Gas prices are a lot like the weather right now. Wait five minutes, and they will change.

With the average price of gasoline in Butler County at $4.69 per gallon on Thursday, people like flight school student Logan Greenawalt have made adjustments because of the money it takes to fill their gas tanks.

"I've been going into work on my days off more," Greenawalt said. "I also haven't been going home a lot lately. I live in Somerset, and I go to school up here.

“I used to go home about every weekend, but now it’s about every three weeks."

Greenawalt, who will be taking his final exam to be a flight instructor soon, has seen gas prices affect his industry in a short amount of time.

"Rental costs have definitely gone up," Greenawalt said. "I started training a little over a year ago, and it was about $150 a hour and now it’s upwards of $175."

The current average price of diesel in Pennsylvania sits at $6.27. With Memorial Day and the summer driving season coming up, RV users such as Jack Sirkoch, of Renfrew, have been forced to make some difficult travel decisions.

“We have an RV that takes diesel," Sirkoch said. "That's 10 miles to the gallon. We use that for going to dog shows. We got the RV specifically for that.

"I’ve got a show in two weeks, and we won't be taking the RV. I'll have to drive up and get a hotel, which is actually cheaper than the diesel fuel it would take to get up there."

AAA estimates that about 39.2 million Americans will be traveling this weekend, which is up 8.3% from 2021.

"In some ways, Americans are driving less, and in some ways they're driving more," AAA spokesman Jim Garrity said.

AAA conducted survey in late February — before prices had a major spike — to ask drivers how higher prices would change their driving behavior.

Garrity said many consumers indicated that around the $4 per gallon mark is when they’d start to make changes to their daily driving habits.

"(Those changes might be) driving less, slowing down or lightening the load," Garrity said. "This is so they can still prioritize road trips and vacations for the summer-driving season."

Garrity said gas prices are about $1.60 more per gallon than they were last Memorial Day, yet more people are driving this Memorial Day than last year.

"Gas prices are indicating they are more likely to go up than come down," Garrity said. "Our concern is consumers need to make sure that they financially set themselves up for success."

The closer consumers drive on empty, the more likely they could have a roadside breakdown, but simply slowing down is the number one thing people can do to save money on gas, Garrity explained.

“Every five mph over 50 mph when you are driving you are increasing the aerodynamic drag on your vehicle and you're making it work harder,” Garrity said. “Therefore, statistically, you have a higher chance of dying in a car crash and you're spending money you don't need to spend just to get to your destination a minute or two earlier. There is no advantage to it at all.”

Businesses that use a lot of gas, such as Hiland Golf Course in East Butler, also are feeling the pressure of high gas prices.

The biggest misconception about Hiland’s fuel costs, General Manager Terry Rottman said, is the notion that because they buy gas in bulk they pay less.

This could not be further from the truth, he said.

"We actually pay more than what everyone pays at the pumps," Rottman said. "They gotta keep their trucks on the road, and they have their costs bringing a big tank to us. We were paying a little over $2 a gallon a year and a half ago, and now it's almost $6."

As gas prices go up, so do the prices of the goods and services local businesses offer.

“We haven't made any sacrifices except in the wallet," Rottman said. "Definitely cuts into the profit margin. We raised our prices (for cart fees) 50 cents per nine holes because of gas. Unfortunately, that does not cover it.”

Rottman said he hopes to stick with current prices the rest of the year, but the price hikes did not stop with cart fees.

“We did raise our food prices like everybody else has," Rottman said. "People like to stay around and eat. I just don't see people going out to eat as much. It costs them more to get there for one thing, and it costs a lot more once they get there.”

Hiland's gas usage has not changed at all Rottman said, but he is considering an idea that could change how they charge cart fees for groups.

“The game of golf is laid out to have four golfers in a group,” Rottman said. “But sometimes you have groups of three. Now you got two guys in one cart and a single in another. When you got two guys in a cart, your cost of fuel is not as bad.

“We probably should have raised the prices a little more, but everyone is suffering. We try to keep our prices as low as we can, but we have to remember we are a business.”

Rottman said the course’s mowing schedule has not changed. Everything gets cut on Fridays and fairways get cut periodically throughout the week, but greens still get cut each morning.

“All our equipment runs on diesel,” Rottman said. "Grass always needs cut, you got to fertilize. I don't want to see any courses close down. There is enough business out there for all of us.

“Golf is one sport where people can get out and enjoy, have a few beers and relax a little bit. There is enough stress in the world and you need something that can help you relax.”