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Summer Travel: Unique Ways to Save Money on Gas

A family in Tennessee has found a way to beat the skyrocketing price of gas and it doesn’t require getting on two-wheels or a couple of blades; rather the clan has a new plan—-using four legs.

As in those connected to their mules.

Record high fuel prices have forced the Raymond family of McMinnville to get creative in the way they travel. Not only are they using a pair of mules to get around their farm, they also ditched their tractor and put the animals to work hauling hay from their fields.

When gas prices inched close to the $4 mark the family modified a tractor rake and hitched Dolly and Molly the mules to it. The farm’s owner says his son trained the stubborn animals and soon they were pulling loads of hay from the far ends of the property to the barn.

The Raymond’s says the mules are slower than their petroleum-powered tractor, but “we can feed these mules cheaper than we can buy fuel. That’s the truth.”

In addition to helping around the farm, the mules also aid the family with their travels to and from town. Once a week a member of the Raymond family rides a mule into town to run errands.

Robert Raymond told local reporters that mules “are the way of the future for travel.”

And the Raymond’s are not alone. A family in La Crosse, Wisconsin has opted to leave their cars at home and make their ponies do all the work.

The family is making headlines for their unique approach to saving gas. They say when gas hit $3.79 a gallon they decided it was time to put the small horses to work. The family now rides their ponies to town and on various other trips.

Finally, a popular waterpark resort is joining other lodgings across the United States by offering free gas to anyone who is willing to drive and stay at their properties.

Kalahari Waterpark Resorts, which has locations in the Wisconsin Dells and in Sandusky, Ohio just started their new gas saving promotion last weekend.

From now until the end of summer customers who arrive on a Sunday or Monday and stay four days will receive $40 gas cards when they check out. They’ll also get $40 off their room rates for each of the four days.

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This entry was posted in Budget Travel & Deals and tagged , , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.