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Spending about $750 in gas to get from north Boston to Draper in a 36-foot motor home is a small price to pay for Don and Eileen Veitch. Especially because the trip to Utah ends with a long visit with Sam and Jackson, their grandchildren.

"I can't see not taking the trip," Don Veitch said as 3-year-old Sam slept in the driver's seat of their motor home and 4-year-old Jackson tried to scare his grandmother with a stuffed toy snake. "We would give up other things before giving up a chance to see the family."

But why in a vehicle that guzzles fuel faster than a kid gobbles candy - and at a time when gas prices seem to be breaking records almost daily?

On Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Utah was $2.49. Premium cost an average $2.74 and diesel was $2.86. The national average was $2.60 for regular, $2.85 for premium and $2.64 for diesel.

Friday's price for regular was 73 cents higher than it was a year ago and 32 cents higher than a month ago.

Most RVers buy regular or diesel fuel and average between eight and 11 miles per gallon, depending on whether they drive a motor home or pull a trailer or fifth-wheel.

There are cheaper modes of travel, but RV enthusiasts say they enjoy the freedom that comes with hauling their homes with them. And they are willing to pay for it.

"If you can afford a very expensive motor home, you can afford to put gas in it," said Gary Watts, motor home enthusiast and president of Red Rock Rovers motor home club.

Watts and 27 other members of the Washington County club take four or five weeklong trips together each year. Some of the group just returned from a rally in Durango, Colo., and are scheduled to travel to Winnemucca, Nev., for another trip soon.

The price of gas "is the conversation of the day but I have no indication that it's become a decisive factor in when we go or not," Watts said. "Our pattern is not likely to change unless gas prices really went through the roof."

According to a 2001 study conducted by the University of Michigan, nearly 7 million American households own an RV. That is a 7.8 percent increase between 1998 and 2001 and a 38 percent bump from 1980 to 2001.

For the Veitch family, driving their RV cross country may cost a small fortune in fuel but it also helps save in other areas, including lodging. The couple arrived at the Mountain Shadows RV-Mobile Park in Draper on July 2 and stayed for six weeks.

The price of their RV space, at about $155 a week, was less than half what they would pay for a hotel room, Don Veitch said.

Traveling by RV also is more than just getting from Point A to Point B. It's about being on the road.

"You can't compare it with hurry-up business travel because it's the exact opposite," Watts said. "It is a casual and comfortable way to travel and you see a lot more than when you're in an airplane."

Bill and Jane Hipp agree. Their GMC Sierra gets an inglorious 11 miles per gallon when it's pulling their 31-foot Lakota travel trailer. The St. George couple take three to four short trips and one long trip each summer.

The Hipps have been RVing for more than 20 years and returned to Utah from Oregon on Aug. 20.

"We paid as much as $3.19 [for gas] and as low as $2.47," Jane Hipp said.

"On this trip we probably drove about 3,000 miles at 11 to 12 miles a gallon," Bill added. "You can do the math."

Like Watts, the Hipps prefer driving to flying and staying in hotels. The Hipps' trailer is equipped with a bedroom, a living room with two recliner chairs and a couch, and a kitchenette with a dining table. Their dogs, Roxie and Sam, ride with them.

"The thing about this that's so nice is you always sleep in your own bed and you always have home-cooked meals," Bill Hipp said. "You can sleep as long as you want or you can drive as long as you want. You have absolute total freedom."

Despite high fuel prices, local RV parks report no drop in business.

Jnet Smith, an employee of Quail Run RV in Sandy, said 98 percent of the park's rental spaces are full. Out of 59, there are only two available.

Business for Warner Trailer Park in Grantsville has been steady since last summer as well with most of its 34 spaces being filled each night, owner Clairene Warner said.

Taryn Mehlhoff, owner of Quality RV, said trailer and motor home sales at his dealerships in Draper and Orem have remained steady, despite rising gas prices. So far this year, his businesses have sold more than 250 vehicles.

"I'm up 27 percent on new motor homes [since] last year," Mehlhoff said.

According to RVUSA.com, motor homes range in price from $50,000 to $900,000. You can pay as little as $9,000 for a travel trailer or as much as $76,000. Fifth-wheels run $12,000 to $98,000.

Some car and truck owners, however, are feeling the pinch at the pumps.

Salt Lake City resident Steve Bagley chose to add only $10 in gas to his pickup's tank at the Chevron station on the corner of West Temple and 500 South.

"I'll go to Costco or Sam's [Club] later because it's so much cheaper there," he said.

At the next pump, Rene Guerro was filling one of two tanks on his Ford F150.

"I used to fill up both," he said. "Now, just one."

jbergreen @sltrib.com

Getting to know the RV guy

* The typical RV owner is 49, married, with an annual income of $56,000.

* RV owners are likely to own their own homes and spend their disposable income on traveling - an average of 4,500 miles and 28-35 days annually.

* Baby boomers make up the majority of RV owners.

* 8.9 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds own an RV.

* There are about 30 million RV enthusiasts nationwide.

- Source: http://www.RVIA.org, the Web site for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association