the pinch more painfully than anyone. At Kennedy's Bakery in Cambridge, Ohio, they're paying three times more for flour than they did last year.

"You can't raise prices enough, can you?" I asked Patty Kennedy, the owner.

"No, I can't, or else I’m going to loose all the customers," she said.

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With just one more day on the road, the end is in sight. And thank goodness. It's raining and windy - we barely got our tent to stay up for last night's Evening News piece!

But we're looking forward to meeting up with Team Glor near Kansas City - and looking forward to some great barbecue. Kansas City is famous for it. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best BBQ in the city?

We were driving along rather peacefully when suddenly, it sounded like a roar of thunder from above. Our CBS News decal had detached from our roof ... and ripped into a million pieces.

So, we're down one decal ... but we've gained access to our sunroof. And to ease the pain we picked up a box of donuts. And they're not just any donuts.

This story appeared on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

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We are a nation of drivers.

Only 5 percent of the country's commuters take public transportation. Everyone else is stubbornly sticking to their cars.

In fact, since 1990, the number of so-called "super-commuters," those who drive 90 minutes or more, has risen 95 percent.

One of them is Brian McCausland, a father of four. I met him in Pennsylvania farm country, and joined him on his ride to work, 50 miles away.

"Of course like the rest of the country we had no idea that the price of gas was going to essentially double," he said.

Now, he's spending $300 a month to go back and forth.

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Finally! The open road. After battling the morning rush hour traffic in New York City, we headed through the Lincoln Tunnel and out onto New Jersey’s spider web of highways.

New Jersey’s gas prices are actually lower than you might expect – about $3.60 per gallon – thanks to the state gas tax, which is the third-lowest in the country at 14.5 cents per gallon (the nationwide average is 23.6 cents per gallon). New York, on the other hand, is pushing $4 for a gallon of gas … and its diesel is the most expensive in the nation. That might help explain why reservations for campsites at state parks in New York for this summer are up 16 percent since last year as people look to lessen the pain and take shorter vacations.

Let’s hope the weather improves for our road trip – right now we’re dealing with driving rain and gusting winds! No fun. Exactly how am I writing this blog while barreling through New Jersey, you ask? Well, my trusty producer Jack – the Thelma to my Louise – is at the wheel right now, which is a probably a big relief for both of us.

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New York state has the highest prices for diesel in the country, and the 5th-highest gas prices. That means $4 per gallon for regular gas in some areas, and that's changing the way a lot of people are vacationing around here.

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