[EXCERPT: read the whole article here (Reg. reqd.). -Ed.]

Tiny Gorda, Calif., along the Central Coast of California, is seeing what may be the costliest gas in the land. "On Tuesday morning, as crude oil flirted with $110 a barrel and petrol prices set records nationwide, a gallon of regular at Amerigo was going for $5.20."

"The pain, of course, was not confined to Gorda, a one-generator, one-llama town perched on a scenic stretch of Highway 1. The American Automobile Association reported Tuesday that the average price of a gallon of gas nationwide had reached $3.227, a new high, up a fraction from Monday. That was still nearly two dollars short of the high in Gorda, which is about a 185-mile drive south of — and $1.50 a gallon more expensive than — San Francisco."

"The station manager, Leo Flores, said the price reflected this tiny town’s remote location as well as its reliance on a diesel generator for all of its power. That generator uses 100 gallons a day, and the gas station helps foot the bill. ... Locals have gotten used to paying a lot for a little, as almost everything has to be trucked in from big towns up and down the coast. A twelve-pack of Budweiser costs nearly $15, and a small coffee at the general store is more expensive than at the average Starbucks."

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