NORMA KANCHEFF SAN ANTONIO

Are high fuel prices making Port Aransas a destination for Texans who can't afford to take their summer vacations in far-away destinations?

It wasn't a scientific poll, but if a survey of 10 visitors during the weekend of July 19 to 20 is any indication, the short answer appears to be: Not much. The survey also showed that island restaurants might be losing business due to the gas crunch.

Only one of the 10 vacationers interviewed by the South Jetty said they might have traveled further than Port Aransas if not for the skyrocketing cost of fuel.

(Approached randomly on the beach, in town and on the waterfront, all 10 of those interviewed were Texas residents, as it turned out. Most were from the San Antonio and Austin areas.)

Most of those interviewed said they chose Port Aransas as their destination because they love the town, they've been visiting for years, and because gas prices still haven't gone up so much that they felt the need to cancel a trip that, for many families, has become an annual tradition.

"Honestly, I think it's a good value," Bonnie Gottwald said while relaxing under a canopy on the beach near Beach Street Saturday with several relatives, all San Antonio residents. "It's beautiful. It's reasonably priced."

DONNA MCMAHON FREDERICKSBURG

"We don't like the fuel prices," said Bonnie's husband, Hank. "But they're not stopping us."

Brooke Connolly, a reverse-mortgage consultant from San Antonio, said she has gone to South Padre Island with her family in past years, and she thought about doing it again this year. But she decided to go to Port Aransas instead.

"It's so expensive to fill up that car," Connolly said while building a sand castle near Horace Caldwell Pier Friday with her 3-year-old son, Andy. "And this is closer."

Joseph Johnson, a carpenter from Comanche (about 110 miles southwest of Fort Worth), said he and his family have chosen the Coastal Bend for vacations the past few years, dividing their stays between condominiums on Mustang Island and Corpus Christi.

This time, Johnson and his family chose to travel in a fifth-wheel trailer and stay at an RV park in Port Aransas. With higher gas prices this year, using the RV ended up costing about the same as traveling in a regular vehicle and staying in a condominium, Johnson said. But gas prices had nothing to do with their travel decisions. They were bound and determined to visit the Coastal Bend, regardless.

TIM MOYER AUSTIN

"Whatever it took for fuel, it didn't matter," Johnson said while soaking in the swimming pool Friday at Surfside RV on 11th Street.

Scott and Barbara Dukette of Austin said gas prices didn't influence their decision to come to Port Aransas either.

"We're not in dire financial straits," Scott, a civil engineer, said as he and his wife finished shopping at the Family Center IGA grocery store Friday. "If gas gets to $8 a gallon, we might have to think about it."

Tim Moyer, a software engineer from Austin, said he and his family have been visiting Port Aransas on vacation for years, and gas prices still are not high enough to make them cancel those plans.

Usually, Moyer and his family rent a large vehicle, like a van, to travel to Port Aransas. This year, they decided to make their vacation longer than usual, so they decided not to rent the usual large vehicle, because it would cost so much. Instead, they drove two family cars.

GRACIELA SCHAAF FREDERICKSBURG

Joe and Norma Kancheff of San Antonio said gas prices had no effect on their decision to travel to Port Aransas with their three children and two friends.

"Gas prices are always going to go up, like taxes," Norma, a pharmaceutical technician, said as she and Joe sat in lawn chairs on the beach Saturday. "But you've got to keep living."

Other folks said gas prices didn't prevent them from traveling to Port Aransas, but the prices did make them curb their spending once they got to town.

Jason Schaaf his wife, Graciela, and their 6-year-old son, Thomas, made their annual trip to Port Aransas from their home in Fredericksburg. But they rented a smaller condominium than usual and didn't travel from Port Aransas to Corpus Christi to visit the Texas State Aquarium like they did last year.

Brandi Spears of Austin said she and her family come to Port Aransas about three times a year, but they decided against eating at restaurants on this most recent visit. Instead, they bought groceries and ate all their meals at their motel.

BROOKE CONNOLLY SAN ANTONIO

Same deal with Juan and Alma Rubio of San Antonio.

"We enjoy this area," Juan said while seated under a rainbow-hued umbrella at I.B. Magee Jr. Beach Park. "We come here a lot. … But we did bring more groceries this time."

And it was the same story with Cavan and Donna McMahon, a Fredericksburg couple who own a second home in Port Aransas. Cavan, an artist, and Donna, a realtor, said they would have eaten out more if it wasn't for high fuel prices.

Also limiting their restaurant visits were San Antonians Tony and Dana Wiley, who were visiting Port Aransas with their teen-age son and his two friends.

"You can't really afford to eat out that much now with three teenagers," Dana Wiley said as the group loaded fishing gear in their truck near Dennis Dreyer Municipal Harbor. "Those boys eat!"

BONNIE GOTTWALD SAN ANTONIO JOSEPH JOHNSON COMANCHE JUAN RUBIO SAN ANTONIO DANA WILEY SAN ANTONIO

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